As said by Mother Teresa,
“World is vast, but Human love is concise. Human beings should live in love and peace. To spread love, one should understand the depth of love and motivate to perpetuate the love among all…”
Mother Teresa had a vision of spreading peace and love in the world and years after her death, her messages and preaching are still practiced everyday and has led to the establishment of Mother Teresa Charitable Trust Organisation. It is a non-government development organisation working for the unwanted, uncared and unloved in the society.
The foundation was incepted in 1950 and has been concentrating in the fields of education and health of the poor and downtrodden in various ways. It has been collaborating with other agencies, both governmental and non-governmental towards bringing up the poor children, women and farmers in the mainstream of life.
Furthermore, its support base has grown from a close circle of friends to an international network of individuals, corporations and agencies.
The chain of orphanage headed by Mother Teresa Charitable Trust Organisation also known as the Missionaries of Charity, provide home, shelter and care to several orphans. They provide essential facilities to the children like education, food and other essential entities, and provide a safe and secure environment to the children.
To study the working of a service in absolute detail and understand the relations between stakeholders involved in it. This study leads to track the user journey through the service and inferring their actions, emotions and involvement of the company in those experiences. It also helps to recognize the missing links or failure points existing in the service.
The above chart show the core values of the organisation. Core values define the organization in terms of the principles and values the leaders will follow in carrying out the activities of the organization .
Stakeholder map:
We had a detailed conversation with the staff of the orphanage and the social worker after which we had gathered many insights related to the system of the orphanage:
-The Caregivers take full care of the children throughout the day in the absence of the sisters of the orphanage also.
-There are 4 caregivers assigned in each room, two caregivers for day and night shifts.
-The caregivers help the children with all the daily activities and even accompany them to all the places that the children visit.
-The children are taken in the ambulance only for visiting any place outside the Orphanage.
-The children go for visits to other places once in a month.
-Infrastructure of the orphanage is maintained properly and is painted every year for maintaining cleanliness and hygiene.
-The financial background of the caregivers is not very strong and they are not highly educated also.
-All the staff members are paid, and they get the money from the head office in Kolkata and from donations, and the same money is used for paying electricity bills etc.
-It is observed by the sister that the children when provided with materials at times do not take care of their children as they are easily given the materials.
-Aadhaar card of the children are made with the address of the orphanage as their permanent address.
-The social worker handles and helps in administrative work and keeps a count of the children as well. The social workers are hired and paid by the orphanage. They go for meetings on behalf of the orphanage and deals with CARA (adoption related formalities and issues).
-A paediatrician comes every Sunday for check-up. The sisters are also given basic medical training to treat children and in case of severe diseases and
complications they are taken to see a doctor. A doctor for speech therapy comes 4 days per week and spends one hour every day.
-CWC hold meeting of the orphanage and the social worker is also present at those meetings. All issues are handled and discussed at those meetings.
-Extracurricular activities are not there.
We observed that the children were happy, hyperactive and playful. They are being taken care of by the sisters and the caretakers, in the absence of sisters the care-takers take full responsibility of the children as they are trained to do so by the sisters.
There are two care-takers(girls) in each room for each shift, thus there are total 4 caretakers for each room and works in morning and night shift.
The children who go to school wake up at 6:30 am and the younger ones (3-4 years of age) wake up around 7 am. The small children wake up at 7 am so that early rising from bed can be incorporated initially in their daily routine.
Head: Sister Bellmera, there are total 5 sisters and their positions are according to the seniority. The work is divided between the sisters. As there are two floors so presence of one sister on each floor is mandatory. One sister takes care of the accounts department and two sisters are involved in the outside work. There are two watchmen, one for the morning and one for the night shift. There are three kitchen staff.
The children are taken to school and other places in ambulance for security and safety purpose. Wherever the children go one caretaker is always with them even during the classes in school.
The children go for outings to riverfront and events like circus, etc. Benefactors make the whole arrangement of taking the students to these events and arrange vehicles also for the children. Children are used to traveling in ambulance and feel safer in it.
While visiting any place bigger children are given freedom to visit a place but in a limited manner only. Apart from scholarly education focus on moral education (difference between right and wrong) is also there.
