BIS # 979 PROVINCIAL HOUSE LAUNCHES NEIGHBOURHOOD OUTREACH

MATUNGA, JUNE 17, 2008:
Over the decades the Don Bosco Matunga Campus has witnessed many an inauguration, but the simple and homely ceremony held on the evening of June 16, to inaugurate the Provincial House neighbourhood outreach programme will always remain a special moment in the minds and hearts of the confreres of the Provincial House community. Present for the occasion were the Provincial, Vice Provincial, Economer, Rector and almost all the Salesians of the community. They had gathered around the 50 or so children from the neighbouring slums who will be frequenting the evening study classes to be conducted in the Shrine Office building. The inaugural ceremony began with Melvin Pangya welcoming the children and the Salesians who were present. The children then sang a prayer song invoking God’s blessings on this new venture. Next, Surekha Pednekar explained the idea behind this new project. She pointed out that while the boys from the surrounding slums had the opportunity to attend the evening study classes organized by Don Bosco High School, no such facility was available for the girls. Realizing that the girls in the slums are always the most disadvantaged, Fr. Edwin D’Souza, the Rector of the Provincial House, had suggested to his community that they launch a study support programme for them. The idea had been enthusiastically accepted and the project had now materialized. Speaking next, Fr. Edwin D’Souza told the kids that they were Tare Zameen Par, and he hoped that the educational support they were receiving would make them shine like starts in this world. The sparkle on the faces of the children seemed to say that they truly were Tare Zameen Par!