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SOCIETY
Poojappura's 'divine home' shelters children of prisoners
Thiruvananthapuram:
Children of parents who are undergoing prison
sentences normally have to be looked after by their
near relatives. If there are no near relatives, they
have to lead the life of destitutes and suffer social
stigma. It could have a devastating effect on the
upbringing of the children and many of them become
misfits in society. Touched by the fate of the children,
Alice Thomas, a widow of Poojappura decided to start
a desititutes home in Thiruvananthapuram. Called the
"Divine Children Home", it looks after the destitute
children, whose parents are in jail. In many cases
mothers are serving long terms in the Central Jail
of Thiruvananthapuram.
The
founder of this Home, Alice, became a widow, while
still young. Her husband died in an accident. She
says, "I had to take care of my children on my own.
Initially, I got the job of a craft teacher in the
central jail where I met children of women convicts
and prostitutes. I thought of taking care of them
instead of allowing them to go into the world of crime
and flesh trade," said Alice Thomas. Now, Alice is
the loving mother of 26 destitute children of Thiruvananthapuram
other than her own. Divine Children's Home is a warm
and a caring place for the destitute and neglected
children of Thiruvananthapuram city and nearby areas.
Divine
Children's Home was registered as a charitable trust
on July 26, 2002. Today, its main source of income
for this trust is the allowances that she manages
to get from sewing work and donations from well-wishers
. "We contribute and try to provide shelter to the
orphans .The objective of the Divine Children Home
is to nurture, protect and take care the destitute
kids who are left in the streets and also those who
are from poor or broken families. We try to promote
the total development of children through loving care
till they are able to venture out independently,"
said Thomas Varghese, a sponsor.
-July
12, 2005
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