KOLLAM: Maneesha Manoharan is lucky that she can live with a family which loves her deeply. It was during the summer vacation in April 2015 that Maneesha, 9, was taken by the family from Kollam under foster care. The bonding of the family with the girl became so strong that they renew the contract every three months keeping the child with them. Thus Maneesha, who was with a care home here, is now living with Shamla Beevi and K. Raheem of Kuzhimathicaud as their daughter under the state’s first foster care project.
“Maneesha was studying in the school where I teach and also was the best friend of my younger daughter Fareeda. I have seen several students who were brought to school from care homes like this, but it was the decision of Allah that I chose her as my own daughter,” Shameela says. She is a teacher with the Govt. UPS Nallila here. Her husband Raheem is an NRI working in Saudi Arabia. The couple have two daughters Fathima,12, and Fareeda, 10.
Maneesha and Mahima were daughters of Lalitha and Manoharan, who was an employee with the Devaswom Board. The family was shattered with the death of Manoharan a few years back while Lalitha became mentally ill. The children were taken to ‘Mahila Mandiram’ along with Lailtha, who sought treatment at a mental hospital. Mahima is now studying in Plus-One at a facility run by the Child Welfare Committee in Perumon.
“We took her in April 2015 under an agreement that we would return her after two months of foster care. However, when the time came, the pain of parting with her became unbearable. We pleaded before the child protection unit to extend the contract which is being continued every three months,” Shamla says. Her father Younus Kutty, who had won the state award for best teacher, helps her in clearing the documents for retaining the child.
“The foster care programme was started in April 2015 in Kollam and Malappuram for the first time in the state. We had nine children from Kollam and 14 from Malappuram that year. The intention behind the programme is to give the children a family atmosphere during the two months of their summer vacation,” Mr K.K. Subair, Kollam district child protection officer told DC.
