By Matters India Reporter

Kolkata, Oct 23, 2022: More than 90 priests, nuns and lay people from across India are attending a four-day specialized training program on project management and fundraising in Kolkata.

The participants for the October 21-24 program at Jesuits’ Dhyana Ashram hail from 30 religious congregations and dioceses. The training aims to train them as development personnel.

They came from Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi (National Capital Region), Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

The program is organized under the initiative of the Association of Franciscan Family in India (AFFI).

“We must give utmost importance to uplifting the lives of the poor through our intervention as rooted in Christian values. And this four-day training aimed at doing so,” said AFFI vice president Franciscan Brother Aloysius, who was present especially to inaugurate the program.

He ended his talk by quoting Saint Francis of Assisi, ‘’What we have done is nothing, let us begin to do something.”

L Prabhakar, project development officer of the Chennai Jesuits province, Jesuits Father Irudaya Jothi, director of Jesuits Refugee Service Mizoram-Manipur, Capuchin Father Nithiya Sagayam, AFFI secretary and director of Thalir Capuchin Ministries, Sacred Hearts Sister Sujata Jena, a social project coordinator, were the main resource persons of the training.

At the training the participants learned the components of the project, skills of fundraising, linkage between Charism-Apostolate and Project, Logical Framework Analysis, TimeLine and Budgeting, Social Media funding, Baseline Survey, Sustainable and Right Based Approach, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Social Analysis.

One of the participants, Sister Nirmala Mathew, the general councillor of St Anne’s Society, Luzern, said, “Besides the project writing skills I gained a lot of knowledge on fund mobilization, linking Millennium and Sustainable Development Goals, and Right based approach in our apostolic intervention.”

“The resource persons are very rich in knowledge with successful grassroots experiences of working with people. The well-selected topics with meticulously organized sessions are very useful for our field of work. It is an enriching experience to be part of motivated and enthusiastic participants,” added the nun who came from Secunderabad.

Another participant, Sister Agnes from Nagaland, said, “I am so happy to be part of this program on Skills Development for Social Work Directors. This program gives me lots of inputs, ideas, and knowledge to go ahead with my apostolate.”

The nun who coordinates the Center for Development Initiative of Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians said, after having attended this training she can now contribute better to my apostolate as well as to her congregation.

Snehasis Sur, alumni of St Xavier’ College Kolkata and president of the Press Club of Kolkata, was invited to share on the alumni model of local fundraising. He encouraged the participants to get the act together in starting the alumni and alumnae associations in their respective schools and colleges.

A lay participant, M Lawrence Rao, Andhra Pradesh Social Service Society of the Andhra and Telangana Bishop’s Social work Forum- Project manager, expressed happiness to use the platform to build a network with various faith-based developmental organizations across the country.

“Being a member of the Rotary Club, it is an opportunity for me to create awareness about rotary projects to the people and I can connect all institutions across the country to the rotary club,” Rao added.

One of the objectives of the training was to empower the participants to procure funds to respond to emerging needs by using scientific methods.

The participants celebrated Mass at the tomb of Saint Mother Teresa of Kolkata and visited other significant places in the City of Joy.

Father Sagayam said they plan to organize a similar training in February 2023 as a follow-up due to the participants’ request for advanced training.