Lyra Pinto MUMBAI, DECEMBER 13, 2008: Don Bosco D
evelopment Society inaugurated its new Community Centre at Prakash Nagar, Mahim, with a colourful programme in which community members participated enthusiastically. The day began with women from the Self Help Groups welcoming the Chief Guest—the Child Development Programme Officer of the area, Ms. Chanda Jadhav. This was followed by the lighting of the lamp by various members of the community, the chief guest and the DBDS staff, r
epresenting the people, the State and the NGO workers who are partners in this initiative. After the centre was inaugurated by Ms. Jadhav, the members of the neighbourhood committee shared their experiences of struggling to develop their basti and their expectations of the organization. Ms. Jadhav too, noted how much change the residents had succeeded in bringing about in a short span of time. Through an interactive question-answ
er session with the community members, she explained the importance of treating women and girls as equals in the house and community. She also mentioned the various State schemes for women and children, and encouraged the staff to work with government bodies for the development of the area. After this, Fr. Anaclete D’Mello, the Director of DBDS, released the t-shirts that had been specially designed for the children attending study classes at the centre. The neighbourhood committee then organized lunch for all the participants. The events for the afternoon began with a drawing competition in which about 80 children participated, with several adults trying their hand at art as well! The programme continued with a haldi kumkum ceremony for the women and games for all those present. Finally, after the prizes were distributed, the participants dispersed, convinced that their new community centre is another step forward in their efforts to improve their neighbourhod.
evelopment Society inaugurated its new Community Centre at Prakash Nagar, Mahim, with a colourful programme in which community members participated enthusiastically. The day began with women from the Self Help Groups welcoming the Chief Guest—the Child Development Programme Officer of the area, Ms. Chanda Jadhav. This was followed by the lighting of the lamp by various members of the community, the chief guest and the DBDS staff, r
epresenting the people, the State and the NGO workers who are partners in this initiative. After the centre was inaugurated by Ms. Jadhav, the members of the neighbourhood committee shared their experiences of struggling to develop their basti and their expectations of the organization. Ms. Jadhav too, noted how much change the residents had succeeded in bringing about in a short span of time. Through an interactive question-answ
er session with the community members, she explained the importance of treating women and girls as equals in the house and community. She also mentioned the various State schemes for women and children, and encouraged the staff to work with government bodies for the development of the area. After this, Fr. Anaclete D’Mello, the Director of DBDS, released the t-shirts that had been specially designed for the children attending study classes at the centre. The neighbourhood committee then organized lunch for all the participants. The events for the afternoon began with a drawing competition in which about 80 children participated, with several adults trying their hand at art as well! The programme continued with a haldi kumkum ceremony for the women and games for all those present. Finally, after the prizes were distributed, the participants dispersed, convinced that their new community centre is another step forward in their efforts to improve their neighbourhod.