“END POVERTY BY 2015” - This is the historic promise 189 world leaders made at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 when they signed the Millennium Declaration and agreed to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs are an eight-point road map with measurable targets and clear deadlines for improving the lives of the world's poorest people. World leaders have agreed to achieve the MDGs by 2015.

This campaign has been initiated by means of different strategies in different countries. In India, efforts under this campaign were initiated under the name of WADA NA TODO ABHIYAN (Don’t break your promise campaign) which started in 2005. In India, pledges have been taken to eradicate poverty, address the issues of primary education, health, and rights of people along with taking note to fulfill the other goals.

It is in this context, NINE IS MINE, a particular initiative of Wada Na Todo Abhiyan in partnership with Stand Up and Take Action campaign of the UNMC, is a landmark initiative of the civil society groups to consolidate people’s aspiration for equitable development. Nine is Mine is to put the children from across the country at the centre of advocacy effort; speaking in one voice to enable every child to enjoy basic right to education and healthcare as A non- negotiable right. It is a participatory children’s advocacy initiative to call the attention of the government to its promise in the Common Minimum Programme of 2004 and to hold it accountable to its promise to end poverty, social exclusion, and discrimination – in tandem with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Children and staff of Ashalayam along with World Vision and Institution of Human Rights Education(IHRE) joined this campaign in a short cultural program held in the premises of Don Bosco Ashalayam, Kadamtala, Howrah on 16th November, 2011. Nine Children from nine states traveling for nine days through nine cities with nine demands for 9% of GDP for education and health were given a warm welcome on that day. District Social Welfare Officer, Shri. Partha Pratim Dasgupta graced the occasion and pledged his whole-hearted support for the cause.

On 23rd July, 2011, a programme was organized in Ashalayam to felicitate the 26 boys and girls who had passed their Madhyamik Examinations (Class X Board Exams) and the 10 boys and girls who had passed their Uccha Madhyamik (Class XII Board Exams). The Chief Guest for the occasion was Mr. Jugal Joshi, Senior Commandant RPF, Howrah. Mrs. Pranati Pakira, Councilor, Ward No. 22, Howrah was also present.

The program started at 4:00 p.m. with a prayer dance by the girls of Mayer Asha Baltiguri. After the welcome speech by Rev. Fr. George Myppan, Director DBA, some of the children to be felicitated shared their feelings and experiences. This was followed by a dance performance by the girls of Mayer Asha, Ichapur. Then the Chief Guest, Mr. Jugal Joshi addressed everyone and also distributed tokens of appreciation to all the 36 children who had crossed a landmark in their lives. Then, the boys of Asha Nayan presented a folk dance and this was followed by the release of the ‘Home Rule Book” by Dhiman Guha, one of the felicitated. The programme ended with a Vote of Thanks by Rev. Fr. Mathew Parakonath, Executive Director, DBA.

A ‘Relic’ is an object of veneration. It can be anything from the bones of a saint to an object which had been in contact with a saint’s body during his lifetime. Relics do not have magical powers; but they symbolize how divinity works through holy persons even after they have died.

St. Don Bosco, the founder of the Salesian Society, died on 31st January, 1888. His relic has been recomposed from the urn which contained his remains. The bones and tissues of St. Don Bosco’s right hand and arm, which he used to bless countless devotes and admirers, have been placed inside a wax replica of his body, which in turn is enclosed in a large urn. The casket has been specially constructed for a long pilgrimage across the world. Inscripted on the casket are the Latin words “Da mihi animas, ceatera tolle,” which means “Give me souls, take away the rest,” one of Don Bosco’s many quotes that guided his ministry from its earliest stages through today.

In the tradition of pilgrimage, the Relic of St. Don Bosco is being carried into various cities and towns, institutions and centres where his followers work among the young and the poor. This pilgrim journey spanning 130 countries began in Valdocco, Turin, Italy on 25th April, 2009 – the 200th Birth Anniversary of the great saint. The relic first went to America and then to Canada. It arrived in India in the city of Imphal and finally reached Kolkata on 15th July, 2011 and was displayed for veneration in various Don Bosco and other Institutions till 19th July. Following its pilgrimage in the Kolkata province (Sikkim, West Bengal and Bihar) of the Salesian Family, the relic will travel to the provinces of Delhi, Mumbai, Konkan, Karnataka, Hyderabad, Kerala, Tiruchi and Chennai before making its onward journey to Sri Lanka on 30th November, 2011.

