Kirkspire 0ctober 2006
St Andrew’s Church Village Project
what happened next?
Murdoch MacKenzie
On 1st October 1973 the project began officially with the appointment of a fully qualified social worker. At first he spent several months undergoing Community Organisation Training with the aim of beginning work in the three villages in 1974. Funding came from the World Council of Churches and the Tamilnadu Government provided funding for two Youth Service Corps volunteers. The Communion Thankoffering in October was for the Village Project of which it was written: ‘It is fitting that our fund should begin in this way as we respond in gratitude to God’s goodness to us in the broken body and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.’ On 17th November a Grand Variety Entertainment was held which realised a profit of over Rs7000/- which was quite a substantial sum in those days.
The December 1973 Kirkspire highlighted various aspects of the project. Beginning with the Bible and its demands for justice and righteousness it was pointed out that in the three villages there was no protected water supply or preventive medicine. 65% of the villagers were completely illiterate. 25% had been to elementary school and a few had reached middle school. 80% of the families had an annual income of less than Rs1,500/-. Their occupation was mainly agriculture, though a few were involved in seasonal brick-making. Due to lack of irrigation facilities they raised only paddy.
The aim was not to try and mastermind the future of the Panchayat but to identify certain immediate needs and to tackle these, using any Government help that might be forthcoming. The main areas of work were to be health, including nutrition and preventive medicine; education, including adult literacy, functional literacy, day care centre and night school work; provision of basic amenities, such as water supply, roads and electricity; employment opportunities both cottage industries and improved agricultural techniques and brick-making.
A budget for Rs100,000 was carefully prepared of which the Kirk members were to raise £10,000 and to this end the Grand Variety Entertainment was held. The following was said at the time :
‘The most important people in all of this are those who live in Pralayampakkam Panchayat. It will be their initiative above all else which will help this project to succeed. We will only be ENABLING them to achieve for themselves what is their birthright as citizens of India. We can best do this if we take a keen interest in what is being done and have the DETERMINATION that in spite of the difficulties which are bound to come along our fellow citizens in these three villages will share with us the opportunities of a more abundant life.’
Next month we will read about our first social worker.
Murdoch MacKenzie
On 1st October 1973 the project began officially with the appointment of a fully qualified social worker. At first he spent several months undergoing Community Organisation Training with the aim of beginning work in the three villages in 1974. Funding came from the World Council of Churches and the Tamilnadu Government provided funding for two Youth Service Corps volunteers. The Communion Thankoffering in October was for the Village Project of which it was written: ‘It is fitting that our fund should begin in this way as we respond in gratitude to God’s goodness to us in the broken body and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.’ On 17th November a Grand Variety Entertainment was held which realised a profit of over Rs7000/- which was quite a substantial sum in those days.
The December 1973 Kirkspire highlighted various aspects of the project. Beginning with the Bible and its demands for justice and righteousness it was pointed out that in the three villages there was no protected water supply or preventive medicine. 65% of the villagers were completely illiterate. 25% had been to elementary school and a few had reached middle school. 80% of the families had an annual income of less than Rs1,500/-. Their occupation was mainly agriculture, though a few were involved in seasonal brick-making. Due to lack of irrigation facilities they raised only paddy.
The aim was not to try and mastermind the future of the Panchayat but to identify certain immediate needs and to tackle these, using any Government help that might be forthcoming. The main areas of work were to be health, including nutrition and preventive medicine; education, including adult literacy, functional literacy, day care centre and night school work; provision of basic amenities, such as water supply, roads and electricity; employment opportunities both cottage industries and improved agricultural techniques and brick-making.
A budget for Rs100,000 was carefully prepared of which the Kirk members were to raise £10,000 and to this end the Grand Variety Entertainment was held. The following was said at the time :
‘The most important people in all of this are those who live in Pralayampakkam Panchayat. It will be their initiative above all else which will help this project to succeed. We will only be ENABLING them to achieve for themselves what is their birthright as citizens of India. We can best do this if we take a keen interest in what is being done and have the DETERMINATION that in spite of the difficulties which are bound to come along our fellow citizens in these three villages will share with us the opportunities of a more abundant life.’
Next month we will read about our first social worker.
Murdoch MacKenzie
