DON BOSCO ACTION INDIA

NATIONAL WORKSHOP ON RURAL MARKETING

2010-10-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

Anand Raj
MUMBAI, OCTOBER 15, 2010: Don Bosco Action India, the network of the Development Offices, organized a two-day Capacity Building Workshop on 13th and 14th October, at Don Bosco Provincial House, Mumbai. The theme for the workshop was Rural Marketing, and 20 participants from the various development offices attended this workshop. Setting the premise of the workshop, Fr. Savio Silveira, National Convener of DB Action India, welcomed all the participants and spoke about the importance of right attitudes in the field of development work.

The aim of the workshop was to equip the participants with the necessary ideas and tools to introduce the concept of structured marketing and innovative strategies in their respective programmes. Dr. Mala Shrivastava, professor and marketing consultant, (NMIMS University), facilitated the first session; she presented an overview of the concept of Marketing and then explained the existing rural market environment in the country. In the pre-lunch session, she enlightened the participants on the concept of consumer behaviour and the factors affecting it. The session focussed on several important areas such as Targeting, Segmentation, Positioning, and Approaches to Rural Segmentation.

Mr. Niranjan Amte, marketing head and consultant with Future Group, facilitated the post-lunch session on Rural Market Research and Distribution Strategy. This session involved many discussions and exchanges of ideas. During his presentation, Mr. Amte shared several examples and experiences from the industry. The second day focussed on market linkages, communication strategies, and innovation in rural markets. In this session, Dr. Mala also discussed the major findings of recent researches on rural marketing. The last session looked at the Scope, Opportunities and Challenges in Rural Marketing.

Closing the programme, Fr. Savio Silveira thanked all the participants for their active participation and the DB Action Team for coordinating the workshop successfully. The workshop concluded on an enthusiastic note with the participants expressing their desire to apply these concepts in their programmes.

MOTHER’S DAY MARKED THE LAUNCH OF A YEAR- LONG NUTRITION PROGRAMME

2010-09-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

INC – Kolkota Province
JALPAIGURI, – Mother’s Day celebrations this year marked the launch of a year-long Mother’s and Child Nutrition programme in the Saraswatipur village in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, Sunday 29th August 2010. The benefactors of Don Bosco Development Office Kolkata (DBDOC) sponsored the programme. “Healthy Mothers are the secret of healthy children,” was the message of the Director of DBDOC Fr Joseph Manianchira at the launch of the programme for malnourished babies and their Mothers.

The President of the Mahila Samaj of Don Bosco Siliguri Parish Mrs. Dominica Kerketta who was chief guest at the function enlightened the Mother’s and others about the need for “giving a balanced diet to the babies in order to enable them to develop their minds and bodies in a healthy manner.”
Fifty-eight babies and their Mother’s were the beneficiaries of the programme initiated after a health checkup in the village. Sr. Clementina, from the Grihini School Binaguri, spoke about the central role that a Mother’s plays in the family and society. Mr. Seraphinus, who was with the founder father of Don Bosco Siliguri from its beginnings, launched the programme by giving away the first packet of nutritional items consisting of dry fruits, suji, sathu, buiscuits, soabin, magi, gur, serilac and much more to the Mothers and babies in the programme.

The entire village came together to pay homage to the Mother’s on the Feast of St. Monica (Mother’s of St Augustine), the patron of Mother’s. The day’s programme began with the entire women folk dressed in traditional attire leading the procession to the altar for the Holy Mass presided by Prof. (Fr.) Mathew George of the Salesian College. The celebrant exhorted the Mother’s “to continue to play the key role in building up a strong family”. He emphasized that the Mother influences the child more than anybody else. If the next generation needs to imbibe human values of honest living it must be imparted by the Mother’s.”
He reminded everyone present “the tears and prayers of Mother’s will never go in vain as they have great value in the sight of God.” The Mass was followed by a cultural programme staged by the children, young men and women of the village.

