Irish workers fund Indian orphanage

AN Indian orphanage where at least one newborn baby is left each week is being funded by workers at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

The orphanage has a special cradle in which parents can safely, but anonymously, leave their children.

Yesterday, at Palna Orphanage in Old Delhi, Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin handed over €30,000 collected by the Dublin-based Indian Orphanage Appeal. This was established by workers at the minister’s department to fund the activities of the “cradle orphanage.”

Over the last six years the appeal has sent €150,000 to the orphanage and this latest contribution brings total donations to €180,000 - and they have €137,000 in the bank that they will use to ensure the centre has a regular source of funding.

Honorary secretary with the charity, the Delhi Council for Child Welfare Aruna Kumar, said more that 2,000 children have passed through the orphanage to adoptive parents since it was founded in 1978. However, only 50% of their children are adopted as many are physically and mentally challenged.

“Each year about 50 babies, some premature and some born in the previous hour or so, are placed in our cradle. The cradle has an alarm so the baby can be attended to quickly. But we do make sure the mother has sufficient time to slip away,” Ms Kumar said.

Mr Martin was moved by what he saw and said it was clear the children were being looked after very well.

“I know also that there are a number of families in Ireland who have reason to be extremely grateful for the work you do at Palna. Only in the past 12 months or so, a young child from Palna has moved to live with her new family in Dublin. I am told Revati is thriving in her new home,” he told the children and staff at the orphanage.

There were tears in the eyes of many of the staff when he handed over the bank draft for €30,000 which was far more than they had anticipated.

Ministers Micheál Martin, Mary Hanafin and John O’Donoghue are accompanying the Taoiseach on this visit to India.

Yesterday, the Taoiseach gave a keynote address at the Nehru Memorial Library, focusing on political relations between the two countries.

He also attended a promotional by Tourism Ireland and will have opportunities to meet with members of the Irish community in New Delhi.

This is the first official visit to India by a Taoiseach and the key aim is to enhance bilateral political and economic relations between Ireland and India.