By Shaji Fernandez –
We are living in unprecedented times. Never before in recorded history, have human beings faced a pandemic of such epic proportions. No part of the world remains untouched. Acts of kindness, compassion and empathy continue to grow across the world, and will grow far faster than any seeds of division if we commit to making them more important than hatred or fear.
When the world has healed from this ailment, those we remember for making a difference are those who showed compassion, kindness, and empathy to fellow human beings in their greatest hours of need. These qualities are at the core of our humanity and our capacity to respond and recover from this current crisis.
Auxilium Reach Out, the Social Development Office of the Guwahati Province of the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, working in the 4 Northeast India States through their 36 centres (Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh) have lit a brighter light in these darkest times, helping 9,500 families to keep up the spirits and retain smiles on their faces.
Lock down has brought untold sufferings to the migrant families, wage labourers, domestic helpers, etc and many of them have large families including children and elderly persons in the various parts of Northeast India. As soon the Corona pandemic started, there was a scarcity of masks and its price shot up, depriving economically poor families.
Sisters young and old from the 20 centres sprang to action, stitching quality masks. It was a joy to see sisters above the age of 80 even working on sewing machines, stitching masks and the younger ones boldly going out, of course with precaution, distributing them in the villages and alleys. They could give away 16,500 masks to those families who could not afford to purchase one.
The first lesson a disaster teaches is that everything is connected. This connection brought the Sisters close to the realities of the migrants, daily wage labourers in the tea gardens, domestic workers and others from the 4 states and their struggles for survival. Many of them were lacking food. With the help of the community leaders and Catechists their list was taken and dry ration including rice, cereal, cooking oil, sugar and salt were gifted to the 9455 families, ensuring at least one full meal daily for a month.
Some of the social workers then brought the news that many families are living in vulnerable conditions and have no knowledge of protective measures against Covid-19. Sisters sprang into action and made ready 3800 hygiene kits containing bathing and washing soap, hand wash and phenol, with instructions on protective measures. It was again distributed among the most deserving families in the interior and remote villages, slums etc.
I am deeply impressed by their passion for the suffering and vulnerable, their compassion and love for the poor and their circumstances. It makes me grateful to be alive, it makes me tune in with the love and kindness I feel not only for the people close around me but for the country, for the world. As we journey through this pandemic together, let’s shine the light on humankind, on humans being kind to one another, taking care of each other, seeing each other through. As Pope Francis puts it, “Truly, much can be done!”
Shaji Fernandez is Project Manager at Auxilium Reach Out, a Social Development Office of the Guwahati Province of the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco in Guwahati.