CCCYC Team Visit to Jagruthi

CCCYC Team Visit to Jagruthi

In India, varied gradations in the social and economic palettes are explicated through poverty, malnutrition, sanitation problems and cluttered shelters. Global developmental and relief agencies estimate about 11 million children live in the Indian streets. Also, more than 2 million Indians are living with HIV/AIDS. Scanning the statistics and ramifications in detail will reveal the unenviable conditions in the lives of millions of the children and communities. The council through various contextualised programmes addresses the challenges of children and communities whose future is at risk if not intervened appropriately.

Jagruthi aims at implementing programmes to prevent sexual abuse, rescue and rehabilitate children from sex trade and sexually abused children in Bangalore. Jagruthi means to empower; as the name suggests, the organization works to empower the weak and vulnerable sidelined in the society on the basis of poverty,

Mr. Solomon P. Benjamin, the Chief Executive of CCCYC, Mr. Joseph Chungath and Mr. Gnana D. Hans, Project Officers, CCCYC visited the Jagruthi on 24 April 2013. The CCCYC team interacted with the direct beneficiaries of the project to understand the impact of the programmes. Most of the beneficiaries, opined that Jagruthi has empowered them to imbibe confidence and hope to encounter the challenges and realities of life. The beneficiaries of Jagruthi visibly carry the confidence that helps them to realize their inherent potentials, the courage to encounter the current challenges and hope to celebrate the fullness of life.    

Please visit, http://jagruthi.poweroflove.org to know more about Jagruthi 

Steering into new horizons

For more than fiver decades, the Churches’ Council for Child and Youth Care has been actively working in partnership with Kindernothilfe (KNH) in the midst of this convulsed situation as beacon of hope to the children, youth and their communities pushed to the fringes of the society. The Council implements programmes and strategies to emancipate and empower the children and their communities in the margins by facilitating the due rights and privileges. The programmes intended for the deserving sections of the society are aimed to transform the lives of the children and their communities. Yet another part of the journey has begun with the leadership of the new Chief Executive, Mr. Solomon P. Benjamin.

The Chief Executive of CCCYC and the central office team had time of interaction with the programme team, the finance and administration team and the information technology team from 15 April to 19 April 2013 in the Central Office. The interaction and discussion were focused on the enhancing programme implementation methods, developing better monitoring and evaluation tools, encouraging and capacitating the field staff about the current trends in social development sector. The Chief Executive and the central office team of CCCYC feel about augmenting the aspects accountability and transparency in the all the transactions involved in programme implementation, finance management, resource mobilization and result management. The Chief Executive and central office team are confident about implementing novel and effective practices in the programme management so that deserving children, youth, women and their communities in distress will find the beacon of hope in their journey of life.

Visit to abode of love and hope

“The ultimate criterion for gauging the integrity of society . . . is the way it treats children, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable ones.” (UNICEF)

Social security, personal surety and undisturbed social living with lots of love and hope are some of the significant aspects that contribute to the sustainable development of the children. The Churches’ Council for Child and Youth Care (CCCYC) in partnership with Kindernothilfe (KNH) has been incessantly intervening in the lives of differently abled children and other vulnerable children to help them celebrate the fullness of life by implementing contextualised programmes through the various project carriers like the Church. In this regard, the Church of South India (CSI) Vellore Diocese implemented programmes for deserving children, women, youth and communities in margins. The Diocese of Vellore is located in the northern part of the Tamilnadu, flanked by agricultural related activities. Predominantly, the diocese has rural milieu with very less access to the resources. The project carrier strives to bring about change in the lives of many thousands of people living in this area through programmes to promote education, to disseminate information and programme to augment their livelihood abilities.

On 18 April 2013, CCCYC team headed by Mr. Solomon P. Benjamin, the Chief Executive, Mr. J. Asir Jeyasingh, Programme Manager, Mr. Gnana D. Hans, Project Officer visited select project in CSI Vellore Diocese supported by CCCYC and KNH namely ‘Anbu Illam’ and ‘Adaikalam’ situated in the perimeter of the Vellore town. Anbu Illam, is project for the Children with Cerebral Palsy and Intellectually Challenged Children; about 82 deserving children are supported by the project. The project has individualized intervention strategy to facilitate better rehabilitation and total development of the children. Adaikalam, was started in the year 1997, aimed at providing care, support and hope to children and families suffering from various effects of HIV/AIDS. Apart from the physical and economic implications, the families especially undergo severe social ostracism. The lives of innocent children and women are affected to an extent that their future is uncertain. At present 200 children from 100 HIV/AIDS infected and affected families around Vellore are covered.

‘Anbu illam’ means abode of love and ‘Adaikalam’ means safe shelter or abode. The name of both projects suggests to those in vortex of distress about the presence of stronghold or abode with love and hope.   

KNH digntaries visit Agniraksha, project to care and support burns victims on 3 April 2013

KNH digntaries visit Agniraksha, project to care and support burns victims on 3 April 2013

Rev. Dr. Jurgen Thiesbonenkamp, Chairman, Board Of Directors, KNH and Mr. Christoph Dehn, Director for Programmes, KNH, Mr. Solomon P. Benjamin, CEO, CCCYC and Mr. J. Asir Jeyasingh, Programme Manager, CCCYC visited Agniraksha, a project for burns victims in the city of Bangalore. Agniraksha works for the prevention of burns, treatment and rehabilitation of burns victims irrespective of caste, creed, religion and social background. Also, the project provides information, support services and training to disfigured burn victims, their families, students, teachers as well as health professionals and create an optimal environment for total rehabilitation of the patient and prevention of burns. The organization also gives importance to confidence building and ways of projecting one’s personality to counter the reactions of people to burns victims.

For more Information on Agniraksha and the various programmes implemented by the organization, please visit, http://www.agniraksha.org/

Into new Horizons …

The Churches’ Council for Child and Youth Care crossed yet another milestone on 3 April 2013. Mr. Solomon Paul Benjamin has been installed as the Chief Executive of the Churches’ Council for Child and Youth Care by the Most. Rev. Dr. G. Devakadasham, the Chairperson of the Council and the Moderator of the Church of South India. Rev. Dr. Dr. Jürgen Thiesbonenkamp, Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors delivered the special address for the day. Several dignitaries from the Partner Organizations, Churches, Projects attended the installation programme. 

Celebrating the Goodness and Faithfulness of God

The farewell programme for Mr. Arunkumar Bunyan, the outgoing chief Executive of CCCYC was held on 2 April 2013 at 6:30 pm in the CCCYC premises. Several distinguished dignitaries attended the programme from the Church and the society, friends and well-wishers of CCCYC. Mr. Arunkumar Bunyan traveled with the organization for about 4 decades; he has witnessed and has actively participated in the mission and ministry of the Council. His contributions have strengthened and inspired the journey towards realizing the objective of the mission of the Council. The event was organized to acknowledge and celebrate the goodness and faithfulness of God on the ministry of Churches Council for Child and Youth and for the active service rendered by Mr. Arunkumar Bunyan.    

About Mr. Arunkumar Bunyan

Mr. Arunkumar Bunyan, was born on 2 September 1947 in the town of Nandhyal in the state of Andhrapradesh. He was youngest among the 10 children of the family of Rev. Alfred Bunyan and Mrs. Shantha Jessica , a renowned pastoral family in CSI Dornakal Diocese. The family moved from Nandhyal to Dornakal on the invitation of Bishop. Azariah, the first Indian Bishop in the Church of South India. 

Mr. Arunkumar, did his primary schooling in Kothagudam, near Dornakal; Middle school in Machilipatanam high school in Dornakal; he continued his pre-university course in Hyderabad, he did his graduation from Gundur and completed his post graduation course in education and philosophy in Hyderabad.

The embedded Church tradition inherited from the family and his personal urge to serve the deserving sections of the society influenced Mr. Arunkumar to join the child care ministry. Mr. Arunkumar joined the organization 1973; since then, he participated in the ministry with in various capacities. He started his career as the Vocational Guidance Officer in 1973; from 1976 to 1978 he served as the Home Officer; from 1979 to 1985 he worked as the Research Officer, from 1986 to 1991 he worked as the Programme officer, from 1992 to 2005 he served as the Deputy Director. In October 2005, Mr. Arunkumar was selected as the Chief Executive Designate; from January 2006 to April 2006, he was the acting Chief Executive of the Council and on 26 April 2006, he was installed as the Chief Executive of the Council. From 2^nd September 2012, Mr. Arunkumar was asked to continue as the Consultant Chief Executive until 31^st March 2012.