By Anita john

Mumbai: A team of Pauline nuns recently taught a group juvenile delinquents to maintain personal and environmental cleanliness, respect elders and foster unity and sharing among them.

“We conducted the program to sow hope and happiness in those children,” said Daughters of St Paul Sister Suman Tiggla, who led the team comprising three nuns and five novices.

She told Matters India that they spent half day on August 4 with 90 children between 4 to 13 years and residing at the juvenile home in Mankood near Chembur, a Mumbai suburb. The children had either committed some crimes or run away for homes.

“We wanted to convince them that they too are God’s children and are capable of loving and living as the rest of humanity,” Sister Tigga told Matters India on August 6.

Tigga, a provincial councilor, was accompanied by vice provincial Sister Shalini Rose and novice mistress Sister Lilly Mathew.

The nuns’ team conducted classes and entertainment programs.

The day started with a short prayer and then Sister Tigga and the novices conducted an action song called in Hindi that said they are little children, who respect every one and sing with happiness while living together without fight or divisions based on caste, class or creed.

“We may be Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian, but whatever may be our religion, we are all one and we sing together and be happy forever,” the nuns taught the children to sing. “We do not know about social status, but we love all and our job is to love one another,” they added.

The nuns also screened a video about a farmer and his three sons that stressed the message, “United we stand, divided we fall.”

The program included another video on “ How we need to take care of ourselves and of our health.”