KRUPA assisits the leprosy patients with subsistence rations in one of the colonies. it also provides supplementary food support at times of heavy rain when patients cannot go out to eke a living by begging, which is possibly the only way they know apart from indulging in anti social activities such as bootlegging or drug running. However, KRUPA does not believe in doling out food to these communities and contributing to their reduced self-esteem. KRUPA rather works on their families' rehibilitation by training them in various simple vocations and therefore empowering them.Therefore nourishing is more in terms of ensuring their physical well being through regular medical camps at the fifteen leprosy patients colonies and the four gypsy colonies in and around Madras. Each colony is visited in turn each week by a medical team. KRUPA'S staff follows this up on a regular basis to ensure that the treatment prescribed is followed. KRUPA also conducts eye camps and cancer screening camps at these colonies in association with local Christian Mission Hospitals and doctors who provide the medical team while KRUPA arranges for medicines, corrective surgury if needed, and spectacles/glasses for those who need them.
In certain communities such as the gypsies, who live by scrounging from the trachcans near restaurants, it becomes necessary to wean the children away this habit by providing them nutritious food at the colony. KRUPA is doing this at one of the colonies with local support. This is extended also to expecting mothers.
Inspiring Their Intellects:
It has been KRUPA'S endeavor, ever since inception to concentrate primarily on inspriing the forgotten's intellects. In most of the communities that KRUPA works with, the adults are keen that their children should receive these inputs to ensure that the children do not undergo the indignities that they suffer. Due to the social stigma attached to gypsies and leprosy patients, their children are often denied access to even primary education. The children are also disadvantaged in not having any role models in the family or the community who will lead them out of the rut that they are in. All that they see is that the adults of the community either beg or shirt to drug running or bootlegging-- definetley not the exmalpes to follow. KRUPA therefore places children from such communities in good Christian boarding schools where they are provided free clothes, food, and accomidation apart from a good Christian education. After school, if the children are so inclined, they are provided with assistance in higher education.
In the case of other socially deprived communities, who do not lack educational facilities, the problem is different. Here, the children are very often first generation school goers and do not have parental support in the form of after school educational assistance. Even where the parents have had some amount of schooling, the recent advancements in the educational system and the current curriculum, is beyond them. here, what is needed most is after school educational support. KRUPA is currently running such a facility at Padappai, with local support, which helps children from these communities with their homework and their study every day after school. Support is especially needed for English and Math. Trained teachers provide this to children from grades 3 to 10.
While our chilren are aware of the advances of information technology and perhpas have access to personal computers at school or home, for the children of the communites KRUPA works with, computers and information technology was limited to rather verbose study of elementary computer science as part of their schooling. Computer courses elsewhere were costly. Some of these courses cost as much as twenty times the average monthy income of these families. To assist these children, a free computer training center has been established at Padappai, where deserving children of the communities and the children of Krupa
Home are taken through structured computer courses with the accent on hands on
training in the usage of computers and various software packages.
Rehabilitation of adults from these communities is also taken up through various
ways. The women of leprosy patients' colonies have been provided vocational
training in sewing and in manufacturing house hold detergents. However in the
case of such produce, marketing becomes a stumbling block. A pilot program to
train these women in making rugs is presently underway at Padappai and Krupa
hopes to empower women from various colonies in this. Once the women are
trained, it would be our endeavor to help them set up a loom and manufacture
these rugs, which have a good market in India and over seas.
Krupa also helps rehabilitate leprosy patients through self empowerment schemes,
by providing seed capital for setting up micro businesses such as shops, bicycle
hiring shops, small road side eateries etc. Young adults are regularly counseled
and where possible placed in suitable jobs.
Cherishing their souls:
Krupa as a Christian organization, believes in sharing the good news through its
witness of love in action and by proclaiming it among the communities we work
with. For adults in the leprosy patients colonies,Krupa conducts regular gospel
camps to supplement the Sunday evening worship services at the recently
constructed chapel at the Vandalore leprosy patients colony. This is
supplemented by one on one evangelizing of adult members of the colonies by our
evangelists. For other communities, regular gospel meetings and film shows of
the Jesus film followed up by personal evangelism is a yearlong activity.
For the children, regular bible clubs and retreats are conducted. Our vacation
bible schools are the high point of the scholastic year for the communities that
we work with and have helped us Bring the love of Jesus to children from various
communities who otherwise could never have been reached.
Young adults are also reached through camps and retreats where we present Jesus
as the contemporary answer to their problems through songs, skits and
discussions.
