In many, many ways, Sister Elizabeth personifies the words "in the service of God", bringing together two neighboring communities separated by ethnic distrust.

Sister Elizabeth Edattukaran (born 1938) has worked fearlessly and relentlessly under the most trying circumstances, and at considerable personal risk, to provide healthcare and relief to people affected by conflict and violence in northeast India. She has also been instrumental in setting into motion several conflict resolution initiatives, and in providing livelihood options to women affected by ethnic violence. Her deep faith in god and her humane touch have helped dispel much of the fear and distrust that result from endemic conflicts.

Sister Elizabeth Edattukaran, a nurse by training, works in conflict-ridden northeast India, providing health services and relief to people affected by violence. She played a leadership role in providing basic necessities, healthcare, and trauma counseling to victims who had witnessed the killings of their most loved people. Since 1991, she has been working under very difficult circumstances in the Kokrajhar district of Assam; in 1996, when communal and ethnic violence broke out, she immersed herself completely in providing much-needed medical and emotional support to the broken communities. She has also been instrumental in setting into motion several confidence-building and conflict resolution initiatives. An intercultural peace meeting was organized, with Elizabeth as a key member of the committee. Equally remarkable is her work on enhancing skills and providing livelihood options to women affected by ethnic violence. Sister Elizabeth has worked relentlessly, fearlessly-and silently-under the most trying circumstances, with the deep belief that providing much-needed support with a humane touch will help build the injured psyches of people affected by violence and discrimination. She has largely managed to dispel the fear and distrust that crept up between two ethnic communities, which have otherwise lived in close proximity, sharing the meager resources of the forests. Her selfless dedication to the most dispossessed groups, her courage in venturing out into highly unsafe areas, and her belief that peace can only be achieved through constructive hands-on work at the grassroots level have had a profound influence on everyone who has had the opportunity to interact with her. In many ways, Sister Elizabeth personifies the words "in the service of God".

Salesian Sisters