Lucy Kurien
Lucy Kurien | |
---|---|
![]() Sister Lucy Kurien (left) | |
Born | (1956-06-01) 1 June 1956 (age 68) Kolayad, Kannur, Kerala, India |
Nationality | Indian |
Occupation(s) | Social Worker, Women's rights activist, Catholic Nun |
Known for | Founder of Maher (NGO) Founder of Interfaith Association for Service to Humanity and Nature |
Parent(s) | Vacachalil Kurien (father) Maria Kutty (mother) |
Awards | Nari Shakti Puraskar Paul Harris Fellow - Rotary International Vanitha Woman of the Year 2016 Global Women's Leadership Award 2011 |
Lucy Kurien is the founder and director of Maher, a community and interfaith organization for abused and destitute women and children, headquartered in Pune, India.[1]
Life
Born in South India's Kerala province, Lucy moved to Mumbai to access better education when she was twelve. The city's slums were her first introduction to the conditions of the poor. At the age of nineteen, she decided she wanted to become a religious sister and joined the Holy Cross order, which focused on teaching and nursing.[2]
However, she was inspired by Mother Teresa's work and felt called to be closer to the people she wanted to help, directly touching the lives of the poor. In 1989 she joined the HOPE organization, founded by Sr Noilline Pinto of the Holy Cross Convent to help abused women. In 1991, while still working at the Hope, she had an encounter that would inspire her life's work. A pregnant woman came to her asking for shelter from her alcoholic husband who she thought would beat her. Sister Lucy did not know where to send her since the convent did not take laypeople. She had to send her away but promised to help the following day. That evening, the woman's husband doused her in alcohol and set her on fire. Both the woman and baby died.[2]
Sister Lucy was absolutely devastated. For six years she struggled to come to terms with this heinous incident and how she couldn’t help. She realized that she had to do something for such women, and the result was the founding of Maher in 1997 in Pune, Maharashtra. She had to single-handedly start Maher as she did not receive backing from anyone. A friend, Fr. Francis D'Sa, helped her with advice and also helped her to find some donors to start a non-Christian organization. Maher is 100% secular. Since its inception, Maher has provided safe refuge and rehabilitation to women who were suffering from abuse, starvation, or neglect.
Founding of Maher
Sister Lucy established Maher to help destitute women regardless of caste, creed, or religion. It took almost seven years to get the needed support, but in 1997, the first Maher house opened in the small village of Vadhu Budruk, on the outskirts of Pune.
Currently Maher has 46 short-stay and long-stay homes in the Indian states of Jharkhand, Kerala, and Maharashtra. In total they house over 893 street children, more than 357 destitute women (including 126 mentally ill women picked from the roadside) and 82 aged/mentally ill destitute men.[3] In the short-term, Maher provides immediate shelter and interventions. In the long-term, the community focuses on upending India's systemic violence, exploitation, and segregation—of men and women, but also of rich and poor.[2] Maher has touched the lives of 85,000+ beneficiaries as of 2017.
In recognition of her services, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee awarded Sister Lucy Kurien with the Nari Shakti Puraskar (women empowerment) award on 8 March 2016, in New Delhi.[4] Other prominent awards include the DCCIA Award for Excellence in Social Service 2010 Global Women's Leadership Award 2011, the Paul Harris Fellow and the Vanitha Woman of the Year Award. Maher and Sister Lucy have featured several times on Indian television, including the popular show Satyamev Jayate hosted by actor Aamir Khan, and also on Vatican Radio. In 2015, Sister Lucy was invited to attend the Clinton Global Initiative. In May 2017, Maher was granted a "special consultative status" with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN-ECOSOC).
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Sr_Lucy_with_Pope_512_Hi_Res.jpg/220px-Sr_Lucy_with_Pope_512_Hi_Res.jpg)
Sister Lucy has had the opportunity to meet with Pope Francis, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former US President Bill Clinton on different occasions.
Interfaith Association for Service to Humanity and Nature
In February 2017, Sister Lucy Kurien founded the Interfaith Association for Service to Humanity and Nature in Pune, India.
As of October 2017, this new community has 220 members from 8 countries.
