Centre for Integral Social Action [R]
Sneha Sadana
Kadaramandalagi Road, Byadgi – 581 106
Haveri District.
Karnataka – India

Mission Origin:

The Provincial Chapter of 1991 was very keen that the Province as a whole should move in the line of social action, in the footsteps of our Mother Foundress, Mother Teresa of St. Rose of Lima. She in her very short life of 44 years and 15 years as Religious, worked for the betterment of humanity, specially the down trodden of her time. She started both English and vernacular medium schools in Kerala where the girl children, specially the Catholics would not be sent to school. An Orphanage, a home for the aged, the Industrial school to maintain her various ministries, a home for the un-wed mothers, prison ministry came in quick succession. She was I dynamic person, but her life was snuffed out by a train accident. The few sisters of the fledgling Institute could not manage to carry on and they finally continued mostly in teaching and some orphanages or children’s homes and a home for the aged. We, at the Chapter decided that the hour had come to go into social work ministry and the Provincial Chapter mandated the Provincial Superior and team to start an exclusive Social Service Center as the Province thus far had no such a centre, though the sisters worked for the poor in their various institutions. Our Chapter wanted to get involved in the lives of the poor and needy people at the grass root level, as that is the dire need of the people.

Historical Background:

Coinciding with this, the Bishops of Karnataka were requesting the Major Superiors of Religious Institutes to open houses in North Karnataka where the Christian presence is almost nil. Therefore we the Carmelite sisters of St. Teresa (CSST) took it as a challenge to enter into one such area to share with these people the compassionate love of Jesus through their very presence, life style and service.
On 15th August 2001, the sisters made their home in a small rented house and started their ministry in the slums of Byadgi and the surrounding villages. Once the rapport was built and the villagers gradually started trusting these unknown women – (they did not know anything about sisters or Christians), they invited the sisters to help them in various ways. The sisters decided that the best way to start their ministry was to begin SELF HELP GROUPS, (SHG) which would organize people to help themselves socially, economically, politically and culturally, and thus be out of the clutches of the money lenders and land-lords who in their turn turned these poor people literally into their slaves.

Goal:

Integrated Human Development.

Aim:

Change in Attitudes & Inappropriate value system.

Approach:

Participatory i.e. with the involvement of people.