By Purushottam Nayak

Kandhamal, Dec 9, 2019: A Canada-based Catholic humanitarian group has come forward to support the education of children of the Kandhamal survivors in Odisha, eastern India.

“Faith without work is dead,” said Al Basilo, operations head of the Answering the Cry of the Poor (ANCOP) International Canada, at a gathering of 522 such children who gathered at Catherine’s Girls’ Convent, Raikia, a major parish in the Kandhamal district of Odisha

The area comes under the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar.

Basilo said they started ANCOP as the social arm of the Couples for Christ to fulfill its responsibility to build the Church of the poor. “I am really inspired to know the sacrifice of Kandhamal people who witnessed Christ even unto death,” he told Matters India.

“The persecution, killing and murder just because you are Christian are indeed very sad and unfortunate. I want to listen to the children of Kandhamal survivors,” said Basilo, who was visiting India for the first time.

The children — from grades one to ten — came from various parishes of Kandhamal on December 8 to thank their benefactor.

“Today I am very happy to receive support from the ANCOP movement. I am grateful to the administration of ANCOP movement which generously extends genuine help for my education,” said Jenifa Nayak, a Kandhamal youth.

She said her father would have been happy to meet such kind-hearted people if he were alive. Her father was killed during the 2008 anti-Christian violence.

Basilo said he would share “the brave faith of Kandhamal people” with his people in his country.

ANCOP’S mission is to answer the cry of the poor through child education, community development, and humanitarian relief, he explained.

The non-profit organization founded by Couples for Christ (CFC) is a global lay organization recognized by the Vatican. It works on the renewal and strengthening of Christian family life and values.

Couple For Christ is a Catholic movement started in 1981 in Manila, Philippines, by Ang Ligyan ng Panginoon (Joy in the Lord), a covenant charismatic community. Over the past 38 years, it has spread to 110 countries.

In 1995, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines approved the movement as a national private association of lay faithful. It found Vatican recognition in 2000 as a private international association of the lay faithful of pontifical right.

The ANCOP movement extends its help to the abandoned and neglected children in partnering with Catholic parishes. The movement teaches the children prayer and catechism. It also guides them to become altar boys and girls, and shelters abandoned children.

ANCOP now supports a total of around 5,000 children in 14 countries. It funds their education from grade one to university. Some seminarians also receive assistance from the movement.