15th July, 2011 was one of the most memorable days in the history of Ashalayam when all members of the Ashalayam family – children, fathers and staff – felt the palpable presence of St. Don Bosco in their midst. Rev. Fr. George Myppan, Director, DBA, escorted the casket from Don Bosco Mirpara to Kadamtala, where children of Ashalayam had gathered to lead the relic of the great soul into the premises of Ashalayam. Placed in the basketball court, St. Don Bosco’s Relic was surrounded by children of the different homes from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Each home had meticulously prepared their prayer service and paid homage to the Relic individually. The time between 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon was slotted for the local residents who turned out in numbers to pay their respect. After lunch, at 2:00 p.m. Holy Mass was celebrated by Rev. Fr. Thomas Ellicherail (Provincial) along with all the members of the Salesian family of Don Bosco Ashalayam. At 4:00 p.m. the Casket was taken from Ashalayam to be placed at Auxillium Parish, Gobra, Kolkata.

On 14th July, 2011 a Seminar on “Emotional Support To Victims” was organised by DBA Childline in collaboration with DBA Child Care Reaearch Institute in Don Bosco Ashalayam exclusively for senior police personnel of Howrah District and the Railway Protection Force, Eastern Railways, Howrah. The programme started with the registration of participants at 9:00 a. m. 9 Inspectors of the Railway Protection Force and 18 Inspectors of Howrah District Police participated in it.
The seminar was inaugurated by the lighting of the lamp by Fr. George Myppan (Director, DBA), Fr. Mathew Parakonath (Executive Director of DBA), two Senior Police Personnel and one Child from Don Bosco Ashalayam.

Proceedings started with a welcome speech by Fr. George Myppan, followed by a welcome dance by girls of Mayer Asha. After that, Fr. George introduced the Seminar Facilitator, Dr. George Kallingal, to everyone. A Ph.D on Educational Psychology from Michigan State University in 1972, Dr. Kallingal is currently a Professor in The University of Guam, U.S.A. Fr. George appreciated the fact that the Police had been doing a wonderful job for the betterment and stable future of marginalised children and assured his full support for deprived children in all ways possible.

After a tea break at 10:30 a.m., Dr. Kallingal presented a power point presentation on “Emotional Support to Victims”. He discussed about the unique nature of human beings, basic human rights, the meaning of victimization, children’s primary needs and victims’ needs. He emphasised that we are not objects or robots, rather we are beings with thinking and feeling power, personal values and a sprit. We should use our heads as well as our hearts when dealing with people, specially children. He said that we all need to have a clear understanding of human rights and children’s rights, children’s protection, constitutional guaranty etc. He described that a human being could be victimized in many ways like physical abuse, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, neglect etc.

Dr. Kaliingal focused his lecture on the importance of children’s primary needs like security, love, esteem and a sense of belonging. He said that thought and emotion are closely linked and negative emotions are caused by negative thinking, whereas positive emotions are caused by positive thinking. Unresolved emotions may result in stunted growth and people with too many repressed emotions need a lot of help to extricate themselves. They might not be able to do it by themselves. Many abused and neglected children feel as if they are in a quick stand and without help, they were likely to sink further. Dr. Kallingal then shared some remedial measures like reassurance, oppotunity for expression, change of cognition, fostering of hope, self-concept etc. for the therapy of victims. He said “Success breeds success and failure breeds failure” and children need tasks they can complete. These tasks should neither very difficulty nor too easy and must be completed as expected. Children should also be given feedback based on their performance. All children can excel if they are given oppotunities and allowed to perform in their own unique way. Dr. Kallingal also stressed that spiritual activity can foster radical change in human attitude and behaviour. He also mentioned that non-expression of human emotion leads to emotional blockages which slowly build up into negative attitudes. Thus, it is absolutely essential for every person to learn ways of expressing emotion.

The Seminar ended after lunch at 4:00 p. m. with the distribution of participation certificates and a vote of thanks by Fr. George followed by tea.

