Women’s Day Celebration at Ashish Bhavan, Kune

📅 March 14, 2018 • 📍 Kune

March 12, 2018, was a remarkable day for the women of Kune gaon. Ninety-five women attended the celebration at Ashish Bhavan, which began with a short prayer service and a prayer dance performed by the boarders. Sr. Carol Nunes welcomed the esteemed guests—Sr. Moksha Anthonappa (Director of Sahayini), Sr. Aruna Castelino (Auxilium Outreach), Sr. Cecilia Crasta (Superior of SJTC - Lonavala), and Mrs. Mila Castelino—with a shawl and coconut, followed by a welcome song. Sr. Moksha led an ice-breaker activity. The candidates of SJTC performed a street play illustrating how young girls and women are exploited, how police sometimes neglect complaints, and how women can protect themselves when alone. Sr. Moksha also showed a video clip about Muskan, a girl who explains to her grandmother that boys and girls are equal. She then spoke on the theme, *Tuji Chaya, Maji Maya*. The women role-played and creatively expressed their views by enacting the qualities of personalities such as Mother Teresa, Kalpana Chawla, Jhansi chi Rani, and Indira Gandhi, while also presenting various slogans. Rev. Fr. Peter Rodrigues celebrated the Eucharist, emphasizing in his sermon that all women deserve equal rights and respect in the family and society, and urging parents to prioritize their daughters' education. After lunch, the women discussed the video clip of Muskan and shared the message it conveyed. Sr. Cecilia spoke about the importance of children's education. Group games were organized, which the women enjoyed, and each group received a prize. Sr. Teresa Dharmaraj, the community animator, delivered a message encouraging the best use of the boarding and school facilities for children's education. Sr. Vaneeta Khristi offered thanks to the guests and the women. Each woman received a packet of Paushtik Ahar and a towel before heading home.