India
- Mithra - centre for Chilodren with Disabilities
- Minjur - School & Childrens home
- Kolkata (Calcutta) - Cathedral relief Services - Women, Education & Health
Mithra
Centre for Children with Disabilities
MITHRA Centre For Children With Disabilities Founded by Australian nun St Mary Theodore abut 25 years ago and still administered by her. MITHRA, which means "friendship", is near to the centre of Chennai (formerly Madras). Currently the Centre provides for about 70 children who attend the school daily and about an equal number of monthly boarders, who because of distance from their homes or because of their disabilities find travel too difficult.
The children are taught according to their capacity (Sr Mary Theodore "never gives up on any child".) and, when they are older, also receive training in the various craft workshops. According to individual need they also receive physiotherapy, speech therapy, dental treatment, medication etc. MITHRA's medical and dental clinic provide for the local community as well as for the children and staff at the Centre. MITHRA staff teach parents how to work with their children to enhance the benefit of their treatment. MITHRA runs training courses for people who wish to work with the disabled and is establishing a training course for teachers of the disabled.
Sponsorship is welcomed either for individual children or the Centre.
Minjur
School & Children’s Home In Minjur
SAHAYA MATHA HOME in Minjur was established about 30 years ago by the Seva Sisters of Mary led by Father John Cotteram. At that time the area was extremely poor and very few children attended school. Children were taken into the Home, then known as the ASIAC Home which received considerable funding from Australia. The Sisters helped villages in the area with development like sinking wells. They also established primary and secondary schools. As the literacy rate improved and the suburbs have extended closer to the village the economic situation of the area has improved. Now-a-days the Home acts as a boarding house for girls from disadvantaged families (often where there is sickness, alcoholism or the death of a parent) and some (as well as boys) live with their families. The students attend the Sahayamatha or other schools in the area. All are helped with educational expenses: fees, uniforms, books, stationery etc. We receive regular letters, cards and photos from each of the sponsored students as well as a general report about the project and information about those students who have moved on from the project into various forms of employment or higher education.
Our sponsorship enables children from poor families to complete their secondary schooling and to go on to further education, training and employment.
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Cathedral Relief Services Project
Cathedral Relief Service (C.R.S.) Estd.1973
St. Paul’s Cathedral KolKata - Community outreach
General Information
A small head-quarters staff of 15 works from modest offices in the Cathedral grounds, operating through 15 community based organizations (C.B.O.) in which local management bears responsibility for day to day running, accounts, staff and facilities. The three main activities of these C.B.O. relate to Women, Education and Health
Women’s Empowerment Skills-training (15 classes) Girls and young women pay a nominal fee for classes in craft, embroidery, tailoring, use of cosmetics and knitting (hand and machine). All of these skills can lead to gainful employment.
Self-help Groups (42 groups) Women meet regularly to share ideas and support each other. They learn about their rights and those of their children. They discuss health issues, their living environment, ways to access community resources, child-rearing or any matter of general interest.
Each group gets a bank loan which is shared according to the need of each woman’s project e.g. to buy a sewing machine or materials, rent a market stall etc. Re-payments are carefully monitored.
Education (1013 enrollments in 10 Centres.) Pre-school and primary classes are for children unable to attend government schools. Students may transfer, after passing an examination, to ‘official’ schools either state or private.
C.R.S. provides running costs stipends and materials. Physical space is often limited, but the students are industrious and delightful. Excellent, purposeful work is being done in these schools.
Health is tied in with the previous two activities. Health education is a key through monthly check-ups. Local clinics are held by volunteer doctors. A small fee is charged and basic medicines are available.
CRS helps people to help themselves.
For enquiries please contact Anne Sanders.
Details on the Sponsorship Contacts Page.