The Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan, Kolkata, is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the health promotion of women and children, as well as empowering women. Their charitable hospital for women and children is run by the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, employing only female staff. The hospital have been serving women and children from the middle and low socio-economic sections of the Indian society since 1950, irrespective of religion, caste or creed.
The organisation is focussed and aims to achieve improvement of maternal health, reduction of child mortality and the promotion of gender equality. They empower women by providing them with vocational training which would enable them to earn their livelihood independently, hence, gaining economic independence as well.
Pravrajika Alokaprana, 62-year-old nun who is the assistant secretary of the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan hospital in Kolkata, visited our Asian Voice office, in London. She spoke about the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission. “Sarada Math and Ramakrishna Sarada Mission do work for underprivileged women, deprived women and children. We have got 33 centres all over India and two centres abroad, in Australia and Sri Lanka.”
She further stated, “This is the only global organisation which is totally independent of the men's organisation. All decisions are made by the women, for the women and it is run by women.”
The hospital provides quality service however, they are facing an acute shortage of space for expansion projects for the hospital and the residential accommodation for the staff. Furthermore, the hospital needs more funds to enable that poor mothers and children receive the treatment they deserve at the hospital.
Pravrajika Alokaprana agrees that it is extremely difficult to get funds or donations. “It is a big struggle. First when I wanted something very urgently for the hospital, I wanted one extra floor for the hospital because we did not have sufficient theatres nor a critical unit for the patients coming after the operations; I went to Mumbai. I literally walked the streets of Mumbai to collect money. It was tough, it was extremely tough. Even Mumbai did not know the existence of Ramakrishna Sarada Mission.”
The Ramakrishna Sarada Mission works for a noble cause but it relies on the generous donation of the public in order to give quality treatment to the underprivileged.
If you would like to know more about the organisation and donate, visit www.rksmmatribhavan.org or you could email [email protected]
