Bright Morning Star

Bright Morning Star was set up to support the work of Reverend Timothy Jalam, the founder of Prabhat Tara Sanstha in India.

PRABHAT TARA SANSTHA – “liberation and empowerment”

Having been brought up in an orphanage himself, the Reverend Timothy Jalam, together with his wife, Anjana, recognised the problem facing those living within the red light districts in the Maharashtra State. To meet the need they founded the Christian charity Prabhat Tara Sanstha:

  • Housing, clothing, feeding and educating the children of prostitutes in the Home of Hope
  • Supporting sex workers dying from AIDS and, with the mother’s consent, ensuring that their children are not sold into the sex trade
  • Supporting sex workers through adult literacy and tailoring training
  • Providing sex education and information on safe motherhood, together with AIDS-awareness seminars with adolescents and health workers
  • Fighting for the rights of these women to be recognised as citizens of India and therefore eligible for education, healthcare and government allowances
  • Where possible, providing clinics and medication to the sick and dying

 

Home of Hope

Integral to the fulfillment of our vision and mission has been the establishment of the Home of Hope.

The Home of Hope is a Christ-centered home where destitute children irrespective of their background are accepted, cared for, transformed and empowered to be salt and light in society.

Our aim is that the Home of Hope will become partly self-sufficient through growing vegetables and other produce, alongside keeping livestock.

Healthcare

Bright Morning Star supports the work of Prabhat Tara Sanstha, India, who, in conjunction with Wanless Christian Hospital, Miraj regularly runs health clinics and immunisation programmes in the red light areas of Miraj, Sangli and Gokul Nagar. Medical records are kept of all members of the community who attend these clinics. Recent clinics have included eye clinics, follow-up eye surgery particularly for cataracts at Wanless Christian Hospital and an ENT clinic.

Some Board Members of Wanless Christian Hospital are also Board Members of Prabhat Tara Sanstha, India.

From time-to-time visiting medical personnel from across India and overseas will also undertake medical work within the Red Light Areas on behalf of Prabhat Tara Sanstha.

Medical conditions addressed by category include:
mental health, neurological, ophthalmology, ENT, dental, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, orthopaedic, gynaecological, skin diseases, HIV/AIDS, malnutrition.

Education

In the three red light districts, children of sex workers are deprived of their basic rights and privileges. But because Bright Morning Star supports the pre-school education centres set up by Reverend Jalam, 200 children are given an opportunity to learn and prepare themselves for school. Encouragingly, a good number of girls are attending the pre-schools.

After pre-school is over the children are given a meal. This might be their only meal all day.

Provision of textbooks, note-books, school-bags and school uniforms are a very motivating factor for the children to attend the school regularly.

In extra tuition classes, special attention is given to children who have difficulty with the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. A number of the children have secured good marks in their examinations, and the pre-schools have brought the communities together

Some of the girls from the Red Light Districts are now going forward for Government examination and certification in basic tailoring. This gives them recognition and a 50% cost reduction in purchasing sewing machines. This will enable them to establish a cottage industry and break away from the cycle of the sex industry.