SADDAC-Experience

MY DAYS AT SADDAC

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[An experience of a German Volunteer at SADDAC]

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I arrived on the 1st of September 2006 at Daund and stayed there for about four months. Previously I was working for mentally disabled people in Bangalore.
The time that I spent at SADDAC meant for me a total new area of experiencing India. Not only that I was living in a simple town, surrounded by a rural area in the heart of Maharashtra, but also the fact that I got the chance to be with street- children and therefore to be confronted with essential questions of the Indian society; and I regard it as a great opportunity.
Generally, to live with children is one of the most refreshing experiences I had. There´s rarely a moment of rest in them, the unbound energy of life is constantly setting them under fire, their creativity sets no limits and their moods of happiness and suffering each appear in extreme feelings. To face this every day meant for me, to adjust in their way of living – and with great joy I remembered my own childhood, and though unwillingly, turned into one in some situations.
On the fact that they were children from the street I didn´t pay so much attention. Of course, to understand the child’s behaviour, the mood and their being you have to consider their background, which is one of the worst a child can have in life. But I considered my role in this small community not in a therapeutic way. Rather, I felt that it is the best to make them forget what bad they already experienced, and to provide them all those life-essential things they had: lack of love, respect, security and an activity suited for the child – like drawing, games and education. I thought to myself several times, "It is not so important what they do. So let me give myself the duty to let them do something."
After some weeks I realised that the relationship with the kids turned into one of trust and reliance. From the part of children I also felt respected. Gradually, I was growing in friendship with the elder ones. This made me quite happy, since it was the proof of a harmonious living-together; and foremost the pre-condition for a healthy authority towards the children.
Of course, the barrier of language and the different cultural backgrounds (including the way of thinking, judging and behaving) sometimes made situations difficult, but I always, and I think the whole crew of SADDAC also, saw in this fact a great chance to overcome clichés and to approach to each other in an understanding way – because at the end every human being is the same.
About the staff of SADDAC – the workers on the spot as well as the helping Brothers of the ‘Society of Jesuits’, all those many visitors and friends – I really have to say that they are doing a great job: professional with the work, authority towards the children as well as the offer of a friendship, creativity in the solutions of the day by day appearing situations and the never ending enthusiasm to be there for others, in a selfless way!
At the end I have to say that I found many important inspirations from the very staff at Daund, specially Sr. Olive, to learn to lead such a special way of life – and I am thankful for that.

May all of you be blessed!

Till David Schade,
Germany

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OUR CHRISTMAS AT SADDAC

We reached SADDAC on 21st of December 2006. We were warmly welcomed by Sr. Olive and Mr. Pious Peter.

We had a great opportunity to experience the life style of street children. During our 9 days of stay in SADDAC, we have gained a lot of rich experience. The children were very open and receptive. We could enter into their lives and experience their past.
We took back with us these sad stories the children at SADDAC shared with us about their lives and hardships they faced on the platforms – the way they had to sweat out to earn their bread. It was challenging to listen to their attitude towards life at the platforms and to see how they begin to see a ray of hope as they begin to lead a happy life with dignity at SADDAC.
While we were interacting and becoming one with them we realized that our outlook towards these children was changing – a kind of love and respect for them was growing within us. We also cherish much the experience of conducting games and sports for these children during the Christmas Programme which was arranged for the platform children along with those of SADDAC.
We also had an opportunity to go to the Railway Station everyday and listen to the sad stories of the abandoned children on the platforms. We wish we had more days to spend with them because it was not only listening to them but the mere encounter of the miserable life of these boys and girls at the platforms was challenging our attitude towards them. We began to look at them not as high class people or as outsiders but as their friends; for we realized that the change does not begin with them. Change has to begin with ourselves first before we set out to change them!

Nolan Fernandes, S.J. and Robert Soren, S.J.

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Nolan Fernandes, S.J. and Robert Soren, S.J., Jesuit Scholastics of Goa and Dumka Province respectively, were in their Juniorate formation at Pune. They spent their Christmas holidays at SADDAC, Daund.

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A DYNAMIC CHRISTMAS WEEK AT SADDAC

We the Jesuit Juniors hailing from five different Provinces were placed in various Mission stations for our Christmas holidays. I had the privilege of staying in SADDAC at Daund, the institution run for the railway platform children. Indeed this was a unique and a dynamic Christmas week for me. Apart from experiencing the warm hospitality of all those who came into this house, I also was impressed and inspired by the various activities that are conducted at SADDAC.

At present there are sixteen children. Most of them go to school. The boys are given not only a formal education and a shelter to stay but also trained in moral values to cope up with this fast changing world. During Christmas week these children were privileged to mingle with various groups that came to share the joy of Christmas. These groups organized different games and distributed prizes with the help of the sister-in-charge. We also made a crib in the parish as well as in the house with the help of these children.

Sr. Olive, source of all the wonderful experiences we had at SADDAC, organized a Christmas tree programme for the children. Children were presented new dresses and some snacks. The whole night they were dancing and singing Christmas carols. We were very happy to help sister in organizing this programme.

