Sister Betsy Devasia, working in Guwahati, Assam, was conferred with the 11th International Human Rights Award for her contribution to women's development in the region by the Delhi-based International Human Rights Council at the India Islamic Centre Auditorium, New Delhi, on December 10.
Sister Betsy Devasia has been working in Northeast India for 30 years.
"I am not sure if I deserve this honour," said the septuagenarian Holy Cross Nun. "Serving the people of Northeast India in various roles since 1988 and as Director of Women Development Centre (WDC), Guwahati, since 2008, has been the most rewarding experience of my life. That is an award in itself."
Archbishop Emeritus Thomas Menamparampil established WDC in 2000 as a millennium gift to the women in Northeast India.
WDC has been catering to the women from rural areas of the region with a slew of initiatives to empower them to take their lives forward.
One of the major activities of WDC is educating school dropped out tribal girls to complete their schooling through National Open School. Starting with five students in 2005, more than 500 tribal girls from Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram and Assam have completed their secondary education. The current batch has 65 students.
Accepting the award, Sister Devasia said, "My award is to be able to see the lives of these underprivileged children change completely. The underconfident girls who, through our educational portals, are never the same. They leave our campus with confidence and courage to face the world to make a positive contribution to make it a better place to live in."
Many of the girls who completed their secondary education through WDC have gone on to do higher studies, including a master’s degree and 20 of them are currently working in various Government and private departments in the region, including a motivational speaker, nurses and a radiologist.
"That these girls are well placed in life is my award," said Sister Devasia.
Congratulating Sister Devasia on the award, Bishop George Pallipparambil of Miao Diocese in Arunachal Pradesh said, "This award is a fitting honour to Sister Betsy for her years of dedicated service to the people of Northeast. Her committed service in WDC, Guwahati, has contributed to the progress of hundreds of women and families of Northeast India. I pray that she continues to build many more lives in the years to come."
A Christian Missionary Nun receiving a prestigious international honour is an acknowledgment of the contribution made by the missionaries to the development of the Northeast region and towards nation-building, remarked the Salesian prelate.
The glittering award function was attended by delegates from Australia, Malaysia, the UK, USA, Nepal and India
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