For the fifty one abandoned women of Jivodaya Ashramalaya in Dwarka, the table and benches in their eating area are not just a necessity but a feeling of living with dignity. That is why The Indian Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with LDS Charities, donated eight tables and benches along with grinders, bowls, hygiene kits, hygiene powder, bed sheets and pillow covers, file cabinets and more to the mentally challenged, destitute women living in Jivodaya Ashramalaya, a shelter for Destitute Women by Sisters of Syro Malabar Catholic Church.
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Many of the women were of sound understanding and were able to derive a sense of comfort and care from the benches. Before this arrival, they use to sit on the floor to eat their food. This gift made by LDS Charities was met with smiles of gratitude and childlike excitement by the inmates of the shelter home.
A second donation to the shelter included a refrigerator, oven and microwave, printer and several other items to make the shelter more comfortable. In addition, four sewing machines and one embroidery machine were given to provide the women an opportunity to learn and to feel success from their own creations.
With 78 million homeless people in India, women are the most vulnerable. Sister Elizabeth, head of the sisters of Jivodaya, expressed her gratitude by saying “Such a great contribution was not expected for the women in the shelter who are lost and torn from their families. Once they were children of the street but now they are transformed. Thank you for making their life comfortable.”
Vikrum Dutt, a distinguished leader in India, joined the ceremony and gave words of encouragement to the women. He remarked on the three religions that were present, Catholic, Mormon and Hindu and the way they were united as one. He told a personal story and then said “Jesus has sent you this help. Do not accept failure due to your past. Keep moving higher and higher.”
Father John Puthua, of the Jivodaya Ashramalaya was also in attendance and expressed appreciation to Elder and Sister Pulla, the couple missionaries from the LDS church who discovered the needs that the shelter had. The second gifting and ceremony was a wonderful ending for the Pullas who returned home to Hyderabad from their mission two days later.
Jivodaya Ashramalaya is just one of many charitable organizations in India that benefits from the Christ-like acts of service performed by LDS Charities of the Indian Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.