Rev. Fr. C. J. George has relinquished his post as the Director of Ashalayam as per the norms of the Salesian Council and is currently posted in Salesian College, Sonada.

His had been a 15-year journey with Ashalayam (with a break in between for 10 years) which enriched him for a better experience in Ashalayam in the last three years. To leave was not easy, as he had committed to help many lives with lots of personal suggestions and interest. He firmly believed that God’s ways are sometimes difficult to comprehend and accept but there is always a good conclusion with best possibilities for all. His dreams and efforts were to go beyond the 600 children in the 25 homes, and 5000 in the 26 DBA presences and to co-operate with the society and government to reach out to many more of the rootless and roofless. To achieve this, he garnered government support for many more children for education, food, medicine and other essential facilities. His vision of a just, humane and child- friendly society broadened his mission which resulted in the coming forward of the society, government institutions and officials and many corporate houses to come forward and lend a helping hand to Ashalayam for enriching the lives of the most marginalized children.

All children and staff of Ashalayam are indebted to Fr. George for all his efforts and sacrifices in taking the organization to new heights of achievement and recognition by creating linkages with various government/non-government institutions and individuals. We are all grateful to him for establishing new meaning in our work and touching the lives of each one of us on a personal level.

Rev. Fr. George Myppan SDB assumed charge as the Director of Don Bosco Ashalayam on 19th June, 2011. He came to Kolkata in 1971 and completed his university studies in Sonada. In 1978, he joined the Don Bosco Welfare Centre, Azimganj and worked there for the upliftment of the Santhal Tribes. Though being the biggest tribe in India, the Santhal Tribes had the highest illiteracy rate – 90%. Today, however, the picture is radically different since 80% of the Santhalis are literate. During his stay in Azimganj, Fr. George was ordained as a priest in 1985.

In 2004. Fr. George came to Kolkata and worked as the Co-ordinator of the Non-Formal School and Training Centre at Nitika Don Bosco which reached out to 1500 destitute children through Non-Formal School and tuition, Spoken English classes, medical and nutritional care of patients affected by tuberculosis and Care of Youth at Risk, namely street and working children.

Summer holidays is that time of the year towards which all the children of Ashalayam eagerly look forward to throughout the year. It’s time for another Summer Camp - “SMILE CAMP” 2011 for the children of Don Bosco Ashalayam!

Ashalayam Annual Camps offer a variety of hands-on, fun activities that help children learn about the natural world, other people, and themselves. It’s the time when children enjoy themselves for a few days during their summer holidays.

The dedicated staff of DBA provide a child-friendly environment where campers confidently explore, make new friends and learn new things.

During the camp the creative and leadership skills and hobbies of the children are nurtured through various activities like art & craft, creative writings, quizzing, adventure games, cultural programs, various group games, hiking etc.

This year, the theme of the camp was – SMILE and 3 “SMILE CAMPS” were organised for
the children staying in the Shelter Homes of Ashalayam :-

1. Sub-Junior Camp for children in the age group 5-9 years was held between 25th –
29th May, 2011 at Barasat. 120 children participated in the Camp.


2. Junior Camp for children studying in Classes V - VII between was held between 25th
to 29th May, 2011 at Don Bosco School, Liluah.

3. Senior Camp for children studying in Class VIII and above was organised between 31st May - 4th June, 2011 at St. Patrick's School, Asansol. 140 senior boys and girls participated in the Camp.

30 children (24 boys and 6 girls) of DBA appeared for their Madhyamik (Secondary) Examination in the month of February, 2011.

14 children (8 girls and 6 boys)appeared for Higher Secondary Examination.

A one-day seminar on “Legal Consultancy On Childcare” was organized by DBA CHILDLINE in collaboration with the Child Care Research Institute of Don Bosco Ashalayam on 18th March, 2011. Among the participants were personnel from Police, Government and NGOs of Howrah and Kolkata. The Chief Guest for the programme was Shri Sumonjit Roy, Addl.S.P.Town, Howrah and Rev. Fr. Jose Pampadiyl SDB, Vice Provincial, was the Guest of Honour. The seminar was inaugurated by lighting of the lamp after a welcome speech by Rev. Fr. George Chempakathinal, Director DBA .

