Catholic Hearing centre wins National Award

(November 18, 2010) A Catholic institution working among the speech and hearing-impaired children in Meghalaya has won a national award for its mission. The Ferrando Speech and Hearing Centre, managed by the Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians in the state capital of Shillong, received the National Award for Child Welfare from Indian President Pratibha Patil at a function in New Delhi on November 14. “Our service to the less privileged has been recognized by the state and the country. We are motivated and encouraged to do more,” Sister Katherine Joseph, who heads the congregation in Meghalaya, told UCA News. The school founded in 1996 caters to some 1,500 children who come from all seven states in north-eastern India. Sister Merly Tom, the founder director, said that the award has made her and her children happy. “I am grateful for the award,” she added. Sister Tom said the school now has 145 boarders from primary to secondary level. Some attend vocational training courses, she added. The school also conducts outreach and awareness programs and diagnostic camps in villages and provides integrated education and vocational training. The staff includes seven nuns and 50 teachers. Among the teachers, 19 are themselves disabled, training the children in skills such as embroidery, woollen cloth weaving and the making of candles and cards.