SHILLONG: A new locality (dong) of Nongkohlew village within the Mawlai Constituency was inaugurated on Sunday.
The new area was named ‘Dong Don Bosco’ after the patron saint of youth, by the Salesian priest C.M. Jose Chunkapura, founder of Caring Ministry.
A statement issued here on Tuesday said, Dong Don Bosco is a green field project and an entire hill-top was purchased and divided into 24 plots of 1500 square feet each, which were registered in the name of 24 needy families who did not own any place to live.
Houses and toilets were then built on these plots. Each family has a small area of land to use as a kitchen garden. The Dong Don Bosco also has a common playground, children’s park of 2500 square feet area levelled by a JCB. This common area is registered in the name of the CMC of the Dong.
By unveiling a memorial plaque, Mawlai legislator Process T. Sawkmie inaugurated the new village.
Also present was Marbud K Dkhar, president of FKJGP, Mawlai.
Out of the 24 houses of the project, eleven have been completed while constructions of the remaining 13 houses are in progress. The eleven new houses were blessed by Fr. C.M. Jose at the end of the Holy Mass. Brigita Rynjah, the local Secretary, Balang, said “It significant that the very first function in the new dong of this entirely Catholic village is the open-air Holy Mass celebrated in the village grounds.”
Fr Jose handed over the keys of the houses to all the 24 beneficiaries.
Sawkmie congratulated and thanked Fr Jose for the initiative of providing housing for the landless and homeless, for his vision for the poor and his humanitarian service to the people of Meghalaya during the past 30 years, particularly for the care of children affected by rickets.
Sawkmie promised to continue to support further development of the village by pushing infrastructure initiatives such as black-top road and others.
Baiaineh Diegngdoh, the local Rangbah Shnong expressed their gratitude to Sawkmie for providing the village with infrastructure facilities. He thanked all those who were instrumental in constructing houses for the inhabitants.
Besides the houses at Dong Don Bosco, three other houses for the poor have been completed at Phudmuri (Mawlai) and one at Laitlum. Another one at Umsaw is under construction.
Caring Ministry (Caring for Disabled Children) is a service started by Fr Jose in 1989 for the care of children affected by rickets, which at that time was widespread in Shillong. Over these past 29 years, Caring Ministry has treated over 26000 children. Currently Caring Ministry is treating more than 7600 children affected by rickets from various parts of Meghalaya. Besides the care of rickets-affected children, Caring Ministry also runs a free elementary school and a free tuition centre for children from very poor families. Caring Ministry also takes care of the educational needs (school fees, uniform, books and others) of about 150 poor children who are enrolled in eight different schools. Moreover, several young people are being supported for their college education and for various courses in technical education (electrician, automobile mechanic, beautician and others).