During this week we also went with a social worker to distribute some sweets and toilet articles to the children who are working at the Railway station. The men and women who passed by us could not go without admiring the wonderful work that SADDAC does for these children. Sr. Olive was indeed very generous in giving them these gifts with the help of some benefactors. I was simply touched by the generous heart of these benefactors. Secondly what impressed me the most was that SADDAC also caters to the needs of the local slum children in the way of organizing tuitions for them and empowers the local women to come up in their lives. Our presence was a source of help to Sr. Olive to fully involve in these activities. Sharing of my experience at SADDAC cannot be complete without mentioning Mr. Pious, a lay man who helps  Sr. Olive in all these activities.

In short SADDAC faithfully follows Jesus’ Saying “I came that they may have life, life to the full.” At the end of my holidays I felt that God is calling me to prepare myself for this apostolate. I was happy that I spend my holidays fruitfully.

Sch. A. Michael Raja, BTC, Jesuit Juniorate

28 December 2009

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SADDAC - A PLACE OF TRANSFORMATION

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Reflections of a Volunteer from Germany

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I arrived at SADDAC on 2nd October 2008 and stayed there fort the next ten months. It was my first journey to India and the first time I had the chance to be intensively involved with the social work like “street children”.

Everytime I try to remember my first day at SADDAC, a mixture of emotions stir up in my mind. The reason is that there has never been such an experience of “being new” and feeling of “being strange” to this situation.

It was more like a big jump from my world into the one that is completely different, but very soon I started to be a part of the SADDAC family. My heart started to be a part of it.

From the very beginnig the SADDAC children have been very social, open-hearted and open-minded, so that a coming-together and getting to know each other was easy for me.

So there was no need for me to feel foreign or left out. Instead I used every minute to get to know more about the manifold characters of the children, which has been a great joy. Due to this it did not take me long time to feel at home at SADDAC and in Daund.

The energetic minds of the children did not allow us to rest at all. There have been rarely moments of silence and rest throughout the day and therefore it was necessary to always think and work with them.

Thereby it was an exciting task to involve with the different age groups (3 to 18 years) at SADDAC – because it was necessary to serve the different age groups with completely different levels of attention. Like this I took up a sister-like role for them, taking care of the smaller children, and at the same time growing into friendship with the older ones.

Every single child has such a memorable character, each one has its peculiarities, preferences and customs and it was a pleasure to get a deeper understanding of all these details over a period of time.

Retrospective it was also a memorable time for me to see the progress of growth in them. In nearly one year various barriers have been overcome and goals have been reached – graduations in school, growing in character traits, enhancing language skills and so on.

To see each child settling down to the every-day-life was the greatest delight for me.  In spite of all the things these children had to go through and all adversities they had to face before they came to SADDAC, now I could see them going through a daily routine that guides them into a safe future. A future, in which suriviving, health and education does not mean an utopia. A possible human future.

These were the tiny moments ... the going to school, the different house duties, mealtimes, learning, cleaning and playing ... which showed me clearly the service SADDAC reaches out to the children: A daily routine without worries about the next meal, a place to sleep, cleanliness and health. A chance for education and, due to that, realistic carrier and working chances in future – a life assurance in India.

But basically it is something else what I found they really needed, what everybody of us needs and what I decided to make an important part of my work at SADDAC: making them feel we are one with them, loving and supporting them with patience, trust and tolerance, in other words – being a home for them.

That a social organisation like SADDAC is dependent on helping hands, and stands in an intensive interplay with its surrounding became more than clear to me.

In SADDAC, poor families from the neighbourhood were integrated into our everyday life –   as teachers for the children, for cooking or washing etc. Like this, basics for SADDAC could be granted and at the same time others in need could be supported.

Also the nearby St. Sebastian High School under the direction of Father Jovian D’Melo, in which I could help for some months as an assistant teacher was a big part of this social network.

It was for example possible to receive rice donations due to my work there. A new cantine for the school children, build up and guided by Sister Olive Oliveira, gave a job opportunity to poor women of Daund.

I learnt that the social work is a field impossible to narrow down to only one social issue or to focus on to one group of people. The more people who are ready to support, the easier and the bigger the change will be.

In my mind, it is, as an inhabitant of this earth, our duty  to make ourselves part of this giving and taking, to take care of our brothers and sisters in a bigger context, everyone in his or her individual possibilities.

That is why I am very much grateful for my time at SADDAC. It gave me opportunity to learn, understand and internalize excactly this – that it is most important to spread out to as many people as possible, to make them a part of it.

So that we can create a better future and a better now for those, who are not able to get out of their situations on their own. The support or at least the attention of everyone is important.

And this should each one of us have in our minds, every moment, every day – that there are human beings like you and me, who are born into other conditions, who are dependent on help, dependent on us.

And who, first of all, have a right to be helped.

Because we all are human beings.

Open your eyes & ears; hands & heart.

Lea Maria Nissen, Germany, Hamburg

August 2009

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