Posts
BETHEL ASHRAM
Bishop Gill who led the Anglican Diocese of Travancore
and Cochin in the erstwhile Princely State of Travancore, found the
marginalization of women in Travancore quite strange. He knew from his own experience in England, the
country of his origin, that no society could ever progress if it denied basic
rights to women who formed fifty percent of the population of a country.
Together with his wife, Ella Margaret Gill (Mary Thorp Gill) Rt..Rev.Charles
Hope Gill, a man of God and popularly known as Bishop Gill conceptualized the
Bethel Ashram with the vision, ’As seeing Him Who is Invisible,’ in the year
1922 and entrusted Sr Edith Neve & Sr. Rachel Joseph to translate the
concept to reality.
The eminent Sisters, who had nothing, set about
methodically to enliven the vision. They had God behind them, with them. Their
assignment was explicit – empowerment of women, with zero exclusions and with
special focus on the Dalits and the marginalized, looking after and taking care
of the interests of the children, for they were the future and above all
extension of universal education through the length and breadth of the state.
Bethel Ashram, Varikkad, Kuttapuzha, Tiruvalla, Kerala,
an integral constituent of the CSI Madhya Kerala Diocese, helmed by Sr.
Santhamma Joseph, the Mother and Sr. Annamma Mathew, the Assistant Mother,
today is a beehive of activities. It resonates with the training of
missionaries for evangelization, English and Malayalam medium schools, boarding
for girls, Creche, Nursery, Orphanage, Old age Home, shelter for sick and weak
women, vocational training in Tailoring and agriculture. However, the
infrastructure yearns for modernization.
The year 1928 is an important milestone in the history
of Bethel Ashram. With a view to foster universal education, the Bethel
community Lower Primary School was established in the Campus that year. It
brought education closer to the people for whom it was inaccessible till
then. It was upgraded to an Upper
Primary school in 1964. In the year 2014, respecting the desire of the people
of the locality for better educational facilities for their children, the
Sr.Edith Neve & Sr. Rachel Joseph CBSE School had been established in the
Campus. Though the construction of a new school building had commenced soon to
house the CBSE School, it could not be finished due to financial inadequacy.
The well-planned project requires a minimum of Rs.95.00 lacs more for
completion.
Bethel Ashram does not generate any income on its own.
Yet it believes in making the world a better place through the munificence of
well-wishers who are legion in numbers. Prompted by the Lord they have
sustained Bethel Ashram till date. It has enabled them make a difference in the
lives of the children by providing them with essential facilities in their quest
for knowledge.
However Bethel Ashram never appeals to anyone to take
to heart their needs. They leave it to
the Lord to look after their needs. They are sanguine God would elicit support for
them.
Strange, but true.
No comments:
Post a Comment