Maher Ashram founder will speak at Emmanuel

Wednesday, May 15, 7 p.m., Emmanuel Parish Hall

— from Monica Steele for Treacy Levine Center —

Come be inspired by the stories of the magic of Maher’s unconditional love in action where Women are healing Women & Children. Sister Lucy Kurien
will be speaking on May 15 at 7 p.m. in the Emmanuel Parish Hall in Eastsound.

Sister Lucy Kurien is the founder of Maher in Pune, India. Maher serves very poor, abused, or orphaned Indian children, women, and men in residential and village-based programs. Practicing spirituality in many forms, Maher celebrates holidays of all Indian religions.

Over 1,400 children, women, and men live in 40 homes around India. Children go to school and take extra-curricular classes such as dance, singing, soccer and taekwondo. Many of them compete successfully at state, national and even international levels. If they are interested and have the capacity, they may go on to college and university, while still living at Maher.

Women learn vocational skills and literacy. Some return home or marry or
start their own small businesses, while others stay on to work as
housemothers or social workers at Maher. Village programs are
fundamental to Maher’s mission, giving local residents tools for education,
child development, public health, job development and women’s rights.

Through village programs, Maher helps end the cycle of poverty and domestic violence that creates the need for their residential facilities. “Ever
since I was young, I was always moved by Mother Teresa’s work and really wanted to do something like that. I always had that calling,” says Sister Lucy.