Maher - International Friends of Maher Ashram

Qui sommes-nous

"Maher" (in the Marathi language) means "Mother´s Home": A haven of hope, belonging and understanding. Maher is an interfaith and caste-free Indian non-governmental organization based near Pune with remote homes in Pune, Ranchi, Ratnagiri and Ernakulam.
The mission is to provide shelter and support to destitute women, children and men from all over India exercise their right to a higher quality of life, irrespective of gender, caste, creed or religion. It was founded by Sister Lucy Kurien in 1997 in the village Vadhu Budruk, Pune.

Maher provides shelter, safety, dignity, support, counseling, training and practical work for women, as well as providing homes and support in education for children and those who are mentally disturbed and abandoned and destitute people. Maher is a truly secular organization, respecting all religions without bias. Through Maher, lives are transformed and futures of hope are established.

Our work
• Identify and understand the root causes of violence and despair experienced by women and children in India
• Develop and deliver services to address these root causes and their effects in villages and slums, so women and children are healthy, happy and self-reliant.
• Where possible, support family reunion providing services, personal and spiritual counseling, work training and more, as needed to support healthy and stable homes.
• When family reunion is not possible or desirable Maher provides safety and loving shelter, renders support with educational and developmental services for children and women.
• Enable sustainable communities by addressing economic, education, health and environmental issues focusing in villages, slums and tribal areas.

Maher´s activities are grouped into different projects - the three main projects are Mamtadham (Marathi: a place of mother´s love), Kishoredham (Marathi: a children´s place) and Vatsalyadham (Marathi: a place of love).
• Mamtadham: Under this project Maher runs homes for destitute women. The main aim of this project is, to raise their self-esteem and that they are able to help themselves. Maher gives courses in different handicrafts in order to make them independent and the possibility to earn money on their own. Many women are later employed by Maher to work in the various projects.
• Kishoredham: This is the project for Maher´s 27 homes for orphans and children from broken homes. In each home there are 20-25 children and two house mothers who are with them 24X7. Additionally Social Workers are supervising the homes. The children are sent to school (if possible to an English Medium School and Maher is conducting dance, sports and musical activities.
• Vatsalyadham: This is a home for mentally challenged women. These women are often found wandering on the street and need shelter and psychiatric help. Maher is conducting activities for their betterment including listening to music, playing simple games, practice of various exercises and medical therapy. After some time the Maher staff tries to find out the address of the patients to contact the families. If it seems to be safe to send them home, they are reunited with their families. Regularly there are follow-ups to ensure that the women are coping well and living with dignity.

Sister Lucy Kurien is the Founder and Executive Director of Maher - International Friends of Maher Ashram.

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.