The South Indian Province provides a wide range of Social Services.
[See photo gallery below]
Pratheeksha Social Service Centre
Pratheeksha social service centre was founded in the year 2010 by the Congregation of the Mission, Southern Indian. It is a voluntary, non-governmental and non-profit making organization aiming at providing a matrix for the integral development of children, youth, and women who are victims of illiteracy, exploitation, child labor and unemployment.
Presently the Society is catering its service to the three districts of Karnataka. The Society is registered under the Karnataka Society Registration Act 1960 and it is located at Bannimanta, Mysore, Karnataka, India. Within the short span of three years, we have been able to establish ourselves in the three districts of Karnataka, namely, Chamarajnagar, Mandya and Mysore.
With our out-reach programmes to the most vulnerable and socially neglected section of the society, we have won the admiration and appreciation of the people. Driven by the inspiring words of St. Vincent De Paul, the patron of Pratheeksha, the “Poor are our Masters”, we continue to serve the marginalized and underprivileged with soaring enthusiasm and focused vision. The Society is exempted from income-tax as its services are undoubtedly for the benefit of the poor and needy.
Visit www.prateekshamysore.org for more info
OASIS, Enikepadu
The South Indian Province has organized its social services under OASIS, a registered NGO. The OASIS administrative headquarters is located in a former seminary house in the town of Enikepadu, 12 kilometers southeast of the city of Vijayawada. Father Thomas Kottukappilly, C.M. the first director of OASIS established the society in 2001 and he was at the helm of affairs of the society for two years. Father Sebastian Anthikad the second director of the OASIS took charge on June 15, 2003. The mission of OASIS was to assist impoverished peoples through social, educational, medical, and economic development programs in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharstra, Rajastan and Tamil Nadu States in India.
OASIS has also provided emergency relief and recovery programs for victims of calamities. These included
- helping to rehabilitate the Billia Village in the District of Rajkot the earthquake in Gujarat State in 2001
- providing fishing craft to Kanyakumari Village in Tamil Nadu State to restore work for its residents
- construction of 50 houses for the most vulnerable families in Kanyakumari Village,
- conducting dispensary to take care of the sick in the Kanyakumari Villag
- opening a kindergarten for 125 children
- opening counseling centre for the affected people
- distribution of food materials for the victims
- tailoring centre for the uneducated girls.
OASIS operated a community health care program from its headquarters in Enikepadu. OASIS established the program in January of 2006 mostly in response to growing concerns over the spread of HIV-AIDS in rural areas of Andhra Pradesh State in India. In designing the program OASIS consulted experts, especially the Community Care Center of St. Catald Hospital in Nuzvid, Andhra Pradesh. For 6 months OASIS also visited and surveyed rural villages in proximity to Enikepadu and consulted with their leaders to assess needs and determine the best manner to deliver health services.
OASIS began providing health care services to impoverished residents in June of 2006, initially focusing its efforts on the Village of Velpur. OASIS has used the sacristy of the local parish church in the village as a dispensary and treatment center for the program. OASIS also uses its meeting room in its headquarters in Enikepadu to provide health care and distribute food to ill residents and their families. In January of 2007 OASIS obtained a used ambulance-jeep (manufactured in 1995) to mobilize its services to include residents in 8 villages that range 3-23 kilometers in distance from Enikepadu. OASIS employs a licensed nurse (who is also a religious sister), a health care worker, and a driver, and uses the administrative services of the director of OASIS in operating the community health care program. Most of the program costs, including the purchase of the ambulance, have been covered by the South Indian Province of the Congregation of the Mission and contributions from individual donors.
After consulting important medical providers in the region and conducting an on-site needs assessment, OASIS decided to expand and relocate its community health care program to the Bapulapadu Mandal. While continuing to provide care for its most needy patients (including 25 patients with HIV-AIDS), OASIS launched the new program in the needier villages of the Bapulapadu Manda in 2010.
OASIS also carries out the following programmes:
- Medical mobile clinic
- Dispensary
- Awareness programme
- Supply of monthly provisions to 50 AIDS patients.
- Taking care of the education of the children of the AIDS patients and the poor children of the area.
- Hostel for the female children of AIDS patients and destitute parents.
- Hostel for the male children is under construction and would begin in June 2015.
The entire programme is carried out by the great help from the Vincentian Solidarity Office based in Philadelphia, USA and a donor agency which does not want to publish its name.
Sonthem Social Service Centre
SONTHEM (Social Organization for Non-formal and Technical, Healthcare, Eucation and Mission) is a stricly charitable society that has been established on 11th January 2011 to undertake developmental activities in Tamil Nadu. Rev.Fr.Saju Parappuram CM is the Founder and the First Director of SONTHEM. And this society is formed primarily to enlighten, empower and enhance the quality of life among the poor especially in the most backward and rural areas where people are deprived of their basic needs. Therefore the office of this society is based in one of the remote villages in Trichy District to enable poor-oriented developmental programmes. We have taken up various poor-oriented and developmental programmes in various parts of Tamil Nadu.
Literacy Programme
The literacy situation of the people of various interior villages of Manapparai Taluk (Trichy), is another serious problem. It was noticed that the child’s “Right to Education” has been neglected very badly in these areas. The poor economical condition and the illiteracy of the parents really block the interest of the children to go to school. Drop out children are plenty and they discontinue their studies on account of various reasons such as lack of financial assistance to purchase basic study materials like school uniforms, text books, instrumental box, school bags and also reasons like taking care of the siblings, cattle, cooking at home and helping parents in work in the field to share the financial burden of the family. Therefore SONTHEM undertook various literacy measures:
(a) Evening School for the Poor Students.
(b) Distribution of Study Materials
(c) Financial Help/Scholarship
Tailoring Programme
People in this locality are mostly agricultural labourers and have work only during the rainy season. During the off season, they have no work and the family especially the children and the aged in the family suffers. Therefore, we thought of starting tailoring section to help these women with some employment. On 1st of May 2012 we began with 9 tailoring machines in one of the villages as an experiment to see the response of the people. It captured the attention of the poor women of these areas. Five batches (68 women) have completed their tailoring course over these years and are really finding their livelihood through tailoring. We also provide them with individual tailoring machines so that they can work as a unit or as individuals in their own areas. It is also important that we take initiatives to start such programmes in other rural areas over here.
Rural Computer Education
It is a common fact that rural/poor students do not get ample opportunities to access to modern educational facilities like computer education. Rural students from poor background do not have the chance to study computer with a regular fee in the school. Therefore SONTHEM took initiatives to provide rural computer education to poor students. Accordingly, we established a De Paul Computer Education Centre in one of the villages and now many rural students are benefiting from this coaching centre. In addition to these SONTHEM is also conducting summer Computer Courses for the poor students.
Housing Help
Rows of thatched houses are common in various remote villages in Manapparai, Trichy and during our field study we found that some of the reasons for getting various kinds of illness and sickness in these areas is due to poorly built thatched houses and unhygienic surroundings along with it. Taking into consideration their genuine need and situation, SONTHEM took initiative to repair some of the houses for the poor people.
Social and Health Awareness Programmes
We occasionally organize social awareness programme and seminars on the need of education, need for savings, self help programme like mushroom cultivation, raising chickens, etc. Health awareness programmes on family planning, child rearing, pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Asthma. We conducted blood donations, free eye checkups and blood checkups etc. through the help of nearby hospital authorities on different occasions.
