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June 2010
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Educational assistance at Mar Gregorios Centre
On Saturday 12th June 2010, under the planned educational assistance scheme, the first meeting with students for the current academic year 2010-2011 took place. The purpose was to dispense books, note books, school bags, umbrellas, school fees etc. 150 students from the privileged 'classes 1 to 10' and 33 students of 'classes 11 and above' had been invited to receive the benefits. Almost all the students came. In a few cases where the students could not come, their parents came instead. Some of the members of the Mar Gregorios Centre also participated in the meeting.
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February 2010
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Old and young together
Much has been achieved in NAMS Snehasadan, the children's home in Bangalore that we have supported since the founding of Direct Donation. During our visit in February, we were able to see the old people's home, which had been constructed on the same piece of land as the children’s home. The children are happy with their first new neighbour, an elderly single lady spending her twilight years there. That means that the children now also have a grandma who likes to spend time with them! We warmly welcome this concept to bring age and youth together. Overall, Snehasadan has by now developed so well, that this institution is today able to stand entirely on its own feet. There are meanwhile many private individuals of the Indian middle class, as well as companies that support the home. Our own support, which was so urgently needed at the beginning, can now be phased out and be provided instead for the benefit of other needy people.
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January 2010
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Meeting the “big girls”
It was a great pleasure to meet the girls again at the St. Joseph Girls’ Home in Trivandrum, southern India, who, through the help of our donors, are being trained as nurses, engineers, mathematicians and computer specialists. They all live now in student hostels and had come to visit "their" home to tell us how their studies are progressing. Here is Doris with two of these ten intelligent, ambitious young women (r and l); one of the younger girls is also in the photo.
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December 2009
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Career Guidance Seminar at Mar Gregorios
Prof. Dr. Philipose Joshua, Secretary of the Mar Gregorios Centre, wrote to us: "We, at MGRC, had the opportunity of celebrating Christmas in a befitting manner. A career guidance programme was organised for the beneficiaries of our educational programme. Our educational programme is not restricted to the mentally or physically challenged students alone. We also take normal, healthy students who have an aptitude for studies, but are from very poor financial background. The students who attended were from Std. X and above. The programme was conducted from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday 26th Dec 09. Prof. Dr. Mathews, Mr. K.P. Sreenivasan, Mr. P.C. Thomas Kutty and Prof. Dr. Philipose Joshua handled classes for various groups during the forenoon session. There was a feedback session in the afternoon. We are grateful to the Kailath Family Trust, Bengaluru, and Direct Donation, Switzerland for their financial aid for the educational programme."
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September 2009
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Assistance for young people at Mar Gregorios Center
Twenty-eight young people who will now move up to the 11th class or to their first academic year at college, had been invited to attend an event at Mar Gregorios Rehabilitation Centre in Trivandrum. They were given a variety of assistance with their education (including books), and were informed about the organization and courses of study by the centre’s managerial staff: Prof. Mathews, Prof. Philipose Joshua, Mr.T.P.Sreenivasan und Mrs. Anitha Dan (pictured left with one of the happy young men).
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August 2009
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One-year computer training course
On 17 August, Shoba, Plesy, Sicily, Shalin and Suni from the St. Joseph Girls` home, started their one-year computer training course. Thanks to our donors, we can pay for the girls’ education costs, whereas the girls’ patrons bear the costs of living. In April, they passed their final exams after completing the 12th class. It is not that easy to make the right choice of occupation. There are not enough models for helping the girls to orientate themselves in the rapidly changing Indian society and working world. With a good school-leaving qualification, basic knowledge in using computers and good English skills, there are many job possibilities open to them.
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July 2009
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Training to become Nurses
These are Prabha, Asha, Anitha and Jeena from the St. Joseph Girls` home in Trivandrum; four future nurses who are now beginning their vocational training. For the 3 ½-year "BSc. Nursing” training course, the girls go to college. The training concept combines theory with practical tuition in a hospital. Prabha, who already completed the final examination last year, but was too young for college, has this year already begun her training at Alappuzha Medical College. The other three passed their exams for entering vocational training this spring and the entrance procedure is now in progress.
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June 2009
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Beginning of School in Kattiparambu
Last year, we started to further the children from the fishing village Kattiparambu / Kerala. Since 2008, thanks to our donors, this group of girls has been able to go to school in Kattiparambu or to attend a higher school. In June, the summer holidays finished, and some of the children completed their training. Most of them moved up to the next class and a group of newcomers arrived. As we have learned, the needs are multi-facetted. These include lack of food, especially now at the time of the south-east monsoon, when the day-wage labourers cannot find any work because the sea is so rough that it is just not possible to go out to sea in the small fishing boats.
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May 2009
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Career Orientation Seminar at Mar Gregorios
Our Indian partner organisation Mar Gregorios Centre conducted a career orientation seminar for 41 students of class 10 and above who are being supported within the framework of our educational programme. The participants were divided into five groups, one for commerce, one for humanities and three for science subjects. Sri P.C. Thomas Kutty, Chartered Accountant, Prof. D. Mathew (retired) and five engineers from Infosys led the discussions. The group discussions were immensely useful, as the students were able to gain a lot of information about the courses available for further studies and opportunities for jobs. The programme proved to be unique, for such a career orientation is not normally available anywhere else to these students, as they belong to the lower stratum of society.
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April 2009
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Vocational Guidance Centre
During the winter, after considerable discussions with the young people about their occupation plans, we realized that competent vocational guidance would be very important for both the children and the staff responsible for them. In India, until a short while ago this service was not necessary, because the children always carried on their parents’ occupation. In Bangalore, we encountered the Promise Foundation, promoted by the Swiss Jacobs foundation, which works in the “vocational guidance” field. In Cochin, we met the active, competent Franciscan Sister Mariamma, who is currently setting up a new centre. We plan to work together with Sister Mariamma and the Promise Foundation on a "Vocational Guidance Centre" that is also intended to assist in caring for the children of the children’s homes and schools.
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March 2009
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House blessing at St. Joseph
Sister Priya informed us about the "house blessing" taking place on 1 March at the St. Joseph Girls’ Home. Here is a group photo of the Sisters together with the Archbishop of Trivandrum, who blessed the children's home. Although the religious order "The Daughters of Mary" was not founded until 1938, its membership has now grown to over 1000 Sisters. The Sisters’ social work covers most fields of activity: mother-child groups, health programmes for tuberculosis and leprosy patients, dressmaking schools, old people's homes, hostels for women and students, children's homes, hospitals and a school for nurses. We are thus certain that the running of the St. Joseph Girls’ Home has been transferred from the care of its Swiss founders Christiane and Gérard into good hands.
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February 2009
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The fisher population of Kattiparambu
Over the winter, we intensively concerned ourselves with the situation of the fishermen in Kerala. A year ago, we started supporting a group of children of the fishing community Kattiparambu, inhabited by 800 Christian families, in the Cochin coastal strip region in Kerala. The various problems of the fishery community range from the industrialization of fishery to alcohol abuse, with all its consequences for the community and the children. Two Swiss foundations assist us in making a better future possible for a group of children by educating them. To be in a position better to be able to assess the causes of the problems and help the children to find their right way, we have commissioned a social study, exemplary for this village.
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