Kuttikad (India), 02/07/2021, Sr. Daisy Rose Peenikaparamban.– Jeevadhara Girls’ Home is a registered institution under Juvenile Justice Act of the Government of India. Jeevadhara Girls’ Home welcomes girls and young women who are less privileged and dropped out of school due to various reasons: very poor family background with scarcity of food, clothing, shelter and medical care.
Many girls are from families with single parents who are daily wage workers and they leave their children at home with no one to care for them. Often a single father is addicted to alcohol, smoking and often sick. Left to their living conditions, these girls are forced to work as children, often abused, uncared and discriminated in our male dominated society. These have caused some of these children to drop out of school without completing their education and are forced to do household chores or care for their aged and sick grand-parents. Two of our girls have mentally sick mothers lacking a suitable atmosphere for their growth in their home.
Jeevadhara Girls Home
Jeevadhara Girl’s Home was started on June1, 2001 with the inspiration of the Charism of Marie Poussepin “who has taken with her young country girls without either shelter or resources to raise them in the fear of God, to teach them to work and earn a living so that they might avoid disorders to which destitution and ignorance tend to lead” (Original Vision). With this single aim in the Spirit of our Foundress, we continue to provide them education and instruct and offer them means of salvation to move beyond their painful family conditions that are caught in the webs of various social and moral evils.
Jeevadhara Girl’s Home has a capacity to accommodate 40 girls. However, the Juvenile Justice Act being very strict, process of admission through Children Welfare Commission and the consequences of Covid 19, this year 15 girls are welcomed to this Home. These girls are sent to regular schools in the area until they complete their High School education. Physical, mental, psychological and spiritual formation is offered to these girls with the goal of providing them opportunity for integral growth and development. They are also formed in self- awareness, leadership and organizational skills to face life with discipline and responsibility. Sr. Sandha Manjaly is in-charge of Jeevadhara Girls’ Home.
For the past 20 years, we have welcomed 148 girls/young women offering them care, love, protection and education. Once they finish their high school education in our Home, they are motivated to continue higher studies to find a job and be self-reliant. 95 of them finished their 10th Standard/high school education and continued their studies in technical or job-oriented courses. Three young women finished their professional education in Nursing with the help of the Congregation and assistance from some of our benefactors.
55th General Chapter encouraged us to “carry out processes of integral transformation of vulnerable groups towards a dignified and sustainable life through the development of solidarity projects.” In the light of this chapter call, we continue to work in solidarity with many lay men and women who are our benefactors to provide financial support for this Home besides the contribution from the government of India.
