A Day at Divya Prabha

1. A Day at Divya Prabha
Place: Vasai
Inmates: 32 (+8 studying outside)
Started by Sister Anne.. Who earlier used to work with the NGO AAsra where street boys were given a
life of dignity and love. Currently along with being the Project holder, she is also a member of the Child
Welfare Committee.
She used to sit four 4 5 days on Kalyan platforms just to mingle with the street children and later take
them into the House. According to Sister Anne, girls on these platforms met with hundreds of problems
and the most frequent was the problem of unwed mothers or children who never knew who their father
or mother was.
Later in the late 90s, Sisietr Cecilia, the Mother General then, felt the need for improving the lives of the
girl child along with Sister Anne who had already witnessed the miseries of the girl child. The children
living on the platforms of Kalyan ran around naked with their bodies covered by the filth of the city,
children who were accidental births and sometimes a result of the crimes that tormented the cities.
They bath once every two weeks that too by going to a very faraway place at a public bath in Khadavli.
They had neither past nor a future but only a passion driven for survival. Survival was their motto in life
and this will overpowered all the other basic aspects of life which fir them were a luxury.
Sister Anne moved by the wretchedness of these naïve souls, picked up 10 girls in the beginning and
took them to the house in Thane. Sister Anne while recollecting those days described how she was
shocked to see the condition of these young girls when she brought them. Their hair was messy with a
hundred lice running all over them and their bodies full of dirt smelling the worst. The Sisters faced
many problems like these in the beginning which they successfully managed. Their challenges were
many like the girls preferred freedom more than education and health; they used abusive languages and
had a rustic personality which were both essential for their survival on the streets.
The girls are picked up from various places like Kalyan, Crawfrd market, Khadavli, MAsjid, Thane, Mahim
etc. Initially these girls were counseled by the Sister and it nearly took 6 months for them to open their
hearts. The Sister mentioned the girls of the first batch and their status as of today. Of them one is inn
Kharghar,. A girl named Sandra is doing her Final year in Accounts and finance.. Maureena Sheikh is
studying General Nursing from Holy Family, Pinky Gaikwad is working in a school in Jabalpur along with
doing her graduation in Arts. A girl named Priyanka who is studying law and three other girls who are
doing a paramedical course from Nerul.
In the House, the Sisters celebrate all the festivals with the girls and almost 35 girls who were lost in the
city were united with their families by the Sisters.
The Thane home was inaugurated 12th June, 1999 whereas the Vasai Homes were started on the same
date but in the year 2002. And one more specialty of the date is that the birthdays of all the children are
celebrated on that day.

2. Till 2008, the Sisters didn’t need to follow a legal procedure in order to pick up these girls and bring
them to their Homes. But then in the year 2008, because of the Amendment in the Juvenile Justice Act,
a new process had to be followed.

Case Studies
1. A girl named Ruchi from Bhopal. Her dad had died in an accident when she was in her mother’s
womb. Her mother out of anger and the belief that she was the cause behind her husband’s
untimely death, removed her anger on Ruchi, the day she was born by throwing her in a dustbin.
Then later, her grandmother picked her up and in order to save her brought her to the sisters.
Ruchi knows everything but still she never lets her past affect her present. She has accepted the
truth and no more is in conflict with it. According to the Sisters, she is always in a happy mood
and also tries to bring happiness in others lives. She is also very talented academically and in
other extracurricular activities. Her grandma still comes to visit her sometimes.
2. A boy from Orissa who was sold to someone for work. But Sister Anne rescued him and enrolled
him for a welding course and later sent him to Qatar where he is working now.


Pinky, one of the inmates of the first batch resents her father coming to the House and once in front of
the Sister she told her father to go back because he didn’t deserve to meet his daughter as he had not
taken her responsibility earlier.
Many non Catholics also help the Sisters in bettering the lives of these girls by way of dance classes,
vocal courses etc. Embroidery classes are also conducted once a week.. There were meditation classes
also initially.
Permanent Sponsors: Divya Prabha is funded by 20 individual families who donate a certain amount per
child yearly to the NGO.
The House gets other kind of donations in cash and kind on a daily basis from various sources.
Adoption is not allowed at this home.. Both the Thane and Vasai homes have renewed their licenses.
Networking has always been regarded as a great strength by Divya Prabha. It is an active member of the
Coordinationa Committee for Vulnerable Children, a Forum of 44 NGOs that works on issues concerning
child rights. Since May 2004, Divya Prabha has been on the executive Committee of the CCVC and has
actively participated in planning and implementing various workshops and programmes.
Divya Prabha also conducts social awareness camps about these street kids. Seminars are also held and
every year, there is a special event conducted for the children on 14
th
November called Bal Utsav in the
month of April/May. Last year, almost 1200 children had gathered. Last year, The Mahanagar PAlika had

3. taken 800 children including the inmates of Divya Prabha for a picnic at Yazoo Park, Virar. These Sisters
also undertake pastoral work by way of taking conformation classes/ Sunday school.
As a member of the Child Welfare Committee, Sister Anne is responsible for the inspection of all the
Child welfare Homes in Thane district and she has to bring to the notice of the authorities if illegal
homes or ngos exist. Almost 80 cases of rape have come till now wherein the Sister counseled the
victims.