Sister Lucy Kurien is the founder of Maher, an interfaith and caste-free Indian non-governmental organization in Pune, India. Maher serves very poor, abused or orphaned Indian children, women and men in residential and village-based programs. Sister Lucy will be speaking on Wednesday, May 15 at 7 p.m. in the Parish Hall in Eastsound.

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,” said Sister Lucy. “I always had that calling.”