Founder of Maher in India Visiting Burlington

Past event
Sep 10 to 14, 2013

***Sister Lucy Kurien, founder of Maher in India, is returning to Burlington***

Sister Lucy Kurien of Kerala, India is a humanitarian activist whose safe-homes and community projects have brought safety and empowerment to thousands of people. She is the founder and director of Maher, a Pune-based NGO that primarily provides shelter and care to women and children in crisis.

Founded in 1997, Maher now has 27 children's homes that house 760 children. There is a home for women with mental disabilities (80 residents) and for elderly women (40 residents). In August, 2013, Maher opened their first home for men (seven residents). Each Maher establishment also serves as a safe-home for the community.

Maher conducts grassroots community work. Their 530 'Self Help Groups (SHG's),' microloan co-ops, help people (mostly women) gain financial stability independence. SHG's also serve as self- and group-education forums, covering topics such as HIV, family planning, legal aid, women's rights and alcoholism.

Maher is:
· Interfaith – All religions are honored
· Caste-Free – All people are treated equally
· Indian-Run – Staffed by locals
www.MaherAshram.org

I have been to volunteer at Maher three times and I continue involvement from home. I will be hosting Lucy in Burlington October 11th - 14th. Traveling with Lucy will be Gaus Sayyad (first name rhymes with 'house'), a young man who grew up at Maher. Guas, now 21, is one of eighty young adults Maher is supporting through higher education. He is studying International Business and he is an amazing young man who has lived at Maher since the age of seven.

So far, events in Vermont include:
Thursday 10/10
- Presentation at Bennington College in the evening
Friday 10/11
- "Songs and Voices," an event with acoustic music and a presentation
- There may be time for a meeting or event on Friday afternoon.
Saturday 10/12
- Brunch and dinner events at private residences. (Please enquire, we may have space for guests)
- There may be time for a meeting or event on Saturday early morning or afternoon
Sunday 10/13
- I'm hoping to find church services for Sister Lucy to speak at, although none have been confirmed
- Dance class/social event at South End Studio on Pine St.
- All ages welcome! Gaus is a fantastic Classical Indian and Bollywood dancer! (Lucy and Gaus will also speak about Maher at this event)
Monday 10/14
- Presentation at UVM at 1pm.
- Dinner event at private residence
- There may be time for a meeting or event on Monday morning or early evening.

Please let me know if you would like information about Sister Lucy. I will happily send you a summary of her work and a bio about Gaus. I will keep FPF updated with event details and you can also find my Facebook page, 'Burlington Maher Page.'

If you have an idea of an event for Lucy and Gaus' visit or would like to help, please feel free to contact me. Also feel free to share my contact info with others who may be interested.

Thank you!

Mikaela KeepinMikaelaKeepin@gmail.com802 598 9257

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