NETWORKING WITH GOVERNMENT AND ALLIED SYSTEMS

2010-08-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

Don Bosco Action India organized its third Capacity Building Training Programme for staff on the 13th & 14th of August, in New Delhi. The theme for the two-day workshop was Networking with Government and other allied Systems. There were twenty-five participants from development offices all over India. Fr. Jose Mathew the Provincial Economer and Fr. Paul, Rector of the Provincial House, warmly welcomed the participants on behalf of DB Action India and Provincial House, Delhi. During his inaugural address, Fr. Paul expressed great joy in hosting the workshop and highlighted the importance for training in Networking with Government and other allied systems for the progress of the DBAI network and other development offices.

The first session was facilitated by Mr. Khush Sapreu, Programme Manager – NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, he gave us an outlook about the schemes and programmes under NABARD for Farmers and Self Help Groups. He emphasized on the Financial Inclusion (FI) programmes, and said that NABARD is ready to fund innovative project under this programme. The second session focussed on Networking with Govt. Agencies, Mr. Shaji Mathew a Consultant with Chethnalaya, an organization based in New Delhi, enlightened us on several programmes and schemes under the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare. He emphasized on the scheme: Rashtra Mahila Kosh (RMK), which supports Women SHG’s and other disadvantaged women. He spoke about their experiences with govt agencies and pointed out that we should be persevering and patient when we work with the government bodies.
Mr. Georgy – Regional Head, Help-Age India, facilitated the third session on Rights based approach in Networking with Govt. Agencies. He shared the experiences of Helpage India and insisted that apart from the govt. there are several other agencies and systems for tapping resources. The second day focussed on Resource Mobilization, Fr. Thamburaj – Director, CAUVERI – Trichy, broadened our horizons for tapping resources. In his session, he elucidated the importance of networking and registering with online portals of Govt. agencies and other allied systems. He systematically explained the methodology of registering and its uses, he explained about the NGO Partnership system, National Informatics Center, PADOR – European Union and the US and allied systems. The sessions involved a lot questions, exchange of ideas, debates and presentations.
In the last session, Fr. Savio Silveira evaluated the progress of the network, he reiterated the objectives for this year and emphasized on networking and visibility of Don Bosco Action India within the province and with other stakeholders. The programme concluded with the vote of thanks proposed by Fr. Savio, for the hospitality and generous support rendered by Fr. Jose Mathew and the BOSCO Team. He also thanked all the participants for their interest and eagerness to learn.

SECURING RIGHT TO FOOD

2010-08-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI, AUGUST 24, 2010: Many of the residents of Garib Niwas Nagar had reason to celebrate on Saturday, August 21, 2010 as their long cherished dream of owning a Ration Card, became a reality. Being pavement dwellers, with no proof of residence, securing a ration card was no simple task. After almost six months of struggle, the Development Office was able to secure this facility for forty one families. These cards were distributed to the respective families at a simple function, held at Provincial House, Matunga.
The Chief Guest for the function was Fr Ajoy Fernandes, Vice Provincial, and the Guest of Honour was Mr Gajbhiye, Ration Inspector. Addressing the gathering, Fr Ajoy Fernandes complimented the Development Office for securing the ration cards for these disadvantaged and needy people. He further pointed out that this card would not only enable the people to access grain and other commodities through the public distribution system, but it would also serve as a proof of identity for them. Speaking next, Mr Gajbhiye explained that most government offices were understaffed and the officials were overburdened with responsibilities, hence they were often unable to reach out to those who needed public services the most. He said it was good that NGOs like Don Bosco had come forward to assist underprivileged communities to benefit from urban public services. He expressed his confidence that this partnership between government agencies and non governmental organizations would help poor urban communities to draw substantial benefit from government services and schemes.

Garib Niwas Nagar is a community of pavement dwellers in the vicinity of Don Bosco, Matunga, made up of about 300 households. While some of these pavement dwellers are daily wage labourers, most of the others earn a living by collecting and selling garbage. The Development Office has been working in Garib Niwas Nagar since the past one year. Enabling the people here to secure their right to food is the first project that has been taken with this community.