Fr. Jose Pampadiyil said that DBA makes a “Home” for those who cannot be in their own home for various reasons. He appreciated the training programmes with personnel from the Police, GOs & NGOs and emphasized the responsibility of society in coming forward to make these children feel as at home as much as possible - just as in their own homes. The Chief Guest, Shri Sumonjit Roy also expressed appreciation for the work that DBA has been doing for street children.

Shri Sarfaraj Ahmed Khan, Professor, National University of Juridical Sciences, speaker at the seminar, talked on laws relating to children and spoke about different types of bonded labour, human trafficking and child marriage. Shri Subrata Mukherjee, Coordinator - DBA Childline said that the laws outlined in the JJ Act were for children, i.e. those who have not yet attained the age of 18 and they fall under two categories - (i) Children in need of care and protection and (ii) Children in conflict with the law.

Ms. Kavita Singh, Professor, National University of Juridical Sciences, along with Shri Pradeep Kr. Bandyapadhya, advocate, spoke on latest judgements in child-related cases. The discussion that followed brought forward many questions and highlighted the difficulties faced by the people who take care of children. It was the unanimous opinion of all the speakers that good practices can empower people to help children and establish a humane, child-friendly society. Fr. George awarded certificates to all the participants.

VTC Trainees from all 4 Centres (Howrah, Kolkata, Kalyani and Pilkhana) assembled in DBA in Howrah to celebrate the Annual VTC Day on 4 December 2010. The program commenced at 10.00 AM with an animation on stress management followed by cultural program. 106 trainees (76 girls & 30 boys) who completed their respective course this year were awarded with certificates by the DBA Director Fr. George Chempakathinal. The VTC Coordinator Mr. Bernard congratulated the successful candidates for their hard work and dedication and wished them all the best for the future.

India is a multi cultural, multi lingual society and this diversity is her greatest strength therefore in its silver jubilee year, the theme of this children’s fest was “Unity in Diversity”.
250 children from 20 Organisations participated in the Silver Jubilee Children’s Fest organised by Don Bosco Ashalayam on 21 November 2010. The program started at 10.00 AM in the morning and concluded at 04.30 PM with evening tea and snacks. Earlier at lunch the children were treated a host of vegetarian and non vegetarian delicacies and off course sweets. There was Singing, Dancing, Art, Extempore Speech and Go As You Like competitions. Our Director Fr. George warmly welcomed the participants and stressed on the need for harmonious co-existence as envisioned by our founding fathers who believed that “Unity in Diversity” as the bedrock of a peacful, strong and vibrant India .
There was enthusiastic participation in all the events. Competition was tough and the judges were in dilemma – as to whom to award the top honour. Finally the winners were announced and a loud cheering greeted the winners. Chief Guest, Ms. Sanghamitra Ghosh, District Magistrate of Howrah gave away the prizes and congratulated all the participants for making this a memorable occasion.

Mr.C.V.Peter, one of our staff members, had gone to see the doctor on 19th July for fever and was advised to be admitted in the nursing home. After three days, on the advice of the doctor he was shifted to Westbank Hospital, Howrah, for specialized treatment. He died on July 28, 2010 due to multiple organ failure. May his soul rest in peace.
Mr. Peter is survived by his wife and 3 year old son.

REPORT OF THE ASHALAYAM EDUCATIONAL CAMP 2010
Don Bosco Ashalayam, being a project for destitute children many of them do not have an opportunity to go out to visit parents or relatives. An annual programme is organized in the form of camps for a change from the usual environment and routine which enhances their possibilities for personality development. During this year 4 such camps were organized for the various age groups and everyone enjoyed every bit of their “OUT STAY” as it was well planned.
1. 40 children below the age of seven reached Ferrando Institute in Bandel, Hooghly District, West Bengal, which accommodates one of the homes of Ashalayam and they were kept busy with games, good food, outings and many other activities that kept them enthusiastic and vibrant. The 400 year old Bandel Church was one of the wonders that they have seen so far. As it was conducted by some of our senior girls it was enriching and enjoyable for both the groups.
2. Environment and culture are very dear topics for all Indians with a rich heritage. The boys who completed the school finals and the seniors were taken for the said programme which gave them a taste of Indian History and appreciation of environment which leads to protection which is so very essential in today’s world.
3. Children of classes two to five were taken to Krishnanagar, Nadia District, West Bengal, the traditional city of Bengali culture. Don Bosco School with spacious building and ground was a real boon for the children for four days.
This year the motto or the theme of the camp was to make them and teach them responsible and good human beings, therefore the theme was designed as “THINK WELL OF ALL, SPEAK WELL OF ALL AND DO GOOD TO ALL”
During the camp exposure visits were made to three important places namely Shantiniketan, the home town and house of The Legend Nobel Prize winner, Kavi Rabindranath Tagore, then to Bakreshwar, a place of Hot Spring and lastly to a river dam at Massanjore.
The other activities conducted were Quiz Competition, different Group games, Adventure games, Different Cultural program competitions, Hike to Forest and lightening Tournament.
The total number of children and staff participated in the senior education camp was 250. Two Fathers and senior staff accompanied the campers.

