The humanitarian visionary, the young Madeleine Herman from Belgium visited Pondicherry in the year 1962 to experiment one year of her life in the service of the poor.
That was the period, when Government had not been implemented community oriented welfare measures, in a great scale.
She was so much touched by the plight of the people living in Uppalam and Dubrayapet area that she decided to pledge her entire life for the cause of these deserving people. She started her service organisation ‘Volontariat’ in Uppalam area in the year 1962. Because of her bsolute
devotion and dedication and by the unflinching support and commitment of Arnaud de Blic, her husband, Volontariat rooted well and spread its protective wings among the people.
During the fifty years of its presence, Volontariat has brought in miraculous changes in the life of the men and women and brightened the life of generations of children. One has to behold to understand the enormity of transformation. After fifty years of sharing, Volontariat’s multifaceted growth necessitated bifurcation for better reach and effectiveness.
Dubrayapet became an independent target unit in 2004. Om Shanti Malta Service Organisation was established and Ms. Jeanne Victorien, a social worker of Indian origin, became the chief executive of this mission. Om Shanti remains the brain child of Volontariat!