PROMOTING RIGHT TO EDUCATION

2010-08-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

CHHOTA UDEPUR, JULY 28, 2010: While enacting the Right to Education law may have been relatively easy for the Indian Government, ensuring that every Indian Child, and especially children in remote villages, can actually benefit from this law is going to be a mammoth task. It is an interesting coincidence that as the RTE comes into force, the ‘Governance Project’ being implemented by several Don Bosco centres in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh enters into Year two, and the thrust for this year is enabling people to secure the proper implementation of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in their villages.

Against this backdrop, Lok Seva Kendra, Chhota Udepur organized a training workshop on Wednesday, July 28, which was attended by ninety-four Village and SHG Leaders from twenty villages. The programme began with Fr. Ranald Lopes explaining the role that LSK planned to play to secure the proper implementation of the RTE and SSA in the Chhota Udepur villages. Mr. Prakash Ahire then introduced the resource persons for the occasion, Ms. Gangaben Rathwa (Taluka Kelwani Nirikhsak) and Mr. Makarani (SSA Resource Centre Coordinator).
Ms. Gangaben Rathwa enlightened the participants on various issues such as the importance of the birth certificate, the government’s educational system, administrative procedures, schemes available for women and children, etc. She also stressed the role and responsibility of the parents in ensuring the education of their children.

Mr. Makarani then made a detailed presentation on the RTE and SSA. He further pointed out that while these may be excellent laws and schemes, their proper implementation will not happen unless they are monitored by the local people. Hence, the SSA had put in place a body called the Village Education Committee (VEC) that is responsible for education at the village level. The RTE Act has now made it compulsory that every school should have a School Management Committee (SMC) that is responsible for the monitoring and development of the local school. Seventy five percent members of the SMC should be parents or guardians of the children, while the other twenty five percent is to be made up of teachers and local authority members. VEC is expected to play a critical role in furthering education in the villages.

EMBARKING ON A NEW JOURNEY WITH SHG ANIMATORS

2010-07-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

Veronica Makhal – INC Kolkata
Don Bosco Development Society Calcutta (DB/DOC) is venturing into the field of Self Help Groups. It aims to strengthen the poor and weak through these groups. DB/DOC organized a Five-day Residential SHG Animators’ Training in Don Bosco Nitika, Kolkata from 23rd June to 27th June, 2010. Nineteen active participants from six parishes, namely Monsada, Joypur, Barapahari, Kalyani, Liluah and Diamond Harbour plunged themselves into the learning process. Eighty percent of the participants were dynamic women and leaders in their own way.

The Inauguration Ceremony of DB/DOC’s novel endeavor was blessed and addressed by the Assistant Director of DB/DOC, Fr. T. V. Jacob and the Executive Director of DB/DOC, Fr. Remesh Cherian. The participants enthusiastically took part in the Ceremony by singing, praying and lighting the lamp. They passed the candle light to their neighbors, symbolizing the unity of the group towards a new beginning.

The Resource team for the Training was from an organization called Seva Kendra Calcutta, Kolkata, having five yearsog experience in the formation and sustenance of Self Help Groups. The Resource Team gave individual attention to the future animators in attaining knowledge. The animators learnt the importance of SHG, local resources available through Village Mapping, accounting and recording and many more important facets of SHG’s..

The animators are now equipped with knowledge and are daring to go to their respective areas to create linkages and forming Groups. The districts that will be covered are Nadia District, Birbhum District, 24 Parganas (North), Howrah District and 24 Parganas (South). DB/DOC has planned to train some more animators in July 2010. The next Five-day Residential SHG Animators’ Training will be held in Oodlabari, Jalpaiguri District.

MORCHA IN FRONT OF THE COLLECTORS OFFICE

2010-06-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

KAPADVANJ, JUNE 17, 2010: Taking a Right based Approach; Kapadvanj Don Bosco takes a lead in getting people organized for the morcha with regard to delay in payment

On June 14, 2010 Fr. Mayank, Fr. Isaac, Bro. Royston and the staff of DRISTI along with thirty people from different villages set outside the collector’s office and carried out a symbolic fast from 11 am to 5 pm.

