Touching moments at 'Charity City'

By Our Special Correspondent

SADASHIVEPET (MEDAK), Nov. 24.It was a brief but a touching function where the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, had an opportunity to meet with and talk about the most neglected souls of the burgeoning cities--streetchildren.

Impressed by the Global Peace Initiative's ambitious programme of rehabilitating 10,000 street children from cities in the coming years, at its sprawling "Charity City" campus here, the Chief Minister said: "I compliment the organisation for taking up such a project. There could be no better cause than those who have none to take care. We need to look at them as our own children." The Global Peace Initiative (GPI) is a project of the Gospel to Unreached Millions (GUM).

Mr. Naidu spent a few minutes chatting with an orphan boy, picked up from a street in Hyderabad and fed him a spoon of lemon rice. When he asked the boy whether he would study and how he felt at the school, the latter responded with "yes, I will study and it is good here."

About 50 such streetchildren and orphans, both boys and girls, all in impressionable and tender age group, were made to sit in front of Mr. Naidu. They listened to his speech with interest and clapped often taking cue from the applauding elders in the audience.

The Chief Minister said he was happy to know that the campus had all facilities--a hostel, school, dining hall, library and a hospital-- to make the streetchildren good citizens. In the first phase, which is underway, about 1000 children are being rehabilitated. He complimented Rev. Dr. K. A. Paul, Founder President of the GPI, for his emotional involvement and commitment to the cause of such children and his message. "Yes, we should promote peace and love in today's world," he added.

Dr. Paul, who hails from the State but now settled in the US, spoke about how his peace rallies in trouble-torn countries of Africa and other places, helped in bringing peace. "Anybody can build a Rs. 100 crore building, but we need to bring about a change in the heart, impact people and change a world full of strife to that of peace and happiness."

He said he would come to Hyderabad next year and lead a campaign along with pastors and other community leaders to make concerted effort to adopt as many as 10,000 street children.

The Higher Education Minister, Mr. K. Ramachandra Rao, the Sports Minister, Mr. T. Seetharam, Mr. P. Babu Mohan, MLA and Rev. Dr. K. David Raju, National Director, GUM, were also present.

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Section  : Southern States
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