It
all began in the town of Bellary in Karnataka where Anjina lived
as a 10 year old. Every week, she would see groups of children beating
drums and carrying notebooks, walking down the streets, knocking
at every door, collecting donations for the orphanage they lived
in. Coming from a happy and well-to-do family herself, Anjina would
feel sorry for them. Then one day her family moved from Bellary
to Sandur and she soon forgot about these children. Years later,
in 1976, the family moved to Delhi in order to get over a personal
tragedy and she took up a job. Then in 1983 she moved to NOIDA,
Uttar Pradesh. She was deeply disturbed by the sight of children
being exploited all around her and also by the reports in newspapers
and magazines about exploitation of children. Images of Bellary
came back to mind, which was how the dream was born
A dream of providing a home for these children, where they would
not only get shelter, clothing, food and education but also feel
as secure and confident as their more privileged peers.
Another decade passed before she could turn her dream into reality
due to her responsibilities towards her family. In 1988, a chance
meeting with an old friend directed her to PRADAN, a voluntary organization,
for guidance. PRADAN offered her a fellowship of three months to
enable her to visit various homes all over India and make an indepth
study of the aspects involved in such projects. One such home where
she spent twenty days is the Antar Bharati Balgram at Lonavla, near
Mumbai. By this time she was able to identify friends who were willing
to help her. The Society SAIKRIPA was formed and by March 1989 they
succeeded in getting their society, SAIKRIPA, registered.
In
1988, SAIKRIPA was like a baby lost in the woods - because nobody
took Anjina and her brainchild SAIKRIPA seriously, but slowly
people started joining hands with SAIKRIPA and a strong bond was
formed.
The journey is long and unending but the bond of love and support
of like minded people encourages us to move ahead boldly on this
arduous path of child welfare. It is very obvious that with your
help and support nothing is going to be impossible.
Today SAIKRIPA is one large family intertwined with a golden thread
of love and faith. This golden thread has not only woven the hearts
of children but also the hearts of hundreds of people young and
old alike in making Saikripa what it is today.
SAIKRIPA
is proud that it has successfully completed 17 years in March 2005.
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