A month long preparation has gone into making this morcha a success. Since the NREGA work has started, people have been complaining of either no payment, delay payments or less payment. In Kapadvanj Taluka there has not been even a single work place where the payment has been done in fifteen days which the scheme itself notifies. In order to tackle these problems the staff of DRISTI along with the people worked hard but the result was only that those who were coming forward to ask for payments, were the only beneficiaries of the movement. Thus, the staff of DRISTI decided to collect data from the whole taluka and make a thorough study of the situation. They managed to collect thirty nine musters of ten villages in which they realized that there were no payments or delayed payments.

Fr. Mayank Parmar, Sailesh Parmar and village representatives personally met the collector and presented a file which contained the data and the memorandum which had four main agendas which are as follows:

To make sure that payment should be done in 15 days.

To give compensation for the delayed payments,

To increase the pay scale.

To involve more local panchayat so that people can benefit more from the scheme.

The Kheda District Collector was very polite in dealing with the situation. He went through the file immediately and asked for clarifications. He assured that he would forward the file to the DRDA and NREGA cell.

Student Volunteers At Alirajpur

2010-06-07T03:36:00.000-07:00

Lyra Pinto - INB

For the staff of Alirajpur Shaikshanik Samajik Kendra (ASSK) and the people in their work villages, the month of May was a rare opportunity to interact with a small group of volunteers from colleges in Mumbai.

From 12^th to 25^th May, the young volunteers were involved in carrying out a survey for an agricultural project currently underway at ASSK. But aside from their assigned tasks, the highlight of the volunteers’ stay was the opportunity to discover the ‘real’ India and experience a way of life completely alien to their urban background. From eating simple village food, participating in celebrations, and even living with the tribal people of Alirajpur, the volunteers came away with a better understanding of rural life and the issues faced by tribal communities.

For the people in the project villages, this visit gave them a glimpse of the lifestyle and mindset of urban youth, and helped them understand the way larger society perceives their tribal community. The volunteers, on the other hand, have now decided to involve other students from their colleges in such visits, and are also planning to use their skills to help in the implementation of other projects. Most important, this brief encounter enabled youth from two contrasting ‘faces’ of India to meet, relate and forge strong ties with each other.

Interest Distribution on Savings in the General Body Meeting

2010-06-05T03:31:00.000-07:00

Mr. Chandrashekhar - INH

VIJAYAWADA, 11 May, 2010: Bosco Seva Kendra organized the third Annual General Body meeting for MAC’s (Mutually aided Cooperative Societies) on 11^th May 2010. Swasakthi Mahila Mandali, Pezzonipet, Vijayawada is one of the most Progressive MAC’s in Bosco Seva Kendra. The programme was presided by the President of MAC’s, in his address, he announced the progress of MAC’s, and congratulated the existing members for all their perseverance and hard work. He was happy to announce, that the Board of Directors had decided to distribute the interest on savings for groups who have completed five years. As per the resolution an amount of Rs: 1,80,000 was distributed as interest on savings to the respective groups. The programme concluded with the preparation of the Business development plan for next financial year 2010 to 2011.

A NEW LOOK AT EDUCATION

2010-05-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

KAWANT, MAY 18, 2010: For a long time, we have been wondering why Kawant taluka has remained underdeveloped despite Don Bosco being present in this area for more than 25 years. We have now realized that there are two main factors that need to be addressed to bring about development:

1. A change of leadership
2. Practical exposure in education
A change of leadership is possible only if youngsters are trained to become sarpanchs, talatis, mamlatdars or work for government organizations that will transform the villages.