His Excellency Mr. M.K. Narayanan The Governor of West Bengal entered Ashalayam at 05.00 PM as scheduled and was warmly welcomed by the Ashalayam Children, the District Magistrate Mrs. Sanghamitra Ghosh, Mr. Hari Kusumakar Superintendent of Police, Fr. George Chempakathinal our Director and Provincial Fr. Thomas Ellicherail. The Scout team smartly saluted the Governor as he walked past, with the colourfully dressed flower girls strewing petals in his path.

After the welcome prayer dance and the prayer of blessings the Governor inaugurated the Child Care Research Institute by cutting the ribbon. Following the inauguration Fr. Thomas Ellicherail welcomed the august gathering and outlined Don Bosco’s work for the oppressed and the underprivileged globally and nationally. Most. Rev. Lucas Sirkar Archbishop of Kolkata blessed everyone present and stated Ashalayam’s vision in protecting the children and urged the children to draw energy from the commitment and hard work of the founding members. His Excellency Shri M.K. Narayanan the Governor of West Bengal said in his inspiring speech that he was moved by life stories of Ashalayam’s children who, after battling severe adversities in life have become successful (street to PG level) and contributing members of society. He lauded the spirit and commitment of Ashalayam and urged them to work hard and earn their rightful place in society.

The Governor gave away awards to persons who have contributed significantly to the development of Ashalayam and mementos of appreciation to 6 children for outstanding achievement.

Later the Governor released the Souvenir to mark the Silver Jubilee of Don Bosco Ashalayam. Ashalayam children hosted a cultural program with Bengali folk dance, Heal the World and a dance drama. Fr. Provincial handed mementos to people who made impressionable contribution in the history of Ashalayam.

More than 600 children from 25 Homes of Ashalayam gathered for the Christmas celebrations with their colourful Christmas dress. The celebrations commenced with the Holy Mass at 3 PM . Boys and girls from 25 homes of Ashalayam enacted scenes of nativity, presented skits, dances and songs. Whoops of joy rent the air as Santa Claus entered the arena bearing gifts for all. Poor Santa had a hard time as the children especially the younger ones pushed and jostled to get close to him some even climbed on his shoulders. Later there was a gala dinner with lots of delicious preparations. After the sumptuous dinner there were scenes of jubilation as all children and staff danced with abandon. It was an enjoyable evening for the children full of fun. Ashalayam has opened its 25th Home in Bandel known as “Mayer Asha -3” for girls.

The past Pupils Meet was held on 24 December 2009. 109 past pupils of DBA gathered for the occasion. Addressing the past pupils Fr. George Chempakathinal Director, expressed his happiness at the fact that DBA has successfully entered Silver Jubilee year. They faced several impediments in the initial years but their determination and God’s blessing along with hard work, propelled them to achieve their goal.

The marriage ceremony of Jhuma Maity took place in No. 10 quarter of Gandhiji Prem Nivas, a Missionaries of Charity home in Titagrah on the 09th March 2009. The couple exchanged Vows and the Wedding Rings in the presence of close family members and friends. The ceremony was solemnized according to the Hindu religious rituals. Jhuma Maity has been with Don Bosco Ashalayam since her childhood and completed her education and vocational training in Tailoring & Knitting. She came across Mr. Hareram Das who is working in Missionaries of Charity, Premdan and decided to settle down with him in marriage. We thank all the friends and well wishers of Don Bosco Ashalayam for the support for the training of Jhuma Maity.. We wish Jhuma and Hareram a long and happy married life.

