P Tepekrovi Kiso
Kidima Village, Kohima District
The three Jesuits mission from the Karnataka Province arrived at Kohima- Jakhama, Nagaland on 21st April in 1970 to start Jesuit Mission. The pioneers namely Fr. Stany Coelho, the educator par excellence, and Fr. Ligoury Castelino, the pastor, administrator and traveller Fr (then Brother) Raymond D’Souza.
While starting Sacred Heart School at Khuzama, Fr. Stany Coelho was struck by the significant number of children with one or both parents dead, and who were abandoned when their widowed mothers re-married. Naga society had community-based solutions for abandoned children and those without parents. With modernity making inroads into their traditions and individualism creeping in, Naga society was no more able to take care of such children.
A distressingly large number of children in the villages were parentless, either orphans or illegitimate or belonging to no one in particular as both parents after separation were living with a new partners. These children were naturally deprived of parental love and care and have hardly any opportunities in life.
The annual wave of school drop- outs intends for groups of social misfits, a perpetual threat to peace, law and order. In keeping with the guidelines of Society of Jesus (S.J.) General Congregation 32 it was realised that had a duty to attend to the neglected children.
It was for them that Fr. Stany opened Eden Gardens Children’s Home on a 17- acre plot of land at an altitude of 6500 ft. His idea was to train the children in modern methods of agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry so that, even while getting school education, they would not be alienated from their agriculture-based economy.
On 15th August 1979 established Eden Gardens. Initially 15 boys and girls were admitted for want of financial resources and adequate infrastructure.
Eden Gardens was to prepare children to claim and enjoy their own rights, thereby becoming responsible, self-respecting, independent individuals in their own villages.
Fr Raymond D’Souza a surviving pioneer of the Jesuit had informed more than 4300 students were passed out from Eden Gardens upto 2018 year’s record. As many student were completed graduation, post graduation. Like some were qualified in Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Guwahati, serving different sectors like banking, M.Sc. Biochemistry as Project Associate and Research, Government of India in Sikkim, M.Sc. in Physics Gold Medalist, professional like pharmacies, doctors, 14 undergoing in nursing and teachers training,
Here an age-old dream is steadily coming true. The villages of Nagaland will one day be places of peace, prosperity and plenty.
Fr Rajesh Lobo SJ young priest looking day-day affairs of Eden Gardens including Sacred Heart School primary to ten standards.