Second, education must include practical exposure. Students in schools and colleges shouldbe taken to the villages to understand why development is not taking place and how they can help solve this problem. Perhaps there are government schemes that should be made to work; maybe they can educate their parents on these matters. Exposing children to the realities of village life will make their education more relevant.
To achieve this aim, Kawant Education Society organized a training-cum-exposure programme to enable children to understand and solve the issues in their own villages. On May 6, 2010, the standard Ten students of Don Bosco, Kawant attended a one-day workshop on the provisions of the NREGA. The next day, May 7, 2010, they returned to their villages to document the progress of the NREGA works, explain the Act to their parents and other workers, and interact with village functionaries regarding the implementation of the NREGA.
The students identified the problems related to the NREGA and also checked documents such as the job cards of workers. They learned that some government functionaries can be helpful while many others resent anyone checking or questioning their work. The entire exercise was also an opportunity for parents to learn something from their children and to understand the benefits of practical education.
Kawant Education Society firmly believes that students should be exposed to all the issues in rural areas, so that they can help their own people in their villages. Many schemes do not work because of lack of awareness and information. Creating awareness is the first step towards change in the rural areas. Let’s HOPE and begin the change from the bottom.

REVIVING ADIVASI CULTURE AT DON BOSCO KAWANT

2010-05-07T04:37:00.000-07:00

Kawant was once upon a time known for its cultural heritage and beauty, but as time passes, one can see the changes that are taking place in their life style and culture. The sight at Holi (Gher) was an eye opener. People from all walks of life would come on Gher day, to see the beautiful adivasi cultural dances in the town. But this year, the sight was disappointing. Only two or three groups were seen in the town giving their best shots. The community of Don Bosco, Kawant decided to revive the adivasi culture by inviting the different dancing groups of Kawant taluka on April 14, 2010, a day marked for Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti and also celebrated as Women’s Day in Kawant.

The day began with games organized by the scouts of Don Bosco followed by the cultural dances by four different dance groups from Umti, Nakhal, Raisingpura and Vazepur villages. Each group was given 20 minutes to perform on the stage and the winner was the group from Raisingpura. The dances were characterized by interesting innovations that the groups wove into their traditional themes and steps. The presence of musicians playing instruments typical of the area also added colour to the festivities.

The Rathwa women’s group from Kawant performed a skit on the role and importance of Gram Sabha in the villages. Many women realised that the key to the development in the village is through attendance and raising ones voice in the Gram Sabha. The chief guest Mrs. Kiran Lohani spoke on how to revive the adivasi culture, women being the best to bring this change.

Fr. Byron, the special guest for this occasion, also spoke on the importance of Adivasi culture. He said that one should not feel shy or feel small in acknowledging one's culture. Adivasi culture is rich and well recognized all over the world, and all cultures are equally worthy of respect. A turnout of 392 people was seen for the day. Special prizes were given to all the groups by the chief guest.

DB Action organizes workshop on Monitoring and Evaluation

2010-04-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

DB Action India organized a two-day training programme on Monitoring and evaluation in Don Bosco Provincial House, Kolkata. The workshop was facilitated by Ms. Anjali Yadav from a renowned capacity building and training organization called ASK (Association for Stimulating Know how) in New Delhi.

Fr. John Puthiyedathuchalil the Provincial Economer of Kolkota and Fr Remesh Cherian, the Director of Development office (DBDOC), warmly welcomed the resource person and the participants on behalf of DB Action India and Provincial House, Kolkota. During his inaugural address, Fr John expressed his great joy in hosting the workshop and emphasized the need for training in project monitoring and evaluation for the benefit of the organization and its progress.

The aim of the workshop was to equip the participants with the necessary ideas and tools to effectively conduct monitoring and evaluation of the development projects in their respective provinces. On the first day, the workshop focussed on the concepts of Monitoring, Process of monitoring and concepts of Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation. The sessions involved exchange of ideas through group discussions, debates and presentations. The second day with the importance of Internal and External Monitoring, Monitoring of Quantitative and Qualitative results and tools for analysis and data compilation.

