A Priceless Smile
It was a heartening sight to see Madhusmita running around gleefully clutching her report card. Madhusmita secured the 2nd position in her class under the Board of Secondary Education, Odisha. She is one of the many residents at the Good Shepherd Girls Home.
A student of Class 5, Madhusmita comes from a family under the Below Poverty Line. She was taken under India Evangelistic Association’s care 3 years ago. Her father, a daily wage worker, mother a housemaid, struggle to make ends meet, let alone provide for a good education for her. But seeing Madhusmita’s zeal to pursue her studies, IEA took it upon itself to look after her education. She was provided a place to stay, nutritious food to eat and all study materials required for her education. She lives in a homely environment with other girls who are cared for by IEA similarly.
“I shall help other girls when I grow up just like aunty,” she asserts pointing out to one of the volunteers of IEA who assist the girls with their studies. “Studying is very important for that,” she adds.
Smiling ear to ear her father says, “This organization has come like an angel to our lives. With my paltry income my daughter would never have been able to continue her studies. But now I am sure that she will achieve something big in her life. She has the potential and IEA has promised us to guide her in the right path.”
According to the Founder/Director of IEA, Bishop Dr. Pran Ranjan Parichha, “The most expensive thing in the world is the smiles of an innocent child on which nobody can put a price. That is our greatest achievement.”
