Affection and commitment towards
social work is the best activity of life. We the Vincentian
brothers, currently pursuing our philosophical studies in Bangalore,
were privileged to be a part of the Vimukti Pothnal from 3rd to 12th
of April 2018. Belonging to a congregation which inherits its spirit
from St. Vincent De Paul, it was a rejuvenating experience for us to
walk into the life of the people and experience their very state of
life. Our mission exposure programme in Pothnal was animated and
guided by Fr. Satish Fernandes OFM. When we look into the past ten
days, we had a gradual and progressive growth in our outlook towards
social work. We were introduced to a number of activities and
initiatives that aimed at the betterment of children, youth, women
and adults. In our visit to Gangavati, we could witness with our own
eyes the functioning of Child Resource Centers (CRC’s) and Youth
Resource Centers (YRC’s), run by Capuchin Krishik Seva Kendra (CKSK)
in collaboration with Child Fund India (CFI). We could also visit
the families of different students sponsored by CFI and realized the
consolation and support that it was providing to the society. In our
stay in villages, we mingled with the life style of the people. It
also enabled us, to understand their living conditions,
circumstances, challenges and for a while, we felt, as if we too
were a part of their joys and sorrows. We also extended our little
services to them by engaging with their children, visiting and
praying for the families and doing some sort of field work. All the
villagers were courteous and hospitable, and readily welcomed us
into their little homes. In our visit to Raichur, we could closely
work with the Child Line Programme coupled with some practical
experiences in the field. We could also meet the Women Federation
working in Karnataka and join with them in their strike against
liquor. We were also blessed with the opportunity to visit District
Child Protection Unit (DCPU) and had a talk with National Child
Labour Project (NCLP) Director, Manjunath Reddy MSW. In short, our
mission exposure programme opened our eyes towards the various
social issues such as child labour, child marriage, child
trafficking, Devadasi system, illiteracy, poverty, migration and so
on. We were also introduced to a number of schemes offered by the
government for the upliftment of the children, women and the poor.
Our mission exposure in Pothnal, took us into a new horizon of
social work. We realized that social work is all about enabling the
people in the society, to stand on their feet. Social work is not
mere charity but rather empowering the society to achieve its
rights. This can be done by empowering and organizing the people to
attain their needs. We felt that, Vimukti Pothnal stands as a model
by getting into the various realms of the society and enforcing them
to achieve their rights. We feel greatly honoured to be a part of
this initiative undertaken by the Capuchin friars, and we specially
thank Fr. Satish Fernandes OFM, Fr. Arun Lobo OFM, Fr. Elvin Lopes
OFM and their community, Dr. Sadashiv Kadambi, Mr. Sudarshan and all
their team members for their immense support and guidance. We also
thank our dear rector Fr. Rafy Vezhaparambil VC who took a decisive
step to inculcate in us a varied spirit of social service.