One of the important outcomes was that, the participants were encouraged to design tools for monitoring some of for their own programmes, so that they could incorporate them into their projects. The feedback at the end of the workshop was extremely positive. The participants felt that they had learnt something new and relevant, and that they would be able to use the same in their work. The programme concluded with the vote of thanks proposed by Mr. Francis from Chennai.

WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATION AT DHARAVI

2010-03-16T07:13:00.001-07:00

Surekha Pednekar

MUMBAI, MARCH 15, 2010: It was an afternoon packed with great energy and good cheer as Women’s Day was celebrated in Dharavi on Saturday, March 13, 2010. This event, organized by Don Bosco Development Society (DBDS), witnessed the turnout of over 1200 women from different slum communities in Mumbai. Besides the women from the Self Help Groups promoted by DBDS in Dharavi, there were women from Matunga, Mahim, Wadala, Sewri, Kurla, Santacruz, Andheri and Jogeswhari.

The programme got underway with a prayer song and dance, after which the lamp was lit by the dignitaries on the stage. These guests of honour included Ms. Jamila Begum from Yuva; Ms. Varsha Parchure from Apnalaya; Mr. Robin Thomas from Tata Trent; Mr. Savrimuthu, General Manager of Indian Bank; Fr. Edwin D’Souza, Rector of Provincial House; and Fr. Elson Barretto, Director of DBDS. Other senior officials from the Mumbai Municipal Corporation were also present on the dais.

The afternoon saw a good mix of speeches by the dignitaries and cultural items by the women. While Ms. Jamila Begum and Ms. Varsha Parchure spoke on the theme of water, Mr. Robin Thomas focused on the issue of plastic bags and the environmental problems they caused. Mr. Savrimuthu enlightened the audience on the micro-credit schemes being promoted by the Indian Bank and also distributed loan cheques to 18 different SHGs amounting to a total of Rupees Forty Five lacs, to be used for launching small business enterprises. Fr. Elson Barretto described the various initiatives undertaken by DBDS in the city, especially the women’s development programmes. The highlight of the evening was a Fashion Show Contest in which 25 women participated. These contestants, decked up as ‘new brides’, walked the ramp to the enthusiastic applause of the audience. The programme concluded with the distribution of certificates to 175 women who had successfully completed a variety of skills training courses organized by DBDS in different slum areas in the city during the past few months.

ONE DAY SEMINAR ON TEA CARING ORGANIZED

2010-03-16T07:10:00.000-07:00

Sunny Joseph sdb - IND

Over 100 tea garden workers from Rajali, Bokial, Nahorsala No.1, Sunderpur 1 villages under Golaghat district of Assam came together at Rajali village to attend the one-day seminar on tea caring. AIDA organized the seminar for the new beneficiaries of the ‘Family Tea Garden’ project, which is being implemented in the district. The participants, traditionally from tea garden background, found the seminar very useful and informative.

Speaking on the occasion Fr. Augustine the assistant parish priest asked the participants to make the optimum use of the opportunity provided to them through the introduction of ‘family tea garden’. Brother Sunny, the Assistant Director AIDA during the interaction with the participants exhorted the members to take the activity with all enthusiasm and produce first-rate tea in the area. “He challenged the participants saying, “The production of world class tea itself will attract the customers without any other means of advertisement”. “The expertise within you is an added advantage to you”, he reminded them. “The common interest that has brought all of you together here is tea cultivation and that should be the road leading to the holistic transformation of the society”, Brother Sunny further emphasized.

Mr. Mark, the project coordinator took sessions on selection and preparation of land and saplings, maintenance and management of plants and risks involved. The participants were very eager to learn the good practices of tea plantation and caring of tea plants. “Today AIDA has come to give light to our community; for long we have been in darkness. Family Tea Garden is a very suitable project and one day I’m sure we will be able to achieve our targets”, said Mr. Vincent Lakra.

‘Family Tea Garden’ is a project initiated by AIDA among the Adivasi community in Golaghat District of Assam who has land of their own. Under this activity, AIDA helps families with minimum two biogas (.2 hectare) of land to start a family tea garden by supplying tea saplings. The family is expected to put in labour as its contribution.