Honors
- 2018: Neerja Bhanot Award
- 2018: Jijabai Achievers Award
- 2017: Sri Sathya Sai Award for Human Excellence - 'Unity Of Religions'
- 2016: Nari Shakti award
- 2016: Vanitha Woman of the Year
- 2011: Leadership Award, Global Women's Summits
- Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary International
References
- ^ Mascarenhas, Anuradha (28 February 2013). "Maher away from home for abandoned mental patients". The Indian Express. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ a b c Hillstrom, Christa. "After This Indian Nun Witnessed a Woman's Murder, She Saved Thousands More from Domestic Violence". YES! Magazine. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ "India's Sister Lucy Kurien: a life of self-less service - ucanews.com". ucanews.com. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ "Nari Shakti awards for women achievers - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
External links
- Maher Ashram
- v
- t
- e
- Manasi Pradhan
- M. Venkaiah
- Bina Sheth Lashkari
- T. Radha K. Prashanti
- Vartika Nanda
- Seema Sakhare
- Lucy Kurien
- Saurabh Suman
- Basanti Devi
- Suparna Baksi Ganguly
- Meena Sharma
- Priti Patkar
- Uttara Padwar
- Polumati Vijaya Nirmala
- Vasu Primlani
- Sujata Sahu
- Jyoti Mhapsekar
- Sumita Ghosh
- Anjali Sharma
- Krishna Yadav
- Shakuntala Majumdar
- State of Rajasthan
- Chhanv Foundation
- Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP)
- Sadhana Mahila Sangha
- Shikshit Rojgar Kendra Prabandhak Samiti
- Tripunithura Kathakali Kendram Ladies Troupe
- Amruta Patil
- Amala Akkineni
- Anatta Sonney
- Anoyara Khatun
- B. Codanayaguy
- Bano Haralu
- Deepa Mathur
- Divya Rawat
- Ilse Köhler Rollefson
- Janki Vasant
- Kalpana Shankar
- Kalyani Pramod Balakrishnan
- Mumtaz M. Kazi
- Nandita Shah
- Pallavi Fauzdar
- Pamela Malhotra
- Qamar Dagar
- Reema Sathe
- Ringyuichon Vashum
- Sangita Iyer
- Smita Tandi
- Sumitra Hazarika
- Sunita Singh Choken
- Subha Varier
- Tiasa Adhya
- V. Nanammal
- Zuboni Hümtsoe
- Gargi Gupta
- Sindhutai Sapkal
- Gauri Maulekhi
- Navika Sagar Parikrama
- Malvika Iyer
- R Umadevi Nagaraj
- Thinlas Chorol
- S. Siva Sathya
- Bharti Kashyap
- Beti Zindabad Bakery
- Mittal Patel
- Sabarmatee Tiki
- Jayamma Bandari
- K. Syamalakumari
- Vanastree
- Lizymol Philipose Pamadykandathil
- Chirom Indira
- Urmila Balawant Apte
- Deepika Kundaji
- Purnima Devi Barman
- Anita Bharadwaj
- Ambica Beri
- Pushpa Girimaji
- Avani (organization)
- Shrujan
- C. K. Durga
- Rekha Mishra
- Mehvish Mushtaq
- Karuna Society for Animals and Nature
- One Stop Centre, Raipur
- Millet Network of India
- State of Punjab
- Madhu Jain
- Jetsun Pema
- M.S. Sunil
- Sheela Balaji
- Anuradha Krishnamoorthy and Namrata Sundaresan
- Gita Mittal
- A. Seema
- Anshu Khanna
- Anu Malhotra
- Anuradha N. Naik
- Chetna Gala Sinha
- Darshana Gupta
- Devaki Amma
- Didi Contractor
- Gowri Kamakashi
- Hekani Jakhalu
- Ipsita Biswas
- Iti Tyagi
- Kagganapalli Radha Devi
- Kalpana Saroj
- Lalita Vakil
- Madhuri Barthwal
- Manju Manikuttan
- Meenakshi Pahuja
- Mini Vasudevan
- Munuswamy Shanthi
- Neelum Sharma
- Nomita Kamdar
- Pamela Chatterjee
- Pragya Prasun
- Priyamvada Singh
- Pushpa N. M.
- Rahibai Soma Popere
- Rajani Rajak
- Reshma Nilofer Naha
- Rhea Mazumdar Singhal
- Ruma Devi
- Seema Mehta
- Seema Rao
- Sister Shivani
- Smriti Morarka
- Snehlata Nath
- Sonia Jabbar
- Sujatha Mohan
- Sunita Devi
- Twinkle Kalia
- Urmi Basu
- One Stop Centre, Lucknow
- Millet Network of India
- Qasab-Kutch Craftswomen Producer Co. Ltd.
- Social Welfare & Nutritional Meal Programme Dept, Tamil Nadu
- Anita Gupta
- Ushaben Dineshbhai Vasava
- Nasira Akhter
- Sandhya Dhar
- Nivruti Rai
- Tiffany Brar
- Padma Yangchan
- Jodhaiya Bai Baiga
- Saylee Nandkishor Agavane
- Vanita Jagdeo Borade
- Meera Thakur
- Jaya Muthu, Tejamma (joint)
- Ela Lodh
- Arti Rana
- Sathupati Prasanna Sree
- Tage Rita Takhe
- Madhulika Ramteke
- Niranjanaben Mukulbhai Kalarthi
- Pooja Sharma
- Anshul Malhotra
- Shobha Gasti
- Radhika Menon
- Kamal Kumbhar
- Sruti Mohapatra
- Batool Begam
- Thara Rangaswamy
- Neerja Madhav
- Neena Gupta