Down an Action-Packed CