Maher (NGO)

Maher
Motto There is always room for one more.[1]
Founded 2 February 1997 by Sister Lucy Kurien in India
Type Non-profit
NGO
Location
Services homes for children, women and men, self help groups, general outreach, women empowerment
Members
3000 women, 860 children, 190 employees (approx. numbers)[2]
Website maherashram.org

Maher (Marathi: My mother's home) is an interfaith and caste-free Indian non-governmental organisation based near Pune with remote homes in Ranchi, Ratnagiri and Ernakulam. The objective of the organisation is to provide shelter and support to destitute women and children. It was founded by Sister Lucy Kurien in 1997 in the village Vadhu Budruk.[3]

History

The Beginning (1991)

1991, while Sr. Lucy was working for the H.O.P.E organisation,[4] a pregnant woman came to her, asking for help. She believed her husband was going to kill her to bring another woman into his house. Sr. Lucy couldn't help her, but promised to try and do something for her the following day.

I was brought up in a secure family environment and I was unaware that one night could make such a difference to the life of a woman"; "That very night, her husband, in a drunken rage, set her on tembefire. I actually saw the blazing woman and heard her shrieks of agony. We put the fire out and took her to a hospital but she died of 90 degree burns and with her died the seven-month-old fetus. I was devastated..
— Sister Lucy[5]

After this incident Sr. Lucy decided to found Maher, to help women in such a plight. It took almost 7 years to get the needed support, but on 2 February 1997 in the small village of Vadhu Budruk on the outskirts of Pune the first Maher house opened its doors.

Further Development (1997 - 2011)

Sister Lucy Kurien (left), founder of Maher

In a period from only 15 years, over 2000 people have been part of the aid programs, 29 houses have been build (4 for women and 25 for children) and Maher expanded in other districts of India: Kerala (2004) and Jharkhand (2008). Also the aid for Maher increased considerably. More and more people, mainly from Austria,[6] Germany,[7] the United States and the UK,[8] came to support the project. In 2002 Sister Lucy travelled to Europe the first time in order to advertise for Maher. For her work at Maher, Sister Lucy got honoured inter alia with the DCCIA Award for Excellence in Social Service 2010[9] and the Global Women's Leadership Award 2011[10]

Today (from 2012)

In 2012 Maher had its crystal anniversary celebration (15 years) attended by 4000 people.[11] Her last visit to Europe was 2012 on the Katholikentag in Mannheim.[12] The current cost for Maher add up to €30.000 per month, to pay for the accommodation of 860 children, 300 women and 21 men,[13] for the employees as well as for rent and taxes. Maher gets mainly financed through donations.

Structure

Maher's activities are grouped into different projects - the three main projects are Mamtadham (Marathi: a place of mother's love), Kishoredham (Marathi: a children's place) and Vatsalyadham (Marathi: a place of love). The Organization is led by the founder Sister Lucy Kurien and the president Hirabegum Mulla.

Mamtadham

Under this project Maher runs homes for destitute women. The main aim of this project is, to raise their self-esteem and that they are able to help themselves. Maher gives courses in different handicrafts in order to give them independence and the possibility to earn money on their own. Many women are later employed by Maher to help with the various projects.[14]

Kishoredham

This is the project for Maher's 26 homes for orphans and children from broken homes. In each home there are 20-25 children and two housemothers, which are with them the whole time. Additionally Social Workers are supervising the homes. The children are sent to school (if possible to an English Medium School and Maher is conducting dance, sports and musical activities.

Vatsalyadham

This is a home for mentally challenged women. These women are often found wandering on the street and need shelter and psychiatric help.[15] Maher is conducting activities for their betterment including listening to music, playing simple games, practise of various exercises and medical therapy. After some time the Maher staff tries to find out the address of the patients to contact the families. If it seems to be safe to send them home, they are reunited with their families.[16] Regularly there are follow-ups to ensure that the women are coping well.

Philosophy

Most of Maher's children and women are Hindus, additionally there are Christians and Muslims. Maher's emphasis on interfaith is essential in the everyday life, but also at special occasions. In November 2012 Maher celebrated the Hindu festival of light - Diwali - in a special way: people from different religions recited verses and prayed together.[17] Maher also takes steps to follow the idea of sustainability: In March 2013 the organization decided to play Holi with natural colours[18] instead of using the common synthetic colours.

References

  1. ↑ "About Maher - Introduction". Maher. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  2. ↑ "About Maher". Maher. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  3. ↑ Janjali, Arwa (Sep 9, 2011). "Giving them love when they need it most". Sakaal Times. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Friends of H.O.P.E". Human Organization for Pioneering in Education. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  5. ↑ "Maher History". Maher. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  6. ↑ "About Maher". Vienna International School. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  7. ↑ "German: Friends of Maher(registered association)". Catholic Church Liebfrauen. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  8. ↑ Kulkarni, Pranav (May 7, 2008). "From Bhima to Thames, orphans from Maher captured UK hearts". The Indian Express. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  9. ↑ Express News Service (Oct 12, 2010). "Deccan Chamber looks for ties abroad". The Indian Express. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  10. ↑ Mascarenhas, Anuradha (Feb 28, 2013). "Maher away from home for abandoned mental patients". The Indian Express. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  11. ↑ Umbrajkar, Manish (Aug 19, 2012). "NGO Maher completes 15 years". The Times Of India. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  12. ↑ "German: See India and be amazed". Evangelical Church Mannheim. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  13. ↑ "Maher at a Glance". Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Ray of Light in India". Vision Magazine.
  15. ↑ "Maher – House Vatsalyadham". De-Addiction Centres.in. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  16. ↑ Dutta, Dr. Piyali. "A summary of summer internship case studies".
  17. ↑ Udyawar, Gayathri (Nov 12, 2012). "Diwali spreads cheer among city orphanges". The Indian Express. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  18. ↑ Shinde, Swati (Mar 22, 2013). "NGO to celebrate Holi with natural colours". The Times Of India. Retrieved June 25, 2013.

Further reading

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