AIDA has already supplied tea saplings to 246 families covering an area of 470 bigas (64 hectares) of land. The first beneficiaries have started harvesting already.

DB ACTION HOLDS NATIONAL WORKSHOP

2010-01-30T23:38:00.000-08:00

DB Action Holds National Workshop
Anand Raj
Hyderabad, January 30, 2010: Don Bosco Action India, the national network of the Don Bosco Development Offices, held a two day meeting cum training workshop, to discuss strategies for strengthening the network and plan for a national level project. Two staff members from each of the 10 Development Offices attended this meet that was held on January 28-29, at the Provincial House, Hyderabad.

During the inaugural session, Fr. Sudhakar, Executive Director of Bosco Seva Kendra, Hyderabad, welcomed the gathering and pointed out that this was the first time ever that staff members from all the partner organizations that constitute the network had come together for such a programme. Fr. Noel Maddichetty, the Provincial of Hyderabad, addressing the participants, said that our development work should empower marginalized communities to change unjust social structures. He further stressed that we should not focus only on economic development, but rather address all issues faced by underprivileged communities.

Getting down to work, the pre-lunch sessions were conducted by Fr. Savio Silveira, National Convener of DB Action India. In his presentation, he enlightened the gathering on the vision, mission, objectives and structure of the network. He also outlined the national priority area for the next three years, that is, empowering Self Help Groups to access government and other programmes to enhance their livelihoods. Finally, he discussed with the team the Action Plan for 2010, and the roles and responsibilities of all the members in realizing this plan. In the afternoon session, all the Development Offices were given the opportunity to make a short presentation on the programmes being implemented by them. The final session of the day was dedicated to planning the national level project to be taken up in 2011.

The second day was facilitated by Ms. P Madhavi from ACCESS Development Services. The theme for this training workshop was: State of Microfinance Sector in India - Present Status, Future Challenges and Critical Gaps. The sessions focused on several important areas such as Microfinance Models, Microfinance Institutions, Ideological Issues, Financial Products etc. The workshop gave the participants a realistic idea of the present state of the microfinance sector in India, the hype that envelopes it and the fact that barely five percent of poor people in India actually benefit from microfinance services. The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks proposed by Mr. Cecil from Kolkata.

DON BOSCO ACTION INDIA HOLDS ANNUAL MEET

2009-12-02T19:58:00.000-08:00

Jose Sequeira sdb

Panjim, December 2, 2009: Don Bosco Action India, the Network of the Development Offices, held its 13th National Meet on November 28-29, 2009 at Raia, Goa. The meeting was attended by those in-charge of the various Development Offices and the Provincial Economers from the 10 Salesian Provinces of India. Also present for the meeting were representatives from Dmos Comide, Belgium and Jugend Eine Welt, Austria.

The Konkan Provincial, Fr. Loddy Pires, in his inaugural address welcomed the delegates and encouraged them to carry on with greater zeal the work of reaching out to the marginalized, like Don Bosco.

Fr. A. M. Joseph, Coordinator of the Network, then spoke on the ‘Growth and Functioning of the Development Offices’. He outlined the growth of the DOs over the last 13 years, which has also led to the establishment of another network, namely, DB Tech India. He ended his presentation by stating that the DOs need to work more closely with one another so as to make a greater impact on the national scene.

Next, two resource persons, Mr. Harsh Jaitli the CEO of VANI and Ms. Minu Thommen of DB Tech India addressed the gathering. Mr. Harsh Jaitli spoke on ‘Network and Networking’; the need to network, the concept and meaning of networking, its relevance and purpose, linkage building, types of networks, the key principles of networking and the issues and challenges of networks. Ms. Minu Thommen took up the theme of ‘Livelihood Skills and Opportunities for Networking’. She presented case studies on LABS (Dr. Reddy’s Foundation) and DBTI. This was followed by a presentation by Comide on Networking.

