Walking With the Poor - Notes From the Field

Mission awareness trip to India

Nov. 4-15, 2005 – On the road again

On the mild fall morning of Nov. 4, 2005, members of the CFCA-Kansas team Paul Pearce, Ilene Adams, Chris Shillito and I headed off to south-central India and the Philippines. For all of us, the eight-hour flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam passes rather quickly. We are quite busy preparing for visits to CFCA projects in India and days of staff formation. In spite of the cramped quarters on the plane, we are able to prepare for our upcoming presentations. After a short breather in Amsterdam, we undertake another eight-hour jaunt to Mumbai (Bombay). We take the midnight shuttle to the domestic airport in Mumbai and arrive in Bangalore in the wee hours of the morning on Nov. 6. At last, we begin to feel the great distance between San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala, Kansas City and Bangalore, India.

We were kindly met at the Bangalore airport at about 4:30 a.m. by Father George Matthew, SDB. At the Salesian Provincial House, where we are staying, we meet the 10 members of this local community, plus the provincial and his leadership team.

A few hours of sleep really felt good before heading over to visit the 36 sponsored children and their families in subproject DBL. We spoke, sang and shared with them until time for Holy Mass at the parish. In his homily Father George, spoke about the core values of CFCA. There are three or four different language groups in this parish. Music really helps to bridge those gaps.

The CFCA mission awareness travelers are also on the road. This nice, big group will split for travel throughout the country in order to visit the homes of as many sponsored children as possible. The appearance of real live sponsors in the various CFCA subprojects animates and encourages children, families, aging and co-workers.

Our pilgrim CFCA-Kansas team (Ilene, Chris, Paul, Bob) is invited to stay at the former Salesian Provincial House, which now houses the CFCA-Breads office. The Salesian community now has a new provincial center just a few blocks away.

Nov. 8, 2005 – A new home for youth at risk

After some bone-jarring roads, out of the red rocky forest rises a relatively new and quite large home for children and youth at risk. The home itself is made of quarried stone and steel — built to last. Of the 112 boys in residence, 27 are now sponsored. A group of these outgoing and affectionate children met us at the main gate. Father Vargese, director of the home and veteran of many years working with street children, had prepared a nice breakfast for us. Six Salesians, 12 staff members manage the home along with two young women, Flor from Belgium and Esther from Netherlands, who are offering a year of volunteer service at this center.

This home serves mainly two groups of children at risk: the street children of Bangalore and child laborers from Magadi. Father Matthew tells us that when the Salesians began this home some nine years ago, there were an estimated 6,000 children in this area, deprived of the opportunity to study and compelled to work in the silk industry. Community pressure is now causing employers and parents to remedy this situation.

We find the children to be very friendly and affectionate — in search of some positive personal attention which they lacked during their time on the streets. A good number of them have visible scars. The children prepared a nice performance for us. The youngest member of our traveling CFCA-Kansas team, Chris, wowed them with his dance moves. Ilene had half the kids up dancing to the Paul and Bob version of “Jambalaya.”

Village of Magadi

Warmth and friendliness characterize the parents of sponsored children in the small parish of Magadi. With the children all in school, we met the parents of the 29 sponsored children of the area in their new little church on this cool and sunny morning.

The reality of these parents is challenging. Many families depend on very low income “coolie” work: loading and carrying bundles in the market, carrying bricks and cement on construction sites. Economically speaking, there is little chance for these parents to offer their children a brighter future.

A common message of these parents: “Thank you for helping our children get an education and come up in life.” We share a cup of coffee and begin the battle through traffic back into Bangalore.

Back in Bangalore, we visit a subproject for urban street children. As a part of their effort to rescue children who have hit the streets recently, they maintain a 24-hour hotline as well as the presence of staff at strategic points within the inner city. The dedicated staff meets the children and youth “wherever they are” on their painful personal journey. Respecting the freedom of the children, the staff gradually wins their trust and friendship. which segues into counseling, schooling, vocational/technical training and, whenever possible, reintegration with families.

Nov. 8, 2005 – A day of CFCA formation

We spent the entire day in a formation workshop with about 30 subproject coordinators, the great majority of them Salesian priests.

The current Salesian provincial of Bangalore invited us to participate in the traditional lighting of the lamp and offered the official welcome. In his introduction, he mentioned that out of 162 countries, India ranks 127 for human development; 223,000,000 people go to bed hungry every night in India; the country has a 50% literacy rate. Every newborn child is an affirmation of God’s hope.

From these dedicated missionaries, we witnessed testimonies of great love and service to God’s poor — and specifically to our sponsored families in places with names such as Karnataka and Kerala. Many of these subproject coordinators of all ages traveled by bus all night to get here and will do the same tonight on the trip back to the mission site. These are not luxury buses, and these are not the superhighways of the Western world.

We wrapped up the day with the celebration of Holy Mass in the community chapel. In his homily, Father Provincial expressed the thanks of the Salesian community for the testimony and presence of CFCA in their missions.

Nov. 9, 2005 – Banglore and Cuddapah

We’re invited to a final breakfast with the provincial and team. Visiting them also is Father Elmer Wurth, a veteran Maryknoll missionary, currently serving as pastor at St. Ann’s Parish, Hong Kong. I discovered that Father Elmer and I had many Maryknoll missionary friends in common. Father Elmer invited us to visit his parish community in Hong Kong, whenever we go through there.

Thankful to be here

After one gas stop and five hours of rough roads, where slow-moving ox carts emerge out of centuries past, we arrive at Cuddapah. The presence of thousands of children and adults along the narrow roads and the no-room-for-error velocity of most drivers calls forth many a prayer and makes me a disciple of train travel in India.

In one day, our lodging changed from the provincial house in Bangalore to the bishop’s house in Cuddapah. We are grateful for the hospitality. The entire diocesan team and a hundred or so sponsored children were on hand to welcome us at the diocesan complex. At this time, we have sponsored 2,029 children and 314 aging through this project.

After a prayer session in the chapel and supper in the refectory, we were invited to a cultural gathering. One hundred or so children, youth and respective staff members prepared a very enjoyable musical program. For us, it had already been a long day, but the excitement in the eyes of the children seemed to electrify the atmosphere. Naturally, Paul and I offered our cultural tour of the CFCA world through song.

Nov. 10, 2005 - Cuddapah

After an early morning run inside the diocesan center and a hearty breakfast prepared by the ever-smiling Sister Latha, we head out in two jeeps to visit subprojects about two hours away. With the distances and planned programs in each site, these visits will take us into the warm Cuddapah evening. Waters are still high from the recent heavy rains.

In witnessing the work on road construction, we note that women often do much of the hauling and heavy coolie labor. As they coordinate our arrivals at the next stop, our priest hosts are frequently on their cell phones.

We had two major gatherings of sponsored children today. The first was in a large boarding facility for girls, the second five kilometers away in a boarding home for boys. Religious sisters of Joseph and Mary manage the hostel for some 300 girls. We were grateful for the nice lunch prepared by the sisters.

Road note: I’m happy we insisted that the drivers drive slowly on the way home. I am in the front seat of the lead vehicle. Just now we almost hit a young boy who dashed in front of our jeep. All four wheels locked up and my seatbelt was tested. Gracias, Señor.

Nov. 11, 2005 –The night train and an unforgettable reception

I write on the train now as we travel through the night between Cuddapah and Hyderabad. We were surprisingly met by a group of about 50 beaming sponsored children and their parents from the slum area near the railway station. They were accompanied by CFCA Hyderabad leaders Suresh and Prakash, who snap a lot of photos, even at this early hour in a busy railroad station. Prakash headed off to Warangal with a group of sponsors. Suresh joined our team for a planning breakfast before today’s visit to three subprojects, two of them parish-based. The third subproject called Sahara is community-based and run by impressive lay people.

In dialoging with the sponsored families, we learn that these simple struggling people are forced to pay on an average about one third of their meager income to rent. Often these expensive quarters are one-room shanties with no running water, no bathrooms and no electricity. CFCA project teams are working hard to help them break out of this modern-day version of slavery.

To me it is impressive and hopeful that out of these slums which hold millions of economic refugees from far away places, beautiful, bright-eyed children and wholesome families are emerging. They need and appreciate a sense of belonging. They who have known little compassion from landlords and employers respond in gratitude for the chance to be a part of a CFCA community of compassion. These beautiful children and their parents send love, gratitude and prayers to CFCA and to their sponsors.

Nov. 13, 2005 – An unforgettable gathering of CFCA mothers

The annual gathering of CFCA mothers in something to behold. Thanks to Frederick, the talented and efficient CFCA photographer/co-worker of Hyderabad project, we are bringing back many excellent pictures of this experience. Imagine 5,000 or more enthusiastic mothers under one immense tent pitched in an outdoor schoolyard on a beautiful morning.

Imagine hundreds of sponsored children and youth who have been preparing all year for this event. The CFCA Youth Choir of more than 100 voices performed beautifully. Our team from CFCA-Kansas, as well as the sponsors spoke, sang and shared. Dignitaries such as members of the CFCA Hyderabad Board of Directors and the Catholic Archbishop of Hyderabad stopped by throughout the day to show their support.

Nov. 15, 2005 – Livelihood projects for our sponsored families

On our final morning in India, together with the sponsors, we are privileged to visit two communities with livelihood production projects. The foot-powered sewing machines surged on as mothers empower their families through the opportunity for steady work. Other CFCA Moms produce high quality school notebooks of various sizes. Under the leadership of the CFCA zonal representative, Theresa, the sponsored children and moms had prepared a nice musical program for us.

It is a pleasure to be in touch with you, and to share with you the great adventure of building community in the CFCA world.

Bob Hentzen
Nov. 15, 2005

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