Salesian Province of Mumbai

☼ DON BOSCO KAWANT

History

Don Bosco Kawant was initially an outpost of the Chhota Udepur centre. It was set up in 1984, when, with the help of Mr. Noel D’Lima, a 9 acre plot was bought in Kawant in the name of the Lok Seva Kendra, Chhota Udepur. The boarding was opened in 1985, with 15 boarders and a few masters who had been convinced to look after it, although they believed the house was haunted!

Frs. Byron D’Souza, Wilfred Sequeira and Stanny Ferreira would visit the house on weekends, and they finally took up residence there in 1986. They began visiting the villages and building a relationship with the people, and since then, there has been no looking back for Kawant!

Present Activities

Don Bosco Kawant is involved in community organization, education programmes, and youth activities.

Community Organisation

Until recently, the focus of the community organization work has been the formation and training of Self Help Groups (SHGs). Don Bosco Kawant currently facilitates 85 SHGs in 27 villages. These groups come together to deposit their savings, take loans, acquire basic literacy and explore possible livelihood opportunities. The 50 groups formed with the help of NABARD have all been evaluated and graded and their performance is consistent. The groups meet every week to learn accounting and book-writing, and also organize events like women’s day.

At present, the Kawant centre is moving towards a more people-centred approach by encouraging them to come together to address their most immediate needs—water, roads, education and employment. The key to all of these is the correct functioning of the local self government. The SHGs, therefore, are now functioning as the starting point to preparing the community to claim their rights. They are leading their villages in preparing for and participating in their Gram Sabhas to plan development works in their village. They are also involved in understanding and demanding the implementation of the NREGA. The Governance Project initiated by the DBDS is moving in the right direction of empowering tribal people.

Education

School and Boarding

The school and boarding for adivasi children ensure that students from the surrounding villages have access to quality education and can go on to build stable careers. Besides their studies, the children develop their personalities and interact with people from various fields. They also have plenty of opportunities to play, sing, dance and enjoy their childhood to the fullest.

At present, the school has a total of 375 students. Of these, 210 are boarders, 104 are from the girls’ boarding run by the sisters, and 61 are day scholars. There are 9 teachers and 2 boarding masters. Special achievement done by the Under 14 football team is by becoming state champions and participating in Under 14 Subroto Cup in Delhi. Education in the school too has improved this year by once again getting 100% SSC results.

Bosco Education Fund

Many bright students from Don Bosco Kawant are unable to pursue their studies after standard 10, because they cannot pay the fees for higher education. Don Bosco Kawant supports these children by sponsoring their college education or technical training. Some of these students have gone on to complete Masters’ degrees, while others have found rewarding jobs.

Village Education Programme

Don Bosco Kawant is one of the houses running the Village Education Programme (VEP), in which children from government schools and those who are not enrolled in school are given two hours of tuition every morning. The VEP focuses on remote villages where teachers do not come and children have no access to education. Even when teachers do attend, the quality of education is low and the children lag far behind others of their age. Because of extreme poverty, they are not even able to pay the nominal fees for the school and boarding in Kawant.

By helping these children achieve at least a minimum level of education, the VEP prepares them to enter secondary schools once they pass their primary exams. At present, Kawant Education Society runs 25 VEP centres in 18 villages, with a total of 795 students.

Youth Activities

Youth from the villages, whether or not they are educated, often find themselves without a job. So, they either resort to manual labour or remain unemployed. Don Bosco Kawant is trying to reach out to these young people by sending them for vocational training to industries that will guarantee them jobs. REDP and MEDP projects under the guidance and support of NABARD is helping youngsters and women to achieve their desired goals. Driving classes, Jewellery Making, Mattress Making, Nursery training, Mobile repairing are some of the features of the REDP and MEDP projects. MORD project under the guidance of DBDS is helping youngster in getting employment.

Salesian Team

Community Snap:

Fr. Gregory D’Almeida

Fr. Pravin Makwana

Br. Ramesh Durairaj

Cl. Ashwin Mal

Cl. Shawn D’Lima

Our Collaborators

School Teachers:     9
Boarding Masters:   2
Domestic Staff:        7
Farm:                       1
Technical:                2
Catechist                1
Social workers        5
VEP teachers:       25

Contact Information

Address

Kawant Education Society,
Don Bosco Farm
Kawant
Baroda District: 391 170
Gujarat

Ph: (02669) 254194

Email: dbkawant@gmail.com