Salesians in India reach out to most affected during pandemic

Networking and collaboration have helped Church organizations in India make a significant contribution to the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Salesians of Don Bosco and its collaborators have managed to reach out to thousands of people in southern India and in other parts of the country during the pandemic.

The tribal communities in the Shevroy hills in the Yercaud region of Tamil Nadu were provided with adequate supply of oxygen and a 100-bed COVID care center was set up through the help of the Don Bosco Jugendhilfe Weltweit, The Retreat - Don Bosco, and Dr Suresh, managing director of SKS Hospitals Pvt. Ltd.

The COVID care center is well-equipped for locals who otherwise would have to travel 40 to 80 kilometers of mountainous road to reach Salem town where the government care centers are located.

The care center was able to care for 70 COVID positive persons during the height of the recent surge in cases.

In what appears to be a feat of skilled networking, the Bosco Seva Kendra (BSK), the planning and development office of the Salesian Province of Hyderabad, has reached out to over 720,000 people since March last year.

BSK coordinates efforts through its 32 Don Bosco institutions and 121 civil society organizations, across the Telugu states with the generous support of benefactors, donor agencies, and corporate partners.

Focusing on the uplift of vulnerable children, economically backward women, unemployed and unskilled youth, BSK reached out to people in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and South Odisha.

BSK continues to serve, with the support of organizations like Zomato India, Nestle India, Accenture, and Bosco Net-New Delhi, through COVID-19 testing, isolation, and supply of food.

The organization was able to served food to over 5,000 migrants who have lost their job since May this year. - Frank Krishner / RVA News