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It is birthday time for Young Men’s Christian Association

KOCHI: The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), founded in London on July 6, 1844, with 12 members has grown into the largest youth organisation in the world with more than 45 million members spread across 124 countries.

The first YMCA in India was established in Kolkata in 1857 and as YMCA celebrates its 164th birthday there are 600 YMCAs in the country, with about 450 of them in Kerala.

The Ernakulam YMCA was established in 1939 and was housed in a small building on Cannonshed Road, rented for Rs.25 a month. The YMCA office was shifted to Chittoor Road in 1958. The Ernakulam YMCA has a membership of more than 5,000 and is engaged in a wide variety of activities, including physical education. It runs an orphanage, a special school and a women’s hostel.

Besides the two branches — Palarivattom and Ernakulam South, there is an independent YMCA in Fort Kochi.

The Fort Kochi YMCA was established on June 6, 1956, and is today a major centre for physical education for young people. The Fort Kochi unit also runs a hostel, tourist home and a home for destitute children.

Through the years, the YMCAs have carried the light of hope for the youth in the spirit of its founder George Williams, a 23 year old from rural England. The YMCA Foundation Day will be celebrated at Ernakulam YMCA on Friday. The functions will start at 6 p. m., said a press release here.

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