The social welfare department of Manipur offered to take custody of the orphans and rehabilitate them at the Specialised Adoption Agency in Tamenglong or at the government-run children home at Churachandpur district.
Mayanglambam Merina
Much to the relief in the Tamenglong tragedy in which 6 young siblings, five girls and a boy, were orphaned following the death of the parents by drowning in the river Barak where they were snail hunting, their only source of livelihood, the social welfare department of the government of Manipur, in all likelihood, will take the custody of the orphans.
‘The team of district child protection unit and child welfare committee have reached the village where the kids are being sheltered by relatives. The rescue team’s recommendation is to take custody and rehabilitate them at the Specialised Adoption Agency in Tamenglong or accommodate them at the Churachandpur district children home,’ social welfare director, N Uttam Singh said.
Prior to the arrival of the rescue team, Nemneivah Kuki, the eldest of the sibling, who is 12 years old, had met with a road accident when she went to the market to fetch eatables for her younger siblings. Doctors of Silchar Valley hospital, where she is being treated, informed KRC Times that Nemneivah complained of dizziness and vomiting and advised consulting a neurologist at the earliest.
The Kuki Khanglai Lawmpi, KKL, the civil organization of the area that was the first to respond to the human tragedy said that once Nemneivah’s condition stabilizes she along with her 5 siblings will be taken to the ‘Sang-Ga-Muon Inn’, an orphanage run by the ‘Kuki Women Union’ in Tamenglong. KKL who convinced the Kuki Women Union to accept the orphans assured the union of providing all the monetary support for the upbringing and education of the six orphaned children.
Meanwhile, the social welfare department of Manipur offered to take custody of the orphans and rehabilitate them at the Specialised Adoption Agency in Tamenglong or at the government-run children home at Churachandpur district.
Relatives of the orphans are considering the options and are most likely to opt for the Churachandpur home as they also live there. The bereaved family is from Kaimai village under Tousem sub-division of Tamenglong district in Manipur.
