| SOCIAL APOSTOLATE |
The Franciscan charism is very much rooted in the concerns of the society. St. Francis was very concerned about the poor and oppressed that is why he chose a life of total poverty. Being poor and with the poor is the brand mark of any Franciscan. From the very beginning of our presence in India the friars were aware of this most important aspect of Franciscan life and trained the young candidates on this right path. During the time of formation the candidates are given the right orientation regarding the concerns of the society and they are given practical training in helping the poor and the needy. Social apostolate is not considered as an extra curriculum but an indispensable part of Franciscan Formation. The friars who have finished their formation are directed to different apostolate, but social concern is an apostolates of each and every friar. Besides each friar has to find his own field of helping the poor and needy in the circumstances in which he finds himself.
The Province St. Maximilian Kolbe, India has the following social Apostolates in general. |
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0l. Assisi Housing Project
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 The idea of building houses for the poor originated when the second friary, Kolbe Ashram, was started in Aluva in 1983. Most of the nearby houses were huts and there were only very few concrete houses. From the stretch of our work in Aluva the friars used to help the immediate neighbors for building houses, repairing the existing ones and building toilets etc. There were lot of requests from the families who had no property and houses of their own to have shelters of their own. With this in view, in association with the help of Caritas Anthoniana, we began the Assisi Housing Project around fifteen years ago. During this period of time more than hundred and fifty houses were built in different parts of Kerala mostly around Kolbe Ashram, Aluva. Most of the families who received the houses started a life of their own with security and hope for the future and some of them have come up with financially stable situation. A small number of those who received the houses built their own proper in course of time and left the house to others who were in need. We have already shifted our focus and attention to Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, as there are more needy people in that part. We will continue our housing project with support and help of our benefactors and friends because there are thousands of people without a house of their own.
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| 02. St. Anthony's Social Centre |
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Our Friary, Kolbe Ashram, in Aluva is situated in the midst of economically and socially backward people. For their upliftment we have started St. Anthony's Social Center. It consists of a convent of the Preshitharam Sisters, Kinderganten, Tailoring school and Clinic. From the beginning of our presence in India our concern for the poor and the downtrodden was with us. We consider this ministry as part of "the spirit of Assisi". At present we are engaged in the following:
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| A. St. Anthony's Convent |
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Five sisters from the congregation of Preshitharam Sisters are  housed in this convent who take care of the St. Anthony’s Social Centre. They are actively involved in visiting the families running the Kindergarten, Tailoring School and the Clinic. Besides they give personal attention and counseling to the families and individuals with problems. The Centre has started operating from 1990 onwards and one can notice the social change that has happened ever since their arrival. They have incorporated very well to the society, mingling with the poor and socially marginalized persons.
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| B. Kindergarten |
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 Education is the only way to uplift the poor and eliminate poverty from the society. There was no school in ten kilometers radius to our Friary in Aluva. Even small children had to walk long distances to go to school and therefore children did not get their basic education. We have started a Kindergarten, LKG and UKG for the children between 3-5 years old. They get two years of the basics of education from our kindergarten. At present around fifty five children are benefiting from this project. |
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| C. Tailoring School |
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 Self-employment was the motivation behind starting the tailoring school. Every year 25-30 girls are being trained in the basics of tailoring and a good number of them study also embroidery. Most of those women who studied tailoring do their work at home and some of them are employed in different tailoring centers. This is one of the ways the women can get a job and earn some money for the family. By stitching their own clothes and that of the family members they save a quite sum of money and reduce the expenses of the family budget. The economic level of the families nearby has slightly improved due to this job orientating facilities which women of that area make use.
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| D. St. Paul’s Clinic |
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 Social security and health care are areas which need improvement and consideration. Hospital facilities are available only in the towns. Even for minor health problems our villagers are forced to go to far away hospitals which is time consuming and expensive. We have started a clinic and health care center for immediate treatment for minor sickness and to educate the nearby people about hygiene health care and basic information about sickness. There is a full time nurse working in the clinic and two medical doctors are coming once a week simultaneously to check the patients and prescribe medicine. We have a pharmacy, which is equipped with medicine with a marginal price. The medical doctors are doing their service freely, which is a vital help to the people. Besides the Sisters go for house visiting everyday and care for the bed-ridden and terminally sick patients.
