Atulya

Much has taken place in Atulya! Atulya has now been separated into three parts; the Hope Home, the Production Unit and the GB Road work. Sarah Paine, who was heading the home, moved out in February and Sarah Hill took on the leadership. The home is now called HOPE Home. In February, Uzma, Soniya, Sheetal and Renuka graduated from the Atulya programme! The four girls have been with Atulya for over 3

years and are ready for new challenges and independence. It was a beautiful ceremony; friends from the community came to celebrate and pray with the girls as they were released into all the good things God has in store for them.

Soniya and Stuti returned at the beginning of this year after having left Atulya to spend time with their family.  Soniya is now working full time in the Raffa home, teaching as well as looking after the boys.

After Uzma graduated, she decided to return to Mumbai, her home before Atulya.  She is now starting a cooking course and getting settled into living in Mumbai.

Renuka and Sheetal have just left Hope Home to settle into their own apartment. Sheetal continues to work in the production unit until she begins her fashion design course in July.  Renuka has just started working as a housekeeper; it is a good, well paid job, and she enjoys it. Her long term dream is to work with women who have been rescued from the sex trade.

At present, the home is being prepared to take in 8 new girls in July! The Production Unit In October 2008, Atulya rented a separate apartment to start a Production Unit for the girls to be trained to design and make products that can be sold. This would also serve as a source of income for them. During 2008, the girls have designed and made cards as well as flower hair clips and broaches (very popular with the girls in the church). In 2009, Jenny, a volunteer from Sweden took the Unit further by introducing baby clothes in the product range. Sheetal is now teaching the older girls from Sahaitha School to make roses and stitch.

GB Road Since moving out of Hope home, Sarah P has started visiting the Red Light Area: GB Road, which is by the railway station in Delhi. There are many women and children living here. Some are prostitutes voluntarily but many are forced into this through trafficking rackets.

The vision for G.B Road is to see the women in this area complete in Christ, that they would have an encounter with God that would transform their lives, to see them healed and set free to be all they are created to be. Our desire is to eventually establish a church in this area.

A small team from New Generation has been visiting the brothels every week, getting to know the madams and the ladies and finding out what they need. One of the ladies expressed a need for medical facilities. So now we plan to set up a community health care programme here. This will give us a legitimate reason to be there, will help us to build relationship and trust amongst the women, as well as help them medically.

Sarah recently found a two-bedroom apartment, which we will rent from the 1st of June. A health unit will be set up in one room and the other will be used as a meeting place to invite the women for chai, meals, meetings etc. The medical unit is being developed and will open in July. We are looking for doctors and nurses who will serve there.

Graduation Day!

beauty for ashes