Sr Benedicta Irene D’Mello - Champion Social Worker and Dedicated Nun
by Rons Bantwal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Oct 1: Neither age nor sex is ever a barrier or criterion for achievements. People who have commitment and will-power to achieve are always victors. This is what could be said when one speaks of Sr Benedicta Irene D'Mello, a nun by vocation, an advocate by profession and currently a dedicated, fulltime social worker in Paned village in Pen taluk of Raigadh district which is about 120 miles away from Mumbai.
Sr Irene D'Mello, daughter of the late Ambrose D'Mello and Catherine D'Mello of Kelmbet near Belman in Udupi district in Karnataka, represents the pre-Independence era. She was born a few months before Independence, to be precise, on March 7, 1947. Though she has already completed 60 fruitful years of her life, her enthusiasm, zest for work and commitment can even put 30-year-old person to shame.
She today lives with people who hardly have any touch with the fast-paced present world. These Adivasi people who have not even seen a bicycle in their village so far are her brothers and sisters. She is indeed a brave woman for she is living in the forest area which is covered with mountains from all sides, often flirting with the hazard of becoming a prey to the wild animals. She is true to her commitment and lives with people who hardly know any language that world outside them speaks. They survive on vegetables and fruit that the Mother Nature provides them in abundance in the thick woods of Paned.
This brave woman like anyone else had a very simple beginning. She completed her PUC in Vijaya College in Mulki before completing her shorthand/typing course in Kinnigoli. Later she joined the religious congregation of Salesian Missionaries of Mary Immaculate and obtained BA from Sagar University in Madhya Pradesh and LLB from Nagpur. Before plunging into social work, she worked as a teacher in Nirmala Convent in Mandla of Jabalpur district in Madhya Pradesh and was also the member of Bar Association of Gondya.
Sr Benedicta has the distinct quality of serving the humanity in her life and derives happiness through serving fellow human beings. Her objective has been to serve for the betterment of the society within her capacity. Her devotion to social service is quite stunning and worthy of emulation.
Being a lawyer, she has managed to get title deeds for the tribals by her struggle with government and local representatives, besides playing a vital role in securing ration cards for the people. She has also been successful in educating and making the tribals aware about various government schemes and projects. She is relentlessly serving for the upliftment of the tribals while training their children to lead life like the rest of the society..
She has managed to construct Asha Kiran residential quarters for the poorest of poor tribals who were hitherto living in huts. Great indeed is her deed of rehabilitating 300 children from 10 neighbouring villages with basic amenities.
She is running her mission with her colleagues Sr Kalpitha Lopez from Vasai and Sr Manisha Jadhav from Gujarat who have the common goal of achieving literacy level among the girls in the surrounding villages.
After working thus for 16 years, they have now felt the need of an English medium school to impart quality education to the children of Paned village. There is an available land of 4 acres on which the proposed building will be constructed. The entire work of construction of 9 class-rooms with an office with a total built-up area of 1,131.74 sq m on the ground floor and 8 class rooms and a hall with a total built-up area of 1,131.74 sq m will cost Rs one and half crore in total.
As of now they at least need Rs 40 lac to start the work of laying foundation and to put up 4 class rooms. In this regard Sr Irene has appealed to generous donors to contribute their mite in reaching out to these tribals. Speaking to Daijiworld, she said that she has only Rs 1,35,000 in hand and she entirely trusts in God and generosity of people in realizing her dreams.
Those who would like to contribute towards this noble mission can send their cheques in favour of 'Asha Kiran', S B A/C No 10361, Bank of India, Pen Branch, Raigadh district, Maharashtra.