Our Story

We are a 100% volunteer organization, so your gifts can have maximum impact.

The work happening in India through Maher is important and it's making a difference for thousands of lives. Hundreds of Americans and people from many points around the globe support Maher because we understand the ripple effect of making the world work for everyone in it.

The tragedy that started it all

Sr. Lucy Kurien founded Maher ("Mother's Home") after a woman and her unborn child had nowhere to go to escape death in a horrific kerosene dousing by her husband.

From one home to a movement

In 1997, she opened the first home in a village near Pune, India, where she lived with and prepared meals for a small group of women. In the years that followed, many more women, children and elderly men followed, until now they have over 1,600 residents of all ages in 68 homes in seven Indian states.

How Maher works

Maher homes address existing poverty by providing love, safe living, training and education for its residents. Equally important are the organization's 25 outreach programs that address the root causes of poverty in more than 90 villages across India. These programs emphasize health, education for all including girls, ending child marriages, women's rights, and micro-lending programs.

An interfaith home

A Catholic nun born in Kerala, Sr. Lucy is adamant that Maher be a spiritual organization, but always firmly interfaith. The chair of the Maher board is Muslim and the board is comprised of Christian, Hindu and Muslim community leaders, including a young man who grew up at Maher. To create an organization where people of all faiths feel welcome, each Maher home prominently displays an interfaith banner with images from 10 faith traditions. In addition, each home has a sacred space with books from three of India's major religions: the Bhagavat Gita, the Koran, and the Christian Bible. Residents practice daily yoga and non-denominational meditation, song and prayer.

Raising the whole child

Children attend public and, when available, private English Medium schools. All are offered further vocational training or education, according to their capacity and interest. Many go on to college and university; several have earned graduate degrees. Interested children may choose to attend Maher-sponsored classes, including classical and Bollywood dance, drumming, public speaking, soccer and tai chi. Some children compete successfully in local and national competitions. Maher believes in supporting the whole child, for as long as they need, so they can lead fulfilling lives as adults.

Restoring dignity

Sr. Lucy even arranges consensual marriages for Maher residents including divorced or widowed women. Maher solicits donations to ensure that newly married couples have traditional gifts that include kitchen utensils and cookware and other household necessities.

Built on love

Maher is built on love. Sr. Lucy says people will always find food and a place to sleep – even if the food is other people's garbage and the bed is a piece of cardboard on the ground – but what they need most is love and there is plenty of that at Maher.

Always room for one more

Because of the tragedy that inspired Maher, Sr. Lucy ensures that there is always room for one more. There is no wait list to get into Maher. Except for the most fragile, residents sleep on bedrolls on the floor, so when another person comes, they just roll out another bedroll! Even the smallest child is empowered to invite a traveler to share a meal.

Supported by the world

Maher is a non-governmental organization (NGO), supported entirely by individuals, companies, and community organizations around the world. They receive no government support.

A place of learning

Local and international visitors are welcome. Many visitors come with the intention of teaching Maher western ways of social service. Instead, they quickly find themselves learning the magic of Maher and bringing those ways back to their own countries.

Global recognition

Maher and Sr. Lucy have received dozens of awards, including India's prestigious Nari Shakti Award for the empowerment of women. She has attended the Clinton Global Initiative Meeting and has met with Pope Francis twice. In 2017, Maher was awarded UN Special Consultative Status.

Board of Directors

Darcy Cunningham

Chair

Darcy Cunningham, MBA, lives in Maine. For years she consulted to NGOs regarding vision, teams, and management. She currently owns her own business focusing on Yoga Therapy & Bowenwork. She has published three books on Maher: From Dignity to Despair: Step by Step Guide for Transforming the Lives of Women and Children – Successful NGO Creation Using the Maher Model; Rising to New Life: Stories from Maher; and Village by Village: Uplifting Communities the Maher Way. She is inspired by Sister Lucy and Maher for their amazing capacity to love and to creatively rise to challenges on behalf of others.

Kate Stormfield

Treasurer

Kate is a recent transplant to Portland, OR and honored to be a member of the USGM Board. She is a mother, partner, sister, and daughter, and for her day job, works as a Nurse Practitioner specializing in women's sexual health and hormone therapy. Kate's connection to India began with her mother who was born and raised in Southern India, and Kate visited the vibrant country various times as a child and young adult. Her first visit to Maher was in 2014 during a trip back to her mother's birthplace. It was profoundly inspiring to witness the transformative work of Maher: the safe and nurturing homes it creates for residents that foster healing, education and growth, and the numerous community-led projects it supports to empower economic, educational, and social development in all the communities it serves.

Chaya Pamula

Board Member

Chaya first discovered Maher over 20 years ago when she met Sr. Lucy. She was so touched and inspired by Lucy's story and the work Maher was doing. She has been a volunteer and board member ever since. Professionally, Chaya is the President and CEO of PamTen, an IT Staffing and Solutions company. Currently living in California, Chaya's philanthropy had guided her to be the founder and director of SOFKIN in India, which follows in Maher's example. She also founded SheTek, which supports and promotes women in the tech field. Chaya is a mentor, technologist, philanthropist, a visionary, an entrepreneur and an inspiring, passionate person. She brings this insight and positivity to everything she does, including her support of Maher.

Sharon Atkinson

Board Secretary

My name is Sharon Atkinson and I live in Omaha Nebraska. I first became interested in Maher when my sister, Lynda King, told me about this amazing orphanage in India. I met Sr Lucy when she came to the US in 2018 and it was then I knew Maher was a place I wanted to visit and be a part of. My sister and I went to Maher for their 22nd anniversary celebration in 2020 and I have been involved ever since.

Sherry Helmke

Board Member

2025 marked Sherry's fourth trip to Maher, since she and her daughter first visited in 2010. An experienced corporate and non-profit leader, she finds Maher a proven, holistic model for positive, lasting social change. Sherry and her partner split their time between Nebraska and Colorado. Born happy, she loves being outdoors, playing with her grandkids, writing, wandering, and sharing Maher's remarkable story.

Wendy Wiseman

Board Member

Wendy Wiseman is new to the board of directors. She brings significant marketing communications experience and deep respect and admiration for Sr. Lucy and her work at Maher. She has hosted an event in Omaha, Nebraska.