Sister Lucy Kurien spent a good part of her life as a Catholic nun working in a convent in the western Indian city of Pune. In 1991, a desperate and frantic 27-year-old woman who was seven months pregnant came to her convent seeking refuge from her abusive, alcoholic husband. The woman’s husband had kicked her out of the house. Sister Lucy wanted to help her, but the convent didn’t provide shelter services.
Later that night, the woman’s husband doused her in kerosene and set her on fire, charring 90 percent of her body. Sister Lucy heard the woman’s screams from outside the convent and rushed to help. She took the woman to the hospital, but it was too late for her and the unborn child. Sister Lucy held her as she died.
That horrific incident set Sister Lucy’s life on a different trajectory. She spent the next six years wracked with guilt and depression, wishing the convent offered a shelter that could help disadvantaged women. She met a counselor, Father Francis D’Sa, a Catholic priest from Pune, who encouraged her to start her own organization that would allow her to be of service.
“I got the shock of my life,” she recalls. “I said, ‘I’m a nun; I have no money. How will I do it?’ But he turned around and said, ‘If you have love in your heart, you can do it.’”
Struck by Father Francis’ words, in 1997 Sister Lucy made the life-altering decision to leave the convent and start an NGO she named Maher (which means “Mother’s home” in Marathi, the local language) in the village of Vadhu Budruk outside Pune. With funds from Father Francis, she bought a small plot of land, constructed a modest home on the site, and moved in.
Maher - a haven of hope, belonging, freedom, love and understanding, a home for battered, exploited, destitute women, men and children, a community where the society’s vulnerable can rise to new life
Built on Sister Lucy’s vow to never turn away another woman in distress, Maher initially offered services solely to women. But, she says, with the women often came children, so she expanded Maher’s services accordingly.
Today, Maher, as an NGO, maintains 73 houses across 7 Indian states, housing over 750 women, 295 men, and 996 children. As part of the Maher family, the men, women, and children receive access to education, vocational training/employment, and the opportunity to live in a protected environment.
Furthermore, in May 2017, Maher was granted Special Consultative Status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN-ECOSOC).
The work of Maher follows four core principles:
Creating Secure and Loving Environments: The fundamental goal of Maher is to establish and maintain secure, loving, and nurturing homes for women, men, and children who have faced adversity. This initiative is designed to empower individuals by helping them discover their inner strength and resilience, ultimately fostering their ability to achieve and maintain genuine self-reliance and independence in their future lives.
Cultivating Stability and Character: Maher is deeply committed to providing every woman, man, and child under its care with a foundation of unconditional love, respect, and emotional stability. By ensuring this supportive and consistent environment, the organization actively contributes to the development of individuals who grow up to be kind, strong, and socially responsible citizens, capable of positively impacting the world around them.
Sustainable Community Upliftment: Beyond its homes, Maher extends its mission to the broader community by actively seeking to assist members of impoverished villages. This is achieved by implementing programs that uplift their local communities both socially and economically, with a particular emphasis on educating and encouraging the use of environmentally friendly and sustainable agricultural practices for long-term health and prosperity.
Promoting Universal Compassion and Wellness: Maher operates on a principle of radical inclusion, striving to embrace and serve people regardless of their religion, ethnicity, or social standing. By extending its reach to all disadvantaged individuals, the NGO works tirelessly to instill and promote the core values of love, empathy, compassion, and holistic wellness throughout all its centers and outreach programs.
The Maher Board of Trustees is collectively responsible for the overall operations of the organization. The board members have significant social work and community development experience. Our Trustees are experienced and accomplished professionals who bring diverse skills and perspectives and are a true representation of the diversity and inclusiveness that define Maher.
The OOOM Magazine listed Sister Lucy among "The World’s Most Inspiring People" in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, underscoring that her work is internationally recognized. Maher is currently receiving particularly strong support from countries like Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Sister Lucy has received more than 365 national and international humanitarian awards and recognition for her work, including Nari Shakti Puraskar Award 2015, Global Women’s Summit -Leadership Award at the Clinton Global Initiative in USA 2015, Neerja Bhanot Award 2018, 43rd Jamnalal Bajaj Award 2021. Mother Teresa D’Lima Award 2024 by St. Teresa's College Ernakulum on 29th Jan 2024. On 6th December - Anjani Mashelkar Inspiration Award 2024. On 29th of Nov 2025 - LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD” for the Top Management Consortium Foundations 33rd Awards of Excellence.
