Damien Social Welfare Centre

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Damien Social Welfare Centre

Annual Report 2013

As the year 2013 comes to an end and we step into the New Year 2014, the Year when Damien Social Welfare Centre (DSWC), Dhanbad completes 50 years of service to leprosy patients and their dependents, I think it is the right time to quickly walk over the experience of the year 2013 and to share with you the activities DSWC was involved in throughout the year and at the same time thank all the friends, benefactors, well wishers and workers for the wonderful partnership and service DSWC had. It has been another great year at DSWC, Dhanbad. Thanks to the commitment and generosity of our committed benefactors and well wishers, because of whom we at DSWC have been able to touch the lives of thousands of leprosy affected individuals and their families living in some of the poorest communities of India.

Let me begin the sharing with Health Sector. DSWC hopes that all, who are from the leprosy background, will have access to proper treatment, a livelihood and inclusion in their community. We are continually working to bring hope and purpose back to the lives of those devastated by leprosy. Through Nirmala General & Leprosy Hospital, DSWC is taking care of leprosy complications, deformity prevention and surgical correction of deformities. This year Nirmala General & Leprosy Hospital (NGLH) conducted five health camps in different places, where 217 eye patients, 17 ortho patients, 36 dental patients were checked. There were 63 new MB patients and 171 PB patients treated in the hospital. DSWC is also conducting rapid survey of those blocks, from where we are getting many leprosy patients. In the last one year DSWC has visited 16198 families of 63 villages of 22 Panchayats of Baghmara Block, examined 24060 male and 26742 female and detected 127 new PB cases and 78 new MB cases. As a follow of rapid survey, doctors from DSWC are conducting field clinics on second and fourth Thursday of every month. Beside these NGLP had 200 patients in OPD and 210 patients in IPD.

DSWC, in the process of building future of leprosy patients, is educating children especially the girl children of leprosy patients. There are 214 girls in Nirmala Girls’ Hostel, a unit of DSWC and there are 487 children studying in Nirmala School, a unit of DSWC. This year for the Republic Day and Independence Day Mr. Shashi Oraon, the Senior Manager, BCCL, Area No. 9 and Ms Ann George, the wife of Superintendent of Police, Dhanbad hoisted the National flag as chief guest on the occasion respectively. Like every year this year too children from Nirmala School, a unit of DSWC, participated in different competition like dance competition in the evening of Independence day and quiz competition, where children came victorious. This year School also conducted GK competition, Annual Sports day, Science-Craft Exhibition, Inter house Mini Games tournament and Hindi- English Speech competition in the school for the overall development of children. On 2nd October to 8th October Scout and Guide Training was organized. 75 students successfully completed first sopan of Scout & Guide training and received scarf and certificate. 0n 16th February teachers visited Chitranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) as a part of their educational tour. CLW is one of the largest Electric Locomotive manufacturers in the world. CLW also manufactures AC & DC Traction motors, Switch gears/Control gears, Bogies cast & fabricated, Wheel sets & Steel casting. On 14th November Children visited Nehru Park Burnpur.

Baramasia Rehabilitation & Training Centre (BRTC) is one of the proofs, which tells the world that DSWC is making an effort to rehabilitate leprosy patients and their dependents completely. At present 90 families are earning their bread & butter from BRTC by making bed sheets, lunges, bandages, gauzes, shawls, door mats, and carpets. Thanks to Mr. Glen Joseph Galstaun, who donated 20 KV generated for the proper functioning of BRTC. Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) gave a power loom for BRTC.

Nirmala Nursing School: This is going to be a new unit of DSWC. DSWC had been sending selected few girls for various training to different institution so that these girls, having completed skill development training, become an earning member of their own families. With much discussion and effort, DSWC is going to start Nirmala Nursing School (NNS), a unit of DSWC, to conduct Auxiliary Nursing Midwifery (ANM) training for those girls, who have completed their schooling. With this DSWC will train at least 5-10 girls from leprosy colony every year. Jharkhand government has given No Objection Certificate (NOC) to conduct the training. DSWC is waiting for the affiliation from Indian Nursing Council. Hopefully DSWC will be able to conduct ANM training from April 2014.

Leprosy patients in the colony: DSWC has been a promoter of community based rehabilitation and so though the health clinics could not be conducted in the colonies due to financial crunch, DSWC has been trying to rehabilitate leprosy patients, staying in the colonies, socially and economically. In this effort DSWC has helped women, from the colonies, to form 14 Self Help Groups, who have total saving Rs 59, 200, where Rs 42,450 in hand, Rs 13,000 at bank and Rs 3800 is on inter loaning. This saving and thrift becomes all the more interesting because these women cannot think of savings, as they survive on begging or at the most rag picking. They only know to beg and to receive.

Inauguration of Golden Jubilee Year: As the year was coming to an end, DSWC was getting ready to start the Golden Jubilee year. Can you imagine DSWC is going to complete 50 years of service to leprosy patients in Dhanbad. The journey began in 1964 in the premises of St. Anthony Church, Dhanbad is going to complete its 50 years of service in 2014. On 8th December 2013, the Golden Jubilee year was inaugurated. Most Rev Felix Toppo, SJ, the Bishop of Jamshedpur began the day with invoking God’s blessing on DSWC and Mr. Rajender Prasad Singh, the Health Minister of Jharkhand graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. With a promise to do better in the Golden Jubilee year the Year 2013 came to an end.

We are extremely grateful to all of our supporters, well wishers and donors for their generosity and commitment to our thrust of serving leprosy patients and their dependents. We simply could not do our work without your help. On behalf of all the people affected by leprosy and DSWC family, we thank you from the depths of our heart.

We would like especially to mention the names of Rokko Gakuin, Japan, Dka, Austria, Missio, Germany and Mr. Braham Dev Laroia, who had been extremely good to DSWC throughout the year. Our sincere thanks and prayers for you all.

We acknowledge the hard work of all our doctors, sisters, staff and volunteers, who have put their hard labour to serve leprosy patients. God bless us all.

Fr. Bipin Pani

Director

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