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DEAD WELLS COME ALIVE

CALCUTTA: Those of you who live in the comforts of the city, with running water at hand, may not probably know the importance of having tube wells in your vicinity. But think of those for whom the only source of water are the tube wells. And, what if one has to pass by one, two or even more dead wells when she goes to collect some water!

It is the plight of these poor people that spurred Don Bosco SERI (Self Employment Research Institute) Mirpara, to initiate a project code-named "Dead wells come alive," a scheme aimed at reviving defunct tube wells.

This is one of the many Out Reach Programmes that the institute organises to help the less fortunate of its locality. Dead wells come alive was carried out by a group of Past Pupils with the active assistance of AFPRO (Action For Food Production) an NGO. The team was headed by Bro.T.V. Mathew, Director, DB SERI. Majority of the group consisted of girls as it is they who are most affected by scarcity of water. The team sweated it out for 8 days in different locations of the Bally Municipality and the Panchayat. In all they repaired around 25 Tube wells which were dead for a considerable period of time.

The onlookers who braved the scorching sun and occasional rain, to watch the mechanics at work could not believe the girls could work with rusty pipes and large wrenches. But once the repair work was successfully completed and water began to flow out of the wells, they were convinced that gender bias with really a product of the mind.

The institute plans to make this project into a workable scheme that would provide employment opportunity for a group of students while doing socially useful work. Kudos to the organisers of Dead wells come alive

Reported in The Herald, Calcutta

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DREAM COME TRUE

BHATTANAGAR: It was a dream come true for Ms Hara Oraon, when the keys of the newly constructed house was handed over to her by the authorities of Don Bosco Self Employment Research Institute (DB SERI) in the presence of its Students, Staff and the Municipal Councillors.

The small one room plus kitchen house with RBC roof was constructed by our students. DB SERI, a society for catering to the school dropout boys and girls, has taken up a unique programme for the first time in India, the Certificate of Vocational Education (C.V.E.-12) in Building Construction Technician (BCT), under the Council for Indian School Certificate Examination, New Delhi. The students of this course are required to do a project work at the end of their study.

This year Br.T.V. Mathew the Director of the institute developed a plan for a project work that would also be socially useful. Once the idea was accepted, the housing requirement of the poorest persons of the locality, a poor and physically handicapped woman, was assessed with the help of experts and the local Government representatives.

Plans for the building were drawn up and executed by the Staff and Students of BCT course. The students put on an average of 10 hours of daily labour in the gruelling heat of May and the work was completed in a months time.

Everyone present at the inauguration ceremony was impressed by the newly constructed house. The happiest were the 14 boys and girls who built it with their sweat and hard work. When the turn of the owner Hara Orao came to speak all that she could utter was: "I never thought that I would ever live in such a nice house." Thanks to DB SERI one poor person got a shelter to live in.

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Reported in Diocesan News, Calcutta

"Poor Exam" Builds Masons' Confidence

CALCUTTA: A Salesian educator teaching near Calcutta in eastern India has come up with a novel way to grade students masonry skills that produces lasting effects. He had students build a house for a poor woman.

Brother T.V.Mathew, 58, director of Don Bosco Self-Employment Research Institute in Bhattanagar, said the assignment was part of the masonry exam.

With the current class of 10 boys and four girls, the missioner said he thought of building a permanent structure and contributing socially to the under-developed (local) area.

The Salesian brother shared his idea with Babul Sinha, a local councilor. Sinha told UCA News that he suggested Hara Oraon, a 28 year old tribal woman who had to live with another woman after her husband deserted her.

Brother Mathew told her that the house would cost 40,000 rupees (about US$920) Oraon gave 4,000 rupees and helped by bringing water, sand and bricks and "also by mixing mortar and making tea for us", said Tapashi Pal, a student.

"The masonary students constructed and painted an 18.6 square meter house with one general purpose room and a kitchen in 30 days, working 9-10 hours a day", said Vishwajit Ghosh, 23, another student.

Reported in ASIA FOCUS

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