The delegates then spent time discussing what should be the focal development programme to be taken up by the Network for the next three years. After a long and lively discussion the following objective was defined: To empower Self Help Groups to access government and other programmes towards enhancing their livelihoods.

In the final session, elections for the National Executive Committee were held. Fr. Savio Silveira, Mumbai was elected as the National Coordinator, while the other members elected to the Executive Committee were Fr. Jose Mathew (New Delhi), Fr. Johnson Parackal (Guwahati), Fr. Vincent Thamburaj (Trichy) and Fr. Sudhakar Bellamkonda (Hyderabad). The next annual meet will take place in November 2010 in Kerala.

IGP & EDP TRAINING PROGRAM FOR SHG MEMBERS

2009-12-02T01:55:00.000-08:00

New Delhi, November 4, 2009: Bosco Team organised a two days training program on Income Generation and Entrepreneurship for 154 members of Self Help Groups of Kokar and Hatia region. The program started with an introduction of the groups and then they were asked to discuss and identify the strengths and the areas where they need to improve. This was followed by a session on identifying the possible income generation activities that the Self Help Groups can start in order to support and sustain their families and fulfil their basic needs. All these were presented and thoroughly discussed among the groups. Candle making, piggery, goat rearing, vermin-compost, mushroom cultivation, petty shop, agriculture, animal husbandry were the main activities the SHG members wanted to kick off in the coming month.

The resource team generated awareness among the participants about the possible risks and the ways to minimise those risks in order to run their activities successfully. The participants were informed about the various schemes/programmes initiated by the government by which the SHG groups can be benefited, such as the schemes run department of women and child development, cooperative department, NAREGA, MSME etc.

The last session was devoted towards facilitating the groups in making concrete action plan for income generation activities. The group members unanimously came forward with their plans of starting income generation activities in the next month.

At the end of the day the training programme facilitated the SHG participants in identifying their strengths and areas of attention in order to strengthen their respective groups. These poor and marginalised women were encouraged to take up the small activities that could help them in earning some amount in order to support and sustain their families and fulfil their basic needs.

CHILDREN’S DAY AT SNEHA BHAVAN

2009-12-02T01:44:00.000-08:00

BANGALORE, NOVEMBER 23, 2009: Sneha Bhavan celebrated Children’s Day for 900 children on November 14, 2009. The project which reaches out to Street children in Kochi, Kerala works towards making a difference in the lives of children every day.

Children’s Day celebration is an annual feature of the project with a view to create awareness among the public on child related issues and to give a day of fun, games and celebration to the less advantaged children of the locality. The Children’s Day was celebrated this year with the theme `Kuttikkaalam Oru Akhosham`(Childhood - a Celebration). The celebration this year consisted of two events; the first part consisted of a two week long awareness campaign involving children of 20 different schools and the second part consisted of the Children’s Day Celebration on the 14th. In the first part, there was an essay competition among children of 20 schools on child related issues and a drawing competition on the theme ``My Playmates``. The competition gave ample opportunity for the children to develop their drawing and writing skills and to create awareness among the children on challenges facing them in the present day society. The winners of the school level competition were given opportunity to take part in the Children’s Day celebration on the 14th of November at Sneha Bhavan. The inter school final was held on Children’s Day and all the participants were awarded prizes.

About 900 children from the neighbouring colonies, children of the project and representatives from 20 schools participated in the colourful Children’s Day celebration held on November 14, 2009. It was a day of fun, games and enjoyment, culminating in prize distribution for all the participants. Morning consisted of opportunity for all children to take part in different chance games to their hearts content. The inaugural ceremony at 10.30 am was adorned by presence of the district collector, who exhorted the children to enjoy their childhood. The presence of a Malayalam Film director and cine artists added colour to the celebration and made the children happy. The inter-school final of the drawing and essay competition took place and all the drawings were exhibited for children to see. The children had opportunity to bring out their talents in dance and performing arts. The day ended with all the participants carrying away prizes, their small hearts filled with lot of happiness.