The 24th of January, 2009 was a red-letter day for the Ashalayam family as five of our children who completed their training and education from Ashalayam have found the love of their lives and settled down. The wedding reception was solemnized at the Ashalayam Home at 06.00 pm. Two boys, Neru and Sanjay are married to Sujata and Tapoti. Three girls, Kalpana, Shompa and Khusboo are married to Rajesh, Biswajit and Biran respectively. The Mayor of Howrah Ms. Mamta Jaiswal, Mayor-in-Council Mr. Gautam Rai and Councilor Ms. Pranati Pakhira graced the occasion and blessed the couples. The lucky couples were blessed by Fr. P.M. Mathew with golden rings and garlands. The children of Ashalayam put up a cultural program. It was touching moment for all when the newly married boys and girls narrated how their lives were transformed at Ashalayam. All the children, staff and the Management of DBA wish them a long and happy married life.

With a heart warming gesture of the Street Children of Kolkata offering flower to every participant, the two-day National Seminar on Emerging Trends in Child Care, began at Don Bosco, Nitika in Kolkata on 21st Feb 2008. The three day seminar, organized by Don Bosco Ashalayam, Kolkata, intends to analyse various issues of child care especially among the marginalized and street children. The seminar is planned specially for the Salesians and lay collaborators, who work for the street children in different settings of YaR. The seminar was attended by 75 participants from 51 YaR centres in India.


The inaugural session was presided over by Fr. Thomas Ellicherail, Provincial of Don Bosco Kolkata, emphasized that “in order to mould the future citizens of the nation, learning to act for social change is the crying need of our times”. Taking cue from the concluding remarks of Fr. Pascal Chavez, Rector Major of the Salesians of Don Bosco, the Provincial reiterated the importance of “giving most to those who received the least”. He also saluted the great pioneers of the apostolate for the marginalized, for their courage that evoked the Salesians to question themselves and their traditional activities.

Mr. K.P.Sinha, Director, Department of Social Welfare, Government of West Bengal, whom Fr. George Chempakathinal, Director, Don Bosco Ashalaya, Kolkata, described as a man ‘who has a heart for the marginalized children’ stressed the need to show more concern for the marginalized among the marginalized. He invited Don Bosco Institutions to render support to the Children Homes of the Government in the areas of health care, recreation and vocational training. Fr. Maria Charles, delegate for DBYA-SA, and Fr. Mathew Thomas, Secretary, South Asia Forum for YaR, were also welcomed and honoured by the organizing committee.

The meaning of the term ‘childcare’ has undergone a metamorphosis over the last decade. Awareness on child protection and juvenile justice is growing in India. The Salesians, who are the front-runners in the fight for justice and rights among the marginalized youth and children, need to constantly understand the rapid changes and emerging issues of child care in the context of globalisation. This seminar is a concerted effort by the Young at Risk Forum of the Salesians to understand the gravity of the issue of child care in India.

The recent spate of children going missing from Pilkhana in Howrah has put a blot on Dominique Lapierre’s “City of Joy”. The people, community and the police are all concerned as to how best to take effective measures to curb this burning issue.

Don Bosco Ashalayam thus came forward to organize a community sensitization programme on 30th September 2008 to make the community aware of the issues of child trafficking, how to take preventive measures and how to maintain a good networking with the district police administration.

The sensitization programme began with a rally taken out from Golabari Police Station at around 5:30 pm and ended at Hallman High School in Pilkhana. Children from Ashalayam, Police personnel and community people from Pilkhana and around participated in this rally.

This sensitization programme, held at Hallman High School in Pilkhana from 6 to 7 pm, was inaugurated by Sri Sukesh Kumar Jain, I.P.S. Addl.S.P. (Town) Howrah-the Chief Guest for the Day . Besides him other eminent people like Md. Samim, Shri. Debasish Banerjee-I.C, Golabari Police Station, Fr. C.J.George-Director Don Bosco Ashalayam, Fr. Mathew Parakonath-Director Childline and people from the local community were present.

