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In a place called Naharlagun, 14 kilometres from
Itanagar, is situated the Oju Welfare Centre. It is a remarkable
institution run by remarkable women – Binni Maya and her team of
dedicated workers.
As one enters the Oju
Welfare Centre on cannot help but notice a small cradle made of cane
placed in the centre of the verandah. An electric bell is fixed on
the wall directly over the cradle. Women living under miserable
conditions and unable to care for their infants place their infants
in this cradle and walk away after ringing the bell. They do not
look back as they are sure the baby will be well cared for. Sure
enough the infant is taken in with no questions asked. From the
moment the bell rings Binni Maya and her team of dedicated helpers
take over.
Imbued with a crusading
spirit Binni Maya, along with like-minded public spirited women, got
together to form the Oju Welfare Centre in 1979. It is a
non-government organization and its sole purpose is to provide a home
to poor and destitute women who have become victims of prevailing
social evils like child marriages, unwed mothers, wife beating and
women rendered homeless.
Binni Yanga (fondly
called Maya), now 38, belongs to the Hill Miri tribe. She received
her primary education in a prestigious school for girls, Vanasthali,
in Rajasthan, where she studied up to the ninth class. However, she
could not complete her studies as she married off at the tender age
of 15. In the meantime she received a shock when her father, who
already had numerous wives married yet again and, this time, to a
girl as young as herself! Disillusioned in marriage, she soon
separated and took up a teaching job in a government primary school
where she taught for three years. At the time of her separation, her
husband had insisted that she should not take up the following
profession: nu5rsing, police or theatre. The fighting spirit in her
being subdued for three years, finally exploded and she defiantly
enrolled as a constable in the Arunachal Police Force. While in
Police service she came face to face with the realities of social
evils that afflicted society – the main victims being women of
all ages. Further disillusionment set in when she realized that the
legal system was hopelessly inadequate to deal with such problems.
And after five-six years she gave up her police job and devoted her
full time to the upliftment of the downtrodden.
From small beginnings,
the Oju Welfare Centre is now humming with multifarious activities.
It is running an
orphanage for children, both boys and girls, free of cost. At
present there are 338 orphans in the hostel and 14 infants up to the
age of three years. The youngest who is only seven months is the
darling of the institution and is smothered in love.
The Association is also
providing free education from nursery up to class eight. All
subjects are being taught by well qualified teachers. Apart from the
orphans, children from poor families in the neighbourhood are also
provided free education. The orphans are housed in a well run hostel
and the association ensures their safety, health and hygiene,
maintenance and discipline as also other curricular activities.
For the rehabilitation of
destitute women the Centre has facilities for training them in
tailoring, knitting, weaving and embroidery.
A ‘short stay home’
has also been started for women and girls who are victims of child
marriage, forced marriage, martial maladjustment, desertion or
exploitation. Efforts are made to rehabilitate them after suitable
training. For this the Association is running a
production-cum-training centre which helps the inmates to stand on
their own feet by imparting training in knitting, weaving, tailoring
etc. They have also set up a composite farm with four main
activities like dairying, poultry farming, piggery and nursery. The
farm is being manned by the women and children of the centre. After
meeting the requirements of the Centre, the surplus is marketed and
the sale proceeds utilized for running the Centre.
The Association has done
a splendid job in successfully marrying off 26 girls and spent Rs.
3000 for each marriage ceremony.
The Centre is able to
undertake all these activities with the help of liberal donations
from the pubic, grants and aid from the Central Government, financial
assistance from various departments the Arunachal Government and
financial assistance from the Social Welfare Advisory Board. Binni
Maya mentions that there is one donor, who does not like his name to
be publicized, who quietly contributes Rs. 35000 every year to her
cause.
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