An appeal to help the Dalit children we sponsor and their families, who have just lost their homes and livelihoods through devasting floods
Flash floods, the worst for 40 years, have caused complete havoc to Pannur and the surrounding villages where Father Eric and Father Maxim have been working for the past 7 years. Practically all the houses were washed away, as were all the livestock. Lush green paddy fields have been filled with sand and thorny bushes, destroying the entire crop. The rising waters were sudden and during the night, so people had to run for their lives, grabbing whatever they could with no hope of coming back to pick up more. They lost clothes, money, food and all utensils. The few possessions they had, they lost.
A letter dated 22nd October from Francis Serrao SJ, Jesuit Provincial Superior, on behalf of Father Eric Mathias SJ and Father Maxim Rasquinha SJ:
"Our people in Pannur and its environs have been struck down by the flash floods that have rendered them homeless and destitute. Already weighed down by dire poverty, landlessness, unemployment, chronic illness and every kind of oppression, these poor people, almost all of them Dalits, have lost their homes, their cattle, their clothes, their livelihood and some of them even their dear ones. At present they are either on the road sides or in make shift shelters, with hardly any privacy and sanitation, totally dependent on generous souls for their daily food and essential medicines, indeed their very survival. The plight of women and children is particularly tragic.It is in this pathetic situation of acute distress that our Jesuits in Pannur Mission have been slogging night and day to bring solace and succour to our helpless people, so cruelly treated by the Nature’s fury, and so callously neglected by the State agencies, just because they are poor, illiterate and outcastes, and therefore, voiceless and powerless. Their immediate need is relief. Then comes the more difficult stage of rehabilitation and re-integration into the social mainstream. Our Jesuits are meticulously planning every stage of this prolonged and painful process and implementing it with the help of generous volunteers. They need help.
Therefore, I earnestly request generous friends to come to our immediate help. Delay in this time of acute distress and deprivation can be fatal. I wholeheartedly recommend the appeal made by our Jesuits to the care and compassion of all of you."
During our first trip to India in December 2007, our family stayed in the village of Pannur in the hostel there (one of the photos shows this under water). In February of this year, we returned to India to meet some of the children we sponsor and their parents, all living in Pannur and the surrounding villages. It is tragic to think of these people who had so little to start with, now existing day to day with nothing.
Despite their anguish, shock, illnesses and loss of dear ones, it is astonishing to hear from Father Eric that "inspite of all they suffer they have a divine smile which is very inspiring, a deep trust in SOMEONE who has cared for them".
Please give any amount that you can afford as it will all add up. This campaign is specifically to contribute towards the cost of building materials for modest, but strong houses, so this kind of loss and tragedy can never happen again. The building materials will cost £3000 per house, and the people of Pannur will build the houses themselves. Father Eric will put a plaque on each house mentioning the name of a donor, or group of donors, so that it will remain a constant reminder to whoever lives in that house. The house could also be purchased in memory of a loved one, and the loved one's name would then be put on the plaque.
Please contact me if you'd like further information about this project or any other of the projects we are managing.
with many thanks for taking the time to read this page
Dinah Findlay
01279 843248