Menu for the weekdays are set. They try to provide variety but when the children do not eat the food that is prepared they are made to understand that they will have to eat the food as it is healthy for them. They do this with the kids as in outside world they might not always have lots of options and they should adjust with every situation.
Children like outside food. At the orphanage they do not add much spices in the food. Sometimes pickle is given to the children but not regularly. Very less visits to restaurants are there and generally during the occasion of Christmas they are taken for feasts outside, and people also invite children for feasts on such festivals. Children like paneer.
For every visit outside the orphanage it is mandatory to inform the CWC and take permission from them. Record of every visit is done.
Care takers come to the orphanage in search of jobs and usually belong to poor financial background, this is the reason they come to such places and they are also protected as orphanage is a safe place to work at.
Care takers are also allowed to visit their family. All the staff members are paid, and they get the money from the head in Kolkata and from donations, and the same money is used for paying electricity bills etc.
170 rupees per month is kept and collected on behalf of each worker and this amount is given to them when they leave the orphanage, this thing is not known by them. This amount of money helps them in several ways.
The infrastructure of the entire orphanage is painted every year, for maintaining cleanliness and protection from infection.
It is observed by the sister that the children when provided with materials at times do not take care of their children as they are easily given the materials. So, they are taught to take care of the material like books, colours, etc.
People usually donate old clothes (which are in good condition) which are washed (with Dettol) by the workers of the orphanage and then only used for the children. People also ask what you need so the orphanage lets then know if they need washing powder, toothpaste, toothbrush, inner wears, etc. They usually go to teen darwaza for buying the clothes if necessary.
Aadhaar card of the children are made. The social worker handles and helps in administrative work also and keeps a count of the children as well. The social workers are hired and paid by the orphanage. They go for meetings on behalf of the orphanage and deals with CARA (adoption related formalities and issues). The orphanage does not involve in the adoption process and do not have a say in the working and decisions of CARA.
Dr. Nanavati (famous paediatrician) comes every Sunday for check-up. The sisters are also given basic medical training to treat children and in case of severe diseases and complications they are taken to see a doctor. A doctor for speech therapy comes 4 days per week and spends one hour every day.
The counselling is done by the social worker.
CWC hold meeting of the orphanage and the social worker is also present at those meetings.
All issues are handled and discussed at those meetings.
Children present on the railway station are not directly taken to the orphanage, first the police are informed and then the further procedure is followed, as mentioned by the CWC.
People inform and register for celebrating birthdays at the orphanage beforehand. People cut cake and provide dinner to the students after 6:30 pm.
Children like mobile phones and they can watch TV during the weekend only.
Too much sweet causes cough and cold to the children so it is avoided, and giving anti-biotics is also avoided as it isn’t good for health.
Extracurricular activities are not there. On Sundays some activities are done, earlier a dance teacher used to come but as she got married she left. Another reason for less focus on activities is that these children have low IQ level and are not good at studies therefore the prime focus in on teaching them first. Only on sundays they are made to draw, paint, play, etc. The children are poor in studies because of their background.
For improving their IQ level, the children are given tonics and almonds as told by the doctors. They are also given vitamin tonics etc. according to the need. Blood tests are also done according to the requirement.
Sister feels that extra protection causes them to become fragile.
Some students are taking psycho medicines also. One child was behaving not in the right manner and after being adopted he started behaving alright, thus parents love is deeply lacking and it cannot be compensated by anyone. The sisters must behave same with every child so that there is no disparity between the children.
One child had problem related to rectum and was not behaving properly at school etc. so he was kept away from school and after some time he realised that as he wasn’t behaving in the right manner therefore he was kept away from school.
The children need attention and that is why the children also behave in this manner and are not able to express also.
The boys are not kept in the orphanage after 6 years and CWC have separate space for boys where they are sent.
People from abroad also adopt children but there is a fear in adoption of elder girls.
CARA contacts people from abroad and the children are sent for adoption by them only, no involvement of the orphanage in this case.
After 18 years the children are free, but the fear is how will they deal with the world afterwards.
Social worker takes care of the heath also and takes account of the blood tests and diseases also and visits the place once a week.
Visitors are refrained from asking questions related to parents etc. as the children’s feelings might get hurt.
When school complaints about a child he/she is kept away from school for some time and after handling the child they are taken back to school, the DCP is also involved in handling such issues.
comments from Amresh Panigrahi need to take care in this page