Annie's 'Santhwanam' has 90 residents now, including women and mothers abandoned by their loved ones. Of them, 48 are students. Photo: Ajish Jimmy GeorgeKottayam: Parents undergo immense hardship to bring up children, in most cases not more than two. But Annie looks after over 50 children with ease even at the age of 61. Her two sons were 18 and 16 when what started as an attempt to adopt an abandoned girl eventually led to the establishment of a care home named 'Santhwanam.'
“Santhwanam is not an orphanage, it is our home,” Annie asserted. She and her husband, Babu, are fondly called Annie Amma and Appa by the children. They all sit together and discuss before taking any major decision at their 'home'. In total, Santhwanam has 90 residents now, including women and mothers abandoned by their loved ones. Of them, 48 are students and they include three who are studying in the prestigious Pallikoodam school, near here. Four of Annie amma's girls are now married and visit Santhwanam with their new families to meet their godmother.
“Mother means love. Everybody has shortcomings, a mother is one who understands this and stands by her children through thick and thin. She gives them faith, hope and confidence to achieve in life,” says Annie Babu.
Santhwanam has young mothers who have no way to fend for themselves, rape victims and their children.
The journey begins
Annie and her family were living an 'adipoli' life when she started working part time for a charitable organisation called Thanal. Soon she realised that it was her calling and dedicated more and more time to counselling at Thanal. Her commitment to social work was such that she eventually became its secretary.
As the organisation grew, it decided not to admit any more residents and Annie also decided to quit. However, she agreed to work for one more month till the centre found another replacement for her. It was during this period that the cops came to 'Thanal' with a three-year-old girl. There was nobody to take care of the kid at the centre, so Annie used to bring the girl home everyday at night and go back to Thanal with her in the morning.
Annie and her husband, Babu, are fondly called Annie Amma and Appa by the children. Later, after giving a newspaper ad they found that the girl was abandoned by her parents because of a superstitious belief that the girl is a bad omen and her mere presence is enough to ruin fortunes.
They tried to admit her in an orphanage but the girl would not leave. Annie and Babu decided to adopt the girl. But the law did not allow them to adopt as their combined age was above 90 and a court ordered to put the girl in an orphanage within seven days.
Since Santhwanam began, the police kept on bringing several people, mostly children and mothers in distress. The girl wouldn't leave and the mother in Annie didn't want to let her go either. Since the court order was to admit the child in an orphanage, Annie and Babu decided to start an orphanage. Annie had decided to work for the uplift of women while leaving Thanal and this would give her the right platform she had in mind.
She started off with 10 kids, but soon their number rose, making it difficult for the couple to find the means to provide for them. At that time there was no Childline or district-level body to take care of children's needs. Thus, whenever cops found abandoned children they would bring them to Annie who had become Annie amma to her kids by then.
God's hand
Annie has several instances to recall when she was literally at a crossroads, but often God showed her a way out. From paying rent to providing food to the children, Annie has worried about them all but somehow things always worked out in their favour as even unknown people came with help just when they were about to lose hope.
Annie looks after over 50 children with ease even at the age of 61Once it happened that they could not make food as the firewood had not reached on time. Luckily, by lunch time, a person arrived in an autorickshaw with enough food for the inmates. It was prepared for an auspicious occasion at their home and Annie agreed to the guest's request to distribute it. “God is watching us, even when I blink,” she remarked.
Mothers who forgive
Since Santhwanam began, the police kept on bringing several people, mostly children and mothers in distress. There are young mothers who have no way to fend for themselves, rape victims and their children. There are also elderly mothers who have been thrown out of their homes by their children. “Once an old lady arrived with a swollen face. She was beaten up by her son who is a government employee. She will walk away whenever I asked her to file a complaint,” Annie recalled, while adding “the mother claimed that she will not let any harm befall on his son despite his cruelty."
Annie's message to all mothers is this: “Do not limit your motherliness to just your children and your family, always look beyond and also teach your kids to look beyond. Your contributions to the lives of others add on to as assets for your children. It will mean more to them than the wealth you can amass for them.”
Annie and her large family receives a lot of support from neighbours and police. Laws that protect and harm
Annie and her large family receives a lot of support from neighbours and police. She says the police are available round-the-clock in case of any issue. Dealing with women and children is very sensitive and issues might crop up any time. She remembers how cops in mufti stood guard outside Santhwanam when a goon, known as 'Theevetti Babu' threatened to kill her. The crime she committed was giving shelter to his wife who used to be beaten black and blue by him.
Annie's institution doesn't receive any grant from the government or from any agency abroad. It runs solely on the donations by individuals. A Supreme Court ruling that all such institutes should come under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act has come as a big blow to Santhwanam and similar centres.
The shelf that contains prizes and medals of children in Santhwanam.The Act prescribes world-class facilities for orphaned children. Over 100 such institutes have shut down operations in Kerala itself as they were not able to meet the stringent rules of the JJ Act. The mandate includes 120 sq ft space for each child, mattress and pillows be replaced every year, new mosquito nets every six months, 24 staff for 100 residents, etc. The Act also prescribes the minimum salary to be paid to the staff. Annie laments that to follow the rules they need around Rs 3 lakh every month for salary itself.
The government's attempt to provide children the best care is being started off from orphanages. “Do the government-run institutes provide all the facilities they order us,” Annie wondered. “What the children need is not five-star facilities, they need someone who can listen and understand them,” she said.
Annie's institution doesn't receive any grant from the government or from any agency abroad. It runs solely on the donations by individuals.Unable to meet the demands of the Act, Santhwanam was again on the verge of shutting down when its kindhearted patrons helped it stand on its feet. They went on to construct a new building to meet the new requirements. Noted author Arundhati Roy and her mother and women's rights activist Mary Roy are among those helping.
People wanting to contribute towards Santhwanam's efforts can contact Annie Babu at 94475 68244.
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