A RAY OF HOPE TO THOSE GROPING IN DARKNESS
KIRAN NIKETAN, BIRLA
A tree grows and blooms when its roots dive deep inside and its branches spread far and wide. So also has been the Congregation of Holy Family of Nazareth. Its branches are spread out at various places through its apostolate carried out by the sisters.
Kiran Niketan is one of its branches, which is a Ray of Hope to those groping in darkness. Kiran Niketan Centre is situated in the heart of Zuarinagar slum area. One of its main objectives is to develop the slum community by working with the people and time it strives to lesson the inhuman conditions of the slums.
Zuarinagar slum is a hutment colony comprising of more than 2000 huts with a total population of approximately 20,000 people of which children are one third. Most of the people stay in illegal huts having no proper facilities of sanitation, water, etc. living in unhygienic conditions thus groping in the darkness of ignorance, poverty, alcoholism and ill-health. These people are migrants from Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madras and Kerala. Majorities are known as Lamanis
Gypsy. Men are mostly employed in industrial work, some live on daily wages taking seasonal jobs and most of the money spent on drinks and gambling. Few women work as domestic workers and are trying to make both the ends meet.
Their status is very low as there is lack of education, unemployed youth-engaged in gambling and drinking, child labour, child marriage and child exploitation is still existing, wife beating and harassment, broken families and evil ways of recreating.
Knowing such a situation exists in that area, Kiran Niketan acts to bring light in their lives by providing opportunities for basic services like education, recreation, counseling for better growth hand development. By making women more aware of their own potential and their problems, thus helping them to help themselves. By fostering better health care for mother and child, helping families in distress and other social problems, thus to build a community of love, Peace, Unity and Brotherhood.
We the sisters of Holy Family of Nazareth laid our feet on the soil of Zuarinagar slum area in the year 1986. Initially we began the work with children through Anganwadi School in 2 units. It was a govt. ICDS scheme through which the sisters started visiting the families, listening to their problems, advising them and supplying nutrition to mothers and children.
In 1992, we extended our activities for children and women. So the whole day is spent in the Centre and carried out Non Formal Education, Adult Education- Tailoring and Needle-Work Classes for women, self-help schemes like papad and pickle making, mobile health care and health education programmes. Feeding Programmes started through CRS-i.e. -MCH for Mother and Child and JHC for Aged People.
All these programmes were carried out in 2 small rooms and were becoming difficult to proceed further. So in 1993 a foundation stone was laid for
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