This nun retires as school head after building 200 houses for homeless in Kerala

Kochi: Thirteen years ago, when the management of Our Lady’s Convent Girls Higher Secondary School at Thoppumpady here was planning to celebrate the institute’s platinum jubilee, people suggested many ideas. But Sr Lizzy Chakkalakkal, who was then a teacher there, proposed something different. She had seen the day-to-day struggles of many of her students, mostly from the financially backward coastal regions.

She wanted the 70th anniversary of the school celebrated by building a house for a homeless student, the daughter of a widow. Many did not get it at first. The sceptics thought it was impossible. But the nun did not give up. She borrowed Rs 25,000 from a priests’ group and then the mother superior of her congregation also helped her with the same amount. Sr Lizzy arranged the rest of the money through crowd-funding and the teacher-nun’s dream became a reality as her student and her family got a safe shelter. At the time, however, little did Sr Lizzy know that she was starting a housing revolution.

When she retired from the same school as principal on Saturday, 200 houses were built under her initiative. The 200th house will be handed over to the family of a Class 6 student of the school on February 23.

The jubilee house project was started as ‘Sahapadikkoru Bhavanam’ (a home for a schoolmate). After the house was completed and loans were repaid, Sr Lizzy was left with Rs 25,000. She decided to stay with the cause of the homeless as she knew there were many more who needed help.

The next year, she launched a programme named Our Lady’s House Challenge which aimed to build houses for the needy with the help of like-minded people and organisations. At first, the focus was on the students of the school. Later, the project started identifying beneficiaries from across the state. Sr Lizzy has now built houses in several districts from Thiruvananthapuram to Thrissur.

“Our Lady’s School aimed to make Kerala a homeless-free state. We could achieve it to an extent not only by building houses but also by making others do it. With the programme, we have been promoting a culture of sharing. People from all walks of life from daily wagers to big industrialists have cooperated with us in this effort,” Sr Lizzy told Onmanorama. She also thanked the Malayala Manorama ‘Nalla Padom’ project for associating with the house challenge campaign.

As the campaign progressed, Sr Lizzy became aware of the plight of the landless people too. “I was pained to see the sufferings of the people who have been wandering from one place to another without even a cent of land of their own. I prayed to God for them,” she said. The nun then started the ‘Bhoomidanam Mahadanam’ which sought people to give away a piece of their land for the landless. Paul Alukkas donated the first plot as part of the campaign.

A family donated 72 cents of land at Vypeen where 17 houses were built. At Arakkunnam, five houses came up on a 22-cent plot. Now, 20 houses are being built on a 1-acre plot at Pattimattom.

Sr Lizzy retired after 22 years of service as a teacher, of which 16 years she spent in Our Lady’s school. She came to Kochi after her stint at St Helen’s High School, Lourdepuram, Thiruvananthapuram.

“My superiors will decide my next duty and I have to follow their instructions. I will continue my service in whatever possible manner,” she said.