Media Release

Mangaluru, Mar 11: Snehasadan, St Camillus Care Home, collaborated with Bethany Educational Institutions to organize the distribution of essential food supplies, linen, and required items for schooling and education on March 10 in Snehasadan campus, Kinnikambla.

The distribution of essential supplies that focused on more than 750 families around parts of Kinnikambla, Gurpur and Kaikkamba is a remarkable gesture that showed solidarity with the local residents. The beneficiaries in this scheme are people who are among the least fortunate and most vulnerable to the pandemic and they have been identified on the basis of their financial predicament due to Covid-19. This project is part of the Covid-19 relief work of Sneha Charitable Trust (SCT) managed by the order of St Camillus, a catholic religious order and an international faith-based organization based in Bengaluru, which is exclusively involved in the healthcare field for the past 450 years. The project has been funded by the generous contribution from Buddhist TZU CHI Foundation founded in Taiwan.

The distribution programme was honoured by the esteemed presence of distinguished dignitaries. Keynote address by J R Lobo, former MLA of Mangaluru south spoke about the need to help each other during Covid and he appreciated the merciful works of the Camillian fathers. Fr Baby Ellickal, the provincial of the Camillians in India and the president of the SCT was honoured for his outstanding and devoted service for the covid relief activities. He had spent tremendous energy organizing and implementing this project. Sr Cicilia Mendonca BS, provincial of Bethany Sisters-Mangaluru was honoured for her enthusiasm and commitment in channelizing the various components of this project through Rosa Mystica Educational Institutions. Presidential address was given by Bishop of Belthangady diocese Lawrence Mukkuzhy. He highlighted the importance of helping each other during the pandemic to dispel the darkness of Covid 19. Felicitations and messages were given by Rajashekharrananda, Vajradehi Mata, Fr Antony Lobo, parish priest of Pompei Church, Kaikkamba. Sr Juliana, the manager of the Rosa Mystica Educational Institutions and Sr Jancy, director of Jeevadaan were present on the dais and were honoured with mementoes.

Sneha Charitable Trust (SCT) was founded in 2003 with the aim of coordinating social and community health care services to the poor, sick and the most neglected section of our society in India. It has a radical and distinctively global healthcare action – care and support to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA), children living with HIV (CLHIV) destitute, mentally and physically challenged children, Camillian Task Force for disaster response and relief, vocational rehabilitation, training and job placement. The Trust has also been holding hands with national programmes and international programmes of care implemented through various government and non-governmental agencies.

The pandemic created opportunities for SCT to respond within its unique operational strengths. As is the case in all emergencies, the task of finding resources and funding them posed a phenomenal challenge and staggered the project in its initial phase. As the Buddhist TZU CHI Foundation joined hands with SCT, the project slowly took shape. Tzu Chi’s foundation primarily focuses on giving material aid to the needy and inspiring love and humanity to both givers and receivers.

The Covid 19 relief project started in March and has been functioning in various phases till today and it has directed its focus on the delivery of food kits, the supply of medicine, PPE kits, sanitisers, masks and gloves. Similarly, the project carried out educational support and agricultural and farming assistance to the needy besides renovating few houses of the most vulnerable. Online psychological counselling support and online medical consultation organized by the SCT provided comfort for many. Another major involvement of SCT in the context of the Covid 19 pandemic was dead body management and its training with the collaboration of the government and various NGOs across India.

Snehasadan, a subsidiary of SCT organised the Covid 19 relief work in Dakshina Kannada and north Kerala. Few like-minded organizations, SAMPADA Udupi, Chikkamagaluru multipurpose social Service society (CMSS) Chikkamagaluru diocese, The Dakshina Kannada Rural Development Society Beltangady, Social Service Society (MSSS) Bhadravathi, Canara Organization for Development and Peace (CODP) Mangaluru, Bellary Diocese Development Society (BDDS), Sevasangama Development Society( SDS), Gulbarga diocese, Bethany Educational Institutions rallied around to offer adequate support and help.

Fr Teji Thomas, director of Snehasadan helms the relief activities with the able support from Fr Jomin Thomas, the administrator. This has been an effective enterprise as it touched the lives of many poor and needy. Snehasadan and Bethany Educational institutions have to be commended for implementing the project fruitfully.

All over India SCT has undertaken Covid relief work in 13 states, 50 districts and 854 villages.

• Distribution of Food material to 445147 households in 99300 families.
• Medical help for 31068 families
• Educational support to 4227 students by providing them financial assistance and mobiles.
• Agricultural support to 5141 families.
• Distribution of household items to 7965 families.
• Renovation of houses for 8080 families.

Services done by Snehasadan are figured below:

• Food provision supply: 26640 households in 6055 families
• Educational assistance: 250 families
• Medical assistance: 1020 families
• Agricultural assistance: 498 families