Sister Anntrancesca with the children. Pix: Vivek Singh

Kurseong, Oct. 23: ?Amma, please tie my laces,? says little Niketa to Sister Anntrancesca.

For the eight-year-old special child, Sister Anntrancesca means the world. Niketa is not the only one : Pabitra, Meena, Migma, Shanti, Manisha, Asha, Rebecca and Anjana ? all eight of them ? hailing from different parts of Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kurseong and other areas of the Hills, have found their mother in the Sister.

All of them are the boarders of Flame of Hope, a home for needy and mentally-challenged children, situated on St Mary?s Hill, around 5 km from here. The children had been abandoned at birth either because of their disability or their parents were too poor to take care of them. Sister Anntrancesca and Usha Josh came to the subdivision from Poland last year and founded Flame of Hope, to take care of the children, to provide a shelter to them, hoping to offer all the comforts a child, especially a challenged one, needs.

?We came to the town last year. Seeing the wretched condition the children were in, we decided to start a home where they can learn at least the basic things in life. Residents of the area have always been very helpful and often bring in gifts for the kids,? said Sister Anntrancesca. ?Besides, Father Abraham, who has been serving the poor people of the subdivision since 1969, also helped us build the home.?

?Bishop Stephen Lepcha of Darjeeling arranged for the land. While visiting the villages of Sikkim and this part of the Hills, we found a few children ? needy and challenged ? who were growing up in utter neglect. So we decided to provide a home for them,? said Josh. ?We have nine children with us and we are ready to welcome a few more.?

Though treatment for the mentally-challenged is very expensive and arduous, the home has got two of its children, Meena and Pabitra, operated on to help them overcome some of their physical disabilities. The operation, conducted at the subdivisional hospital last year, was like a miracle for the girls from Sikkim and Bagoda near here. ?They are quite okay now and have even started going to school,? Sister said.

Both Pabitra and Meena are studying at Williams Memorial School at Saint Mary?s Hill.