The fury of the monsoons this year was felt in a telling way in the state of Kerala. Heavy rains, flooding and the opening of the reservoirs and dams inflicted untold miseries on the people. The monsoon fury left human and economic losses in its wake. There was a sea of generous sacrificing souls who rushed to the aid of the flood affected people of the state. Many institutions, agencies, government and people rushed to help, while calls for assistance kept coming in. The Salesian presence was notable at this time of emergency where many Don Bosco institutions opened its centers as shelter and relief camps. While many of the Salesian houses have been irreparably damaged, many others have reached out to the affected in time of their need. BREADS has been coordinating the Flood Relief Project in Kerala at every stage from distribution of relief materials to rebuilding Kerala.
BREADS received generous contributions in cash and kind from different parts of the state and nation. Don Bosco High School, Matunga, Mumbai has done remarkable contribution to restore the lives of the flood affected people in Kerala including a staff who contributed a day’s salary towards the cause. They also joined the initiative by the past pupils at St. Dominic Savio Andheri of helping the initiative by BREADS titled “Student to Student” campaign – to support a child to be back in school by donating notebooks, school bags or any other study material. Don Bosco students of kindergarten, primary and secondary sections came out in large numbers to unite in this social commitment of students to support the flood affected students of Kerala. Principal Fr. Bernard Fernandes and the teachers in the school have supported the children in this humanitarian act. These and many other forms of generous gestures will go a long way to assuage the pain and memory of a flood that left a catastrophic trail.