Fr. C.J. George Director started the programme by welcoming all and spoke that concerted effort was the need of the day to help curb this burning issue. He asked for all GOs and NGOs to come forward and work together to protect the children. Fr. Mathew Parakonath- Director CHILDLINE spoke that child traffickers need not always be outside people but might also be people residing within the community. He called for all to be more vigilant and to take more care of their children thus reducing scope for the traffickers to take a free hand.

Sri Sukesh Kumar Jain-Addl. S.P., (Town), Howrah told all present that the district police authorities were ever ready to extend their full support and had already deployed police personnel in Pilkhana area to keep tabs on the activities there. He again requested the community people to be wary of suspicious activities or strangers and to inform the local police station immediately. He also told the community to use the Childline Toll free telephone number –1098- to inform them about missing and trafficked children.

The days programme ended with a dance recital by girls from Maayer Asha-a Girls Home of Don Bosco Ashalayam in Howrah and a street drama-the theme being on Child Trafficking.

On 22nd August Hannah Bristow from ECPAT Luxembourg arrived in Ashalayam to meet the children and visit the project areas. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Government of Luxembourg and ECPAT Luxembourg are sponsoring the activities being undertaken in Kolkata unit.

During her 6-Day stay in Kolkata, she visited all the project areas funded by her organization and the Government of Luxembourg, saw the running of some of our Homes and meet the children and staff. She also took time off to visit other areas of work done by Ashalayam.

On 25th August 2008 evening, in a small but meaningful ceremony organized in Kadamtala, the children thanked her for her visit. The children from our Homes presented songs and dances and gave her mementos to remember us by.

In her speech addressed to the children she expressed her congratulations to Ashalayam for the tremendous work that was being done with and for the children. She said that she was happy with what she had seen and elated to be a part of it. She conveyed her best wishes to all to continue the good work.

Fr. George Chempakathinal popularly known as Fr. C J George was born on 5th March 1960. He hails from South India where he did his secondary schooling. In the year 1975 he joined Don Bosco School Bandel, Northern India to complete his Higher Secondary Education. As part of the Salesian Priest’s training programme he completed the Novitiate in Shillong (Meghlaya) and became a member of the Congregation on 24 May1979. Later he completed his B.A. and B.Ph (Bachelor of Philosophy) Studies in Salesian college Sonada, Darjeeling, and B.Ed. from St. Xavier’s College Kolkata. He completed his B.Th (Bachelor of Theology) from Sacred Heart College Shillong and was ordained Salesian Priest on 5th January 1989. Besides the above, his academic qualifications include degrees in M.A (Sociology) and M.Ed.

He was in Don Bosco School Liluah as a teacher for three years from 1982-85. Besides being a teacher he was an assistant and music teacher in the boarding school and he is able to manage keyboards, guitar and other musical instruments. In May 1989 he came to Don Bosco Ashalayam as Asst Director and worked with Fr. T.V. Anthony, the Founder Director of Don Bosco Ashalayam, and served ten long years (1989 till 1999).

While he was in Ashalayam he was mostly busy in buying land, setting up the various centres and homes in Howrah, Kolkata, Bhattanagar, Dum Dum, Rajarhat, Kalyani and other areas. As a result he was called the Co-founder of DBA. Most of the initiatives taken by him are effectively continued to this day: the training and housing scheme, the Monthly Mela, Annual Camps, Scouts and Cubs and many more.

In the year 1999 he was then appointed Youth Director of the Salesian Province of Kolkata and was a member of the Provincial Council. During this period he used to conduct HRD Programmes for student and teachers and coordinate various youth group’s activities of the region for the different Don Bosco centers of the Province. .

In May 2001 he was appointed, Rector and Principal of Don Bosco School Liluah in Howrah. It has 3,000+ students upto higher secondary level and has varied activities; Technical Institute, evening school, adult education centre, NIOS, a Parish centre and many more. In May 2005 he was transferred to Don Bosco School & Seminary in Bandel in Hooghly District as its Rector and Principal. On 30.07.2008 he was transferred to Don Bosco Ashalayam, this time as its Rector and Director.

He is well versed in English, Bengali, Hindi, Malayalam, Nepali and Khasi.