Educate a Girl, you educate the whole family

It is said you educate a girl and you change a generation; you educate a girl and you educate a generation; you educate a girl and you educate a nation; you educate a girl and you educate a family; you educate a girl and you educate  a community; you educate a girl and change the world and lastly you educate a girl and you educate the whole family. This was the attitude and a favourite saying of our Fr. Founder Fr. Faustino De Souza, whose heart went out to the women of the society wherever he worked as a priest. He then advised his daughters to work for the uplift of the women. With this mindset marking the concern of our founder, the concern of the Congregation, the sisters under the banner of Fr. Faustino De Souza Social Service Institute, has a registered Society registered under the Societies Registration Act.1860.

 Fr. Faustino Social Service Institute - Divya Gyan, is a sister concern of Asha Sadan – a house of Hope, Baina, Vasco and Kiran Niketan Social Service Centres, Birla  Zuari Nagar, run by the Congregation of the Sisters of Holy Family of Nazareth, Sancoale, Goa. The centre is on its third year of existence formally inaugurated on 10th June 2015 on the outskirts of Canacona in Karvem, Gaondongrim, in a small room. The dawn of Divya Gyan, was the result of heroic visits done over a year by Sr. Crina Cardozo sfn, in the scourging heat and heavy rains, to the people of this villages. The people of this villages and the surrounding areas depend on agriculture, farming, cashew plantations, growing of vegetables, etc. the children study in the Government School at Gaondongri.

This Social Centre caters very specifically for the empowerment of Women and Children in the tribal areas of Gaondongri, Shristal, Karvem, and also the women of Canacona and neighbouring villages.

Girded with inner strength and divine force, the centre is committed to the uplift of the vulnerable women and children. The centre moves on with its aims and objectives walking against the currents trusting in Divine Providence, the core and very dear value of our Founder Fr. Faustino De Souza under whose name the registered society ventured into this exigent and demanding apostolate.

I remember this well said saying: It is like you him a fish and he eats for a day and you teach him to fish and he will eat for his life time. But Divya Gyan Social Service Centre is committed to bring in the change by holding on to the attitudinal change and mindset of the Founder. For our Founder, he first and foremost took the responsibility of educating the sisters and encouraged them to get the required degrees in order to educate the younger generation. Adult literacy programme, letter writing, needle work, etc. he kept telling the sisters saying: if you educate a girl, you can change a generation; if you educate a girl, you educate a generation; if you educate a girl, you can educate a nation; yes, if you educate a girl, you can educate a community; if you educate a girl, you can change the world and if you educate a girl, you can educate the whole family. 

The directress of this Centre a degree holder in BSW Sr. Crina Cardozo sfn, leaves no stone unturned with earnest zeal and passion to fulfill the aims and objectives under the guidance of the higher authority and depends on well-wishers for help. In these three years of dedicated services, she has given all that it counts to uphold the objectives given below:

. To empower the women, youth through different courses.

. To help the students to study better and dream high in life

. To foster better health care for mother and child

. Counseling families in distress and other social problems

. Provide opportunities for education 

. Creating awareness on different issues.

Running errands from pillar to post to get the schemes available at times empty handed inspite of the available schemes being denied due to the centre being run by a catholic organization, never gave up and conducted the following activities:

. Tailoring classes for the women in order to make them self reliant and to make their own living

. Tuitions for the tribal students to be in par with others in  education and to dream higher.

. Awareness on women’s issues 

. And constant Visits to the tribal areas to know the needs of the community. 

The women are given opportunities to showcase their talents on different occasions with various competitions organized such as: rangoli, dress making, pickle, ladoos,  etc,. the annual women day programme besides the yearly exhibition-cum-sale.

“Dream is not what you see in sleep, is the thing that doesn’t let you to sleep” A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

The above quote befits a true passionate social missionary who dreams in the day light and walks the talk. Yes, with determined efforts Sr. Crina leaves in the morning only to come back and go back in afternoon from Mastimol to Karvem to help weaker students to cope with the education. The mornings are spent at the tailoring centres, to create awareness about different issues such as nutrition, women and child care, education and health, etc. 

The Centre Dreams of :

. To help the weaker students and to enrol dropouts back to school.

. To cater more and more women through tailoring and different courses

. To create awareness about different issues such as nutrition, women and child care, education , health etc 

. Start Counseling centre

. Computer literacy  

The Centre has received awards in a short span honouring Sr. Crina Cardozo from Indian Development Foundation (IDF) Dynamic supporter award 2014-2015, 2016-2017, Social action award 2015-2016. Indian Development Foundation is a national NGO committed to health, education and development of India.

Achievers never look back, this year the hard labour bore fruits and with the support of the schemes available, all the women who completed tailoring classes for the last two years were given certificates. The centre cannot be run without being furnished and the necessary requirements. The Centre counts on you readers to pay a visit to our centre and help a child, a woman to make a living. To educate a girl by which you will educate a family.