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| 03. Assisi Snehalaya HIV/AIDS centre, Coimbatore |
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 The beginning of Assisi Snehalaya with its care and research centre for HIV/AIDS has its conception in the Circular letter of the then Provincial Custos dated August 22, 1999 under the title, “India is dying and is waiting for our response”, in which he launched the idea for the first time that the Custody should identify itself with the outcast of today, the HIV/AIDS affected people. In the last Ordinary Custodial Chapter in 2003, the members accepted the suggestion of the then Provincial Custos and included in the Four-Year Plan of the Custody to plan for a Project for HIV/AIDS affected people. In his Circular Letter of June 29, 2003 the then Provincial Custos invited those Solemnly Professed friars not in formation who want to opt for this Project to contact him. Friars Ferdinand Melappilly and Giles Veliyana offered themselves for this Project. The Custodial Definitory discussed the modalities of this Project several times. Various lands were proposed to the Definitory for the Project through the search of Friar Ferdinand who was asked to search a suitable land for this Project. Finally, the Definitory decided to purchase the 21 acres and 84 cents of land at Rottikaundanur in Combatore District in the state of Tamil Nadu.
A Friary was established and blessed on 8th November 2004 and the first members of the community were friars Ferdinand, Giles and Raphael. In December the extension of the friary began and friars started to do the ground work for the project. The Friars organized awareness programme, workshops, community oriented programme etc, on HIV/AIDS. Meanwhile a project proposal was given to Caritas Anthoniana for the construction of the Centre. The project was approved and the construction began in December 2005, which included the medical department and rooms for the patients. The foundation stone was blessed by V. Rev. Fr. Marco Tasca, the Provincial of Padua, and the present Minister General of our Order. It is with great gratitude that the Province of St. Maximilian Kolbe, India remembers the province of Padua for its generosity in contributing for the first part of this project of serving the poorest of the poor.
The friars could develop a good rapport with the people around and the officials which enabled us to go forward admitting the first patient in June 2006, even before the completion of the construction. On 3rd September 2006 the first part of the Centre was blessed by His Excellency Mar. Jacob Manathodath, Bp. Of Palakkad and Mr. P. Munivelu DIG of the Prisons, Tamil Nadu inaugurated the administrative block and Dr. K. Mahadevan, Head of the Department of STDs, Coimbatore Medical College, officially inaugurated the Medical Department.
The blessing of God worked through the hands of our beloved benefactors of Malta that we were able to construct the second phase of the project namely, the patients’ ward, the kitchen and dining hall. The inauguration and blessing of the second phase took place on Friday, November 30, 2007 at 03. 30 p.m. Ms. Supriya Sahu IAS, the Project Director of TNSACS, together with Mr. Frangisku Attard, the sponsor of the the second phase did the inauguration. Fr. Ugolino Xerri, the Mission Promoter of Malta officiated the Blessing ceremony.
With the completion of this second phase we are able to accommodate 50 patients, most of whom are children. Now the next phase of the construction namely the children’s Hostel and school is in progress.
The centre is fortunate to have Dr. K. Mahadevan, who is giving his medical service to the Centre. We refer all our patients to the Government Hospital, Coimbatore for their medical care. The centre is at present a member of Coimbatore NGO net work (CNN) an organization by Non-Governmental Officers (NGO) for HIV/AIDS.
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| The aims of the Centre: |
* Providing integral health care for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) to improve their quality of life
* Providing compassionate care and support to those who are in the last stage of life with HIV/AIDS
* Extending psycho-social and spiritual service to PLHA and community based care to them
* Preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS through awareness programs and informational support
* Providing training programs for animators and health workers
* Net working with other NGOs |
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| 04. Education Sponsorship |
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| Education is one of the ways to alleviate ignorance and poverty. After making a careful study, we have found out that there are good number of students, who are very intelligent and capable, but unable to continue their studies due to economic problem. The family cannot afford to send them for higher studies because of the huge fees and expensive books etc. To help these students, we have started a sponsorship program under the auspices of Caritas Anthoniana. Under this program we are helping more than fifty students for higher studies like MBBS, Nursing, Computer Engineering and other areas. When they are employed we request them to contribute from their salary to continue helping the like manner students. A number of students had started working in the country and abroad. Many of them are looking forward for a bright future in this life through our educational sponsorship program. |
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| 05. Bala Yesu Boys Hostel, Dondapudi, Andhra Pradesh |
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Our parish at Dondapudi in Andhra Pradesh is spread in vast areas with many villages far from the parish center. It is not possible for the villages to come to the parish Church every Sunday for the Holy Mass. We have station Churches in almost all the villages. The children have no possibility for studies. Those children who are grown enough are sent to feed the cattle or work in the fields. We have opened a boys home to bring selected few boys and educate them so that  slowly they will be able to work for the family and provide what is necessary for them. There are around forty children in the hostel and we are providing them food, clothes and education. We are giving them everything free so that they will be able to get an education otherwise it is not possible for them. Caritas Anthoniana has sponsored the building and we are requesting our benefactors around the world to contribute for the education of these boys. |
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| 06. Greyfriars Junior College (Higher Secondary School for tribal children) |
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The higher secondary school for the tribal children is situated in the parish of Dondapudi in Andhra Pradesh. The school already started functi oning from June 2007 onwards in a temporary building. There are two class rooms and 47 boys and girls are frequenting the school. There is an old building which we are making use for the office, computer room and staff room. We have started the school mainly for the very poor children. At present there are four teachers and one of our friars is in charge as the principal of the school. The construction of the building is in fastprogress. |
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| 07. Navajeevan (new life) Educational programme |
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This project is located at Christianpet in Andhra Pradesh where we have our friary and parish. It is in the periphery of the city of Vijayawada where the poor reside. We have twelve villages in this place and since it is situated near the city, the job opportunities are more. So it is very common that the poor children of this area do not frequent school but find some works to meet their livelihood.
In the project proposal we have planned to educate 75 children who would be divided in three groups. But at the final stage we have added five more children which make the number 80. These children will be fully helped financially for their education while we have selected another 30 children who will be helped partially. We have provided already the school uniforms, study materials, school fee, traveling expenses and food for one meal a day to these children. |
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| 08. Food for the aged and the children at Dondapudi |
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| Our parish at Dondapudi, is situated in a tribal area and the people are economically very backward. Their food depend on the mercy of nature and sister rain. If there is sufficient rain, they get sufficiently enough rice, vegetables and other food items during the year. Very rare they get sufficient rain. Naturally these people are pushed to starvation. The most affected people are the old and the children. we are providing cooked food every Sunday for the aged and children at our Parish. Every week 70-80 people are given food. This is possible through the generosity of the benefactors from Malta through the work of Fr. Ugolino M. Xerri, Mission animator of Malta and former missionary in Brazil and India. Besides we are providing raw rice to the families who cannot reach our place. |
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| 09. Leprosy Colony at Dondapudi |
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There is a leprosy colony in our parish at Dondapudi, Andhra Pradesh. This colony already existed even before we accepted this parish. There are many families living together. The sisters are taking care of their medical treatment what is necessary for them. Through the generous help and contribution of the Maltese benefactors through the work of Fr. Ugolino M. Xerri, we  were able to repair their houses, provide running water to their houses and concrete the pavements. The Friars are taking care of their spiritual needs by celebrating Holy Mass regularly and administering the Sacraments when needed. Special care and attention are given to the children of the lepers, for their education and growth. |
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| 10. Bore Well or Open Well in the Villages |
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| Recently we have made a survey in our villages and found out that in many of the villages there is the scarcity of drinking water. Some of the villagers have to walk too far away places to fetch water .We are making a project to make bore well or open well in each village so that they will be provided with the most essential need of human life. We have started making an open well in one of the villages in Dondapudi, which will be completed soon. Our target is to make bore wells or open wells in every village within a time limit of five years. In this way the village will be free from many of the diseases due to polluted water. |
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| 11. Micro Funding Programme for Women |
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| It is a self-financing project by which the women in the village collect a portion of their earning and put them together as savings. It helps them to have a fund as their own and to create in them the need to plan for the future. |
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| 12. Helping the Natural Calamity affected People |
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| India is affected by natural calamities now and then. We try to help the affected people as far as possible. There is no pre- planning to help the people immediately so that we can prevent many causalities. With this in mind our social action committee is planning to form a Rapid Action Force (RAF) to help the people immediately. This group consists of people who are endorsed to this and who are willing to go to the natural calamity affected area and to help in whatever possible way. Besides this, the group will be authorized to collect funds and help the affected people. This is one of the ways to help the people who are affected by any kind of natural disaster where government agencies fail to act immediately. |
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