About the work of the Franciscan Sisters Servants of the Cross with the blind in India and the construction of a new well - Marta Czajka of the Secretariat for Foreign Missions of the Priests of the Sacred Heart talks with Sister Amlee Thiraviam FSK.
Marta Czajka: Do you remember when the first thoughts of religious life appeared to you?
Sr. Amlee Thiraviam FSK: It was at school. At that time I was strongly inspired by the figure of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. I really wanted to become a nun. Unforunately, my family did not agree to it.
Eventually, however, Sister managed to realize her dream of a religious order.
After passing my high school diploma, I needed money to pay my college tuition. So I worked part-time. But there was still this longing in my heart, some voice saying: "Follow Me." I couldn't resist it. I started looking for a religious order. Naturally, my first thoughts went for the Missionaries of Charity from Mother Teresa. However, my pastor suggested that I apply to the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters Servants of the Cross. Our parish was visited at that time by Sister Adela Maciejczyk FSK from Poland and Dr. Helena Pyz, who was working with lepers in India. From my parish priest I received a brochure left by them.
So you haven't met the Franciscan Sisters in person before?
No. I wrote a letter to the nuns with uncertainty about whether they would accept me, because I was already 26 years old. In India, girls enter the order at the age of 16-18. For three months I received no response, so I thought my application had been rejected. However, it turned out that everything was complicated by language issues. Not knowing English, I wrote my letter in Hindi, and the only sister who knew the language was in Poland at this very time. Eventually I was accepted and my journey began in a congregation I knew nothing about.
Did you realize that the charism of the order is to work with the blind?
I was completely unaware of it. However, this did not discourage me, this charism even fascinated me. I took my perpetual vows in 2015, and I am sure that it was Jesus himself who called me to this congregation. The Lord says He will lead the blind along a path they do not know. We are His hands that help the blind. Therefore, I am very happy that Jesus also chose me to be a light for the blind. I was already the 24th sister from India to join our congregation.
Are a lot of people losing their eyesight in India?
The problem can be said to be twofold, because on the one hand it seems that the number of blind people is decreasing, but the extent of visual impairment is increasing. There are many corneal diseases, vitamin deficiency is high, so we have many visually impaired students. One of the causes of blindness among our children in Bangalore is related marriages that result in children being born with genetic disorders. I've met many blind people who don't work and don't have access to school.
And do students willingly apply to your facilities?
Our schools receive awards for the best institutions in the states of Karnataka and Meghalaya for providing quality education in a loving, home-like atmosphere. That's why parents want to send their children to us. We accept any student, from any caste or religion. Most of our students are not of Christian faith. We primarily serve the blind. Anyone can come. We give them free education, food, lodging, medicine and everything they need, especially a home where they can develop their full potential. And this is only possible with the help of our benefactors.
Sister, how many schools do you run in India?
We currently operate two elementary school here: in the city of Bangalore in the south and in the northeastern state of Meghalaya, in the village of Nongbah to be exact. In addition, we run a center for blind girls on the outskirts of Bangalore city, where we teach them knitting and small crafts, and a second center in Tamil Nadu for blind and intellectually disabled women.
The Secretariat for Foreign Missions of the Preists of the Sacred Heart has been surrounding a school in Nongbah with financial care for several years - what are the specifics of this place?
Nongbah is located in the northeastern part of India and is a very beautiful mountainous area. I would compare it to the area around the Polish Rabka Zdroj. About 75% of the population is Christian, another 10% is Hindu, 5% is Muslim, and the rest is made up of followers of the local religion who worship several pagan gods. However, they are very friendly to Christians, and have great respect for the missionaries who came to the area long ago. The main occupation in the area is rice cultivation, but only seasonally when it is the rainy season. In addition, men also work in coal mines. It is a matriarchal society, so the mother is the head of the family, and the youngest daughter inherits the house and together with her husband takes care of her parents in their old age. The people of Nongbah are very simple. Their language is rhythmic and beautiful.
And your school?
We currently have 48 elementary school students in Nongbah. They all live in a boarding school. And although a family's material status does not affect school admission, 95% of all children come from very poor families, where sometimes there is not even one full meal a day, and the day passes by working in the fields, with one slice of bread for the day in hand and a cup of tea. Their education is only possible thanks to the donors of the Dehonian Missions. I remember what the facility looked like when this aid was not yet in place. How we struggled to get nutritious food for the children, how there was a shortage of warm clothes for them during the harsh winter. Today, thanks to help from Poland, we are able to provide the children with everything they need.
Do you have any financial support from the state or local government?
Since 2013, the year we established the school, we have received financial assistance from the government only twice, which was insufficient and irregular. But we can count on kindness in official matters, such as now that we are preparing to build a deep well.
Where did this need come from?
Most people living in Meghalaya state depend on rainwater. It is collected in reservoirs and such water is used for laundry, washing, and daily use at home. As for drinking water, people use mountain streams flowing into the valley. There is a water supply system of sorts in the cities, but in villages like Nongbah one has to walk for drinking water. People take their laundry with them to wash it in the stream, and carry drinking water for their family on the way back in large vessels on their backs. Our sisters and students at least do laundry in the same way.
How many times a day do you have to go get water to drink?
Two - three times a day.
So the school has not had its own well until now?
In 2010, the sisters asked the local government for permission to dig a well. However, the well is only 4.5 meters deep. During the winter season, from November to February, the water level drops. In addition, in February there is a strong wind that blows away the remaining residual water, so there is not enough even for drinking. When this source dries up, the sisters are forced to buy drinking water, and this costs as much as 8 euros a day. A year ago in March there was no water at all, we had to send the children home for remote learning, but this is not a good solution at all. Our students come from very poor families who cannot afford to buy computers or smartphones. But unfortunately, without water the school could not function.
Hence the idea to build another well?
Yes. We have been asking for permission to dig another well for several years now, but the authorities claim that drilling destroys natural water sources. Now we have finally managed to get permission to dig a well by hand, and we have already consulted with the company, which has provided us with a cost estimate and work plan. We need to go at least 10 meters deep, but if that's not enough, we'll dig further. The entire investment is an unattainable 15 thousand euros, but we hope that with God's grace and the help of Dehonian Donors, on whom we can always count, we will manage to provide our sisters and children with a constant source of clean and healthy water.
Thank you for the interview.
