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Unnoticed and Unsung: Christian Social Infrastructure in Goa
By Frederick Noronha
PANJIM, 23 July 2000: Christian institutions are currently being pilloried for indulging in 'conversions', but the work put in by this tiny Indian religious grouping to prop up the social infrastructure is hardly being noticed, including in Goa.
From technical education to homes for the aged, from hospitals to orphanages and a string of much-appreciated educational institutions are being run across Goa, as a recently-published private telephone directory of Church institutions suggests.
"Our institutions are doing a good job. That's the mission of the Church to show our concern for the social welfare of the people. We want to cater to people regardless of creed, caste or religion," Goa Church spokesperson Fr Carmo Martins told this correspondent.
This directory -- brought out in a pocketbook shape and covering some 44 pages -- gives an idea of the range of institutions serving silently across the state in a number of fields. Thus literally helping people in Goa rise socially and economically by lifting themselves by their own bootstraps, as it were.
Significantly, church-run institutions are also making their presence felt in remote outlying areas like Valpoi, where the population of the minority community is very low and their efforts ensure that persons of other religions too can access their educational facilities.
Some of the options offered are geared to technical training.
Loutolim village in Goa's coastal Salcete taluka has one of the Don Bosco Technical Institutes. One upcoming centre for technical education is the Montfort Vocational Training Centre.
This upcoming centre is run by the St. Gabriel Brothers, headquartered in Hyderabad, who have been earning some praise for the work already put to build the St Joseph's Boys' Home and School at Calangute.
Brother Chandy, director of the Corlim centre, told this correspondent: "We have started operations in a small way. By the end of the year, we hope to launch our centre formally, if all goes well. We anticipate having 300 boys and girls (going in for technical training) once we are at our optimum."
This facility is for both SSC-pass students and school dropouts. Its aim is to enable youth to "stand on their own feet".
Fr Michael D'Costa, director of the Loutolim Don Bosco centre said it has been operating for the past six years, and offers training in three trades -- wood working, metal fabrication and electricals.
"We can take in 45 students, including drop-outs. We have 26 students at present. We are still working to build an ideal infrastructure. But the mentality of a drop-out leads students to come slowly for admissions. Some students are still trickling in. We welcome students sent to us," Fr D'Costa said.
In Sanvordem, the SFX religious order offers professional education in the form of the Guardian Angel Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology.
Goa's first self-financed, moderately-priced private engineering college is run by priests at Verna. Today, politicians cutting across party or religious lines have also sent their children for engineering education at this centre.
South Goa's headquarter town Margao also is home to institutions like the Don Bosco Technical Institute at Fatorda, the Lar de Santa Clara, the Hospicio Sisters, and Carmel Seva Mandir.
On the health front too, the Church-run infrastructure is slowly making its impact felt, even if facilities here are on a much lower key than in cities in Bangalore or Vellore.
Remanso Hospital in Mapusa is run by the SCC religious order, while in Porvorim another centre offering reasonably-priced medical services is the JMJ (Jesus Mary Joseph) Hospital, which has been gaining popularity due to its dedicated services and trustworthy team of healthcare professionals.
In addition the village of Loutolim is also home to the Shanti Avedna Ashram -- a center where terminally ill cancer patients are given humane care in the last weeks of life.
Dona Paula Clinic is run by the CSST religious order in distant Loliem, just near the southernmost tip of Goa. In Candolim, the SCCG religious order runs the Bosio Hospital. The Asilo Dr Rafael Pereira is run by the HC religious order in Benaulim.
In Verna, the SJC religious order runs the Dr Roque Ferreira Hospital, and also the St. Anthony's Home. Velim has the Auxilium Centre, while Church-run educational institution in the port town of Vasco da Gama are also attempting to reach out to the underpriviledged and poor.
Nuns braving it out in the Baina red-light area are working for the rehabilitation of the children of sex-workers. They work through the centre known as the Asha Sadan.
In many villages of Goa, the church-run institutions are looked up to for providing quality education at low-costs. But the shift made under official duress away from English at the primary level has deprived a considerable section of parents -- including the poor, who had made their preferences clear -- of the right to choose in a migration-oriented society like Goa.
Ucassiam in Bardez has the St. Joseph's Eventide Home, while Taleigao has the Don Bosco centre working in the remote and neglected area of Odxel. Church-run institutions in places like Caranzalem also take care of 'special' or mentally challenged children.
In Siolim, the SCC religious order runs the Corso Farm, which takes care of the education and training of girls from broken families. Saligao, and some other villages, have homes for the aged run by Christian religious groups.
In Porvorim, Catholic religious, primarily the Jesuits, are involved in researching history and the Konkani language, through the Xavier Centre of Historical Research and the Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr, respectively.
Seemingly ever-active, particularly in the field of technical education, the Pilar Fathers have their industrial training institute, printing press ('Xaverian Pustokxall') and schools and higher secondary all located at Pilar.
From state-capital Panjim itself, religious institutions run Caritas-Goa, the charitable organisation of the Church. In addition, also located here is the Lar de Estudantes (hostel for young men), the Nirmala Institute's 'Prabodhan Kendra' centre for counselling, the Missionaries of Charity, and Lar Maria Goretti (hostel for women).
The Apostolic Carmel order of nuns, working through the Carmel College and Higher Secondary, has been providing higher education from women through its impressive complex at Nuvem.
Other centres in the state include homes for children from broken homes, or orphans. Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity are active in centres like Quepem and the village of Carambolim, where deep disparity has been noticed among villagers.
In the interior Goan village of Sulcorna, the Salesians of Don Bosco have their Agro-Ed Centre. In Sanguem taluka, the SFX religious order runs the St. Francis Orphanage.
Caritas offers its low-cost accomodation facilities to tourists visiting this state through its holiday home at Sant Inez, Panaji, and this centre's meeting hall is also the venue for many meetings working towards positive social change.
Besides, Caritas has its physiotherapy centre in this Panjim suburb too. Girls needing some form of vocational education have the option of St Bridget Institute at Aldona.
Church spokesperson Fr Carmo Martins said volunteers, retired persons or returned expatriates willing to support such educational and other centres were welcome. "If they contact us, we will never reject their services," he added. (ENDS)
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