SHILLONG: The spirit of Christmas cheer was shared with 24 orphans along with their surrogate mothers at the Annie Margaret Barr Children’s Village (AMBCV) in the quaint village of Kharang, East Khasi Hills by members of Hynniewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF) and Shillong Press Club (SPC) on Friday.
Annie Margaret Barr Children’s Village is home to 24 orphans, 10 boys and 14 girls. The youngest is a girl and the oldest inmate is studying in Class XII standard in the village school. The orphanage home has been running on donations from well-wishers.
The donations were not only to the orphanage but the under-privilege families, single mothers in Kharang village.
The children look up to their surrogate mothers at the orphanage who gave them the love and affection in the absence of a biological mother.
The boys’ home was constructed at over Rs 40 lakh about 400 meters away from the girls’ home while the government through the social welfare department has given assistance to the girls home since 2017-16 financial year.
The boys are expected to move to their new home very soon even though it needs a lot of “big hearts” to continue till the government assistance is available.
Donations were also poured to teachers of the village playschool on this day, as SSA scheme is meant for teachers teaching in class 1 and above as teachers teaching below class 1 have been teaching without any government assistance.
The financial help that teachers get are from the fees of 30 students of playschool, although less and donations from individuals and the Church.
The orphanage is an initiative of the Unitarian Union in memory of Annie Margaret Barr, Unitarian Minister who set foot in the Khasi Hills and worked extensively among the tribes of the Khasi, Jaintia and Karbis.
Extending her social service to the people, she established a School, a medical clinic and an orphanage in the fifties, at the village of Kharang.
Barr’s message of love and sacrifice was carried forward by various committees who manage the school, clinic and orphanage which were christened after her.