Salesian college students build houses for poor in Kerala

A homeless mother with two children received a new house, thanks to Don Bosco Arts and Science College volunteers at Angadikadavu in Kerala’s Kannur district.

The project began when Lucy George, a Salesian co-operator, heard Jessy talk about her homeless problems during a bus journey.

George mentioned this to the students at Don Bosco Arts and Science College, who and their teachers and management took up the challenge of constructing a house.

The 600-square-feet house has two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a work area. The cost was provided for by donations from students, staff, management and well-wishers.

It is the fourth house constructed by the college’s volunteers, reports Salesians Mission “Newswire.”

“This was a wonderful opportunity for students to pay it forward and help a family in need,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

“This mother and her two children now have a place to lay their heads at night. They can have safety and shelter and hope for a better future.”

Don Bosco Arts and Science College started in 1994 offers pre-degree, undergraduate and postgraduate courses for around 600 students. Since then, the college has added a computer applications academic program and postgraduate programs in communication, journalism, and social work.

Undergraduate programs were added in English literature, communications and mathematics. A men’s hostel has also been launched.

Angadikadavu is 53 km northeast of Kannur, a coastal town in Kerala.

India has the world’s fourth-largest economy but more than 22 percent live in poverty. According to the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative report, about 31 percent of the world’s multidimensionally poor children live in India.

India’s youth face a lack of educational opportunities due to caste, class, and gender issues. Almost 44 percent of the workforce is illiterate and less than 10 percent of the working-age population has completed secondary education. In addition, many secondary school graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.