“At last our road is repaired….it was not repaired for the last 20 years”. The feeling was mutual for the villagers of Polash Danga who experienced the dearth of proper roads in thick and thin times. The road connecting Polash Danga and Goatpara village was a long-standing demand of the villagers due to commutation challenges in access to healthcare facilities, education, and livelihood. Despite several requests, petitions and appeals, the

The natural resources are fast depleting due to irresponsible consumption and unscrupulous practices. It is important that individuals, communities and organisations must measure, manage and mitigate their impact on the ecosystems. To help build the capacities of organisations, Caritas India recently organized three days of Natural Resource Management (NRM) training for Saksham partner coordinators and other participants from Kripa SWS, at Kripa

Life had become particularly agonising for 23-year-old Poonam Sunil Solanke who had lost her husband three years back. In the face of rejection and stigmatisation of family and village community, Poonam had to do something exceptional to stay alive and to raise her two little children. “We had taken Rs. 50,000 (€600) from local moneylenders for cultivating soybean and cotton. In the year 2019, crops failed because of drought. We did not have

It is no surprise that rural farmer groups like the Pan Bari Farmers club in Changlang District of Arunachal Pradesh are already adapting to climate change. With the current pattern of erratic rainfall, fluctuating temperatures, and the emergence of new pests and diseases in Dharmapur II village, growing seasonal crops and yield are severely challenged. For Pan Bari Farmers club and millions of smallholder farmers, now it is more than ever important

The WCDM–DRR Excellence Awards 2022 was announced to Caritas India, the social development arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India working in the field of Humanitarian Aid & Disaster Risk Reduction, Community Health, and Climate Adaptive Agriculture & Food Sovereignty. Fr. (Dr.) Jolly Puthenpura, the Assistant Executive Director and Fr. Sushil Modi, Administrator of Caritas India received the award from Shri G Kishan Reddy, Hon’ble

“I had heard of mushroom cultivation but never tried it, so it was new for me and many of us. I thought it was a quick and easy way to make money,” said Rosemary Baghwar, one of the women group members from Golaghat district of Assam. Seva Kendra Dibrugarh (SKD), a Caritas India local partner for FARM North East program encouraged women to find a way to supplement their income. Traditionally, women stay at home to take care of household chores

The next phase of the BMZ child rights proposal for West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Assam would focus on prevention, protection and development aspects. During Covid Pandemic 2020, India has recorded over 350 Crimes against children each day, according to National Criminal Records Bureau (NCRB). The high rate of incidences of crime against children forced Caritas India to take necessary action and develop programs to alleviate the situation of Children

Climate change is seen as an environmental crisis but it has a deeper interlinkage with development challenges. The effect of one transcends to the other in one form or the other. The situaiton needs a comprehensive and inclusive approach to address the issue. Caritas Institute of Development, Action and Learning (CIDAL), Indian Council of Social Welfare (ICSW) and CEVA co-organised a workshop on Climate adaptive approaches and practices to enlighten