We admit children only up to the age of four, irrespective of their caste, creed or community. Each resident comes with his or her own sad story and with the hope of a better life here.

While roughly twenty children are "total" orphans, the rest usually have at least one surviving family member - be it a mother, father, grandparent or older sibling. Most of these families are quite poor to begin with, and death is not an uncommon occurrence and is sometimes associated with child-birth. The death of a husband is particularly difficult for a woman, who, as marriage custom dictates, has left her family to live with her husband's extended family. She may have no family to turn to, or little education to rely on in order to obtain a well-paid job. Desertion by their husbands is another common story for these mothers. Single-parents struggle to support themselves financially: some work as field labourers, lorry drivers, or even housemaids. When a parent this family member is unable to care for his/her children, we welcome these children into our family.

Sometimes, after the children are admitted to MBKG Pannai, their living parent may remarry, and their new spouses may refuse to accept these children as part of their new family, so the children remain here under our care.

The stories of the cottage mothers are typically the same, and many of them also have children here. Some of these mothers may stay here for a short while before remarrying or finding a                                                      new job, while others remain here with their children.

The cottage grandparents form a more eclectic mix. There are a number of single women, as well as a few couples. In India, care for the elderly is provided by the family, without any assistance from the government. We have a tradition of extended families, where the son continues to live with his parents along with his wife and children. If a couple fail to produce any sons, there may be nobody to look after them in their old age. When families are unable to care for the grandparents, we admit them here, thus completing our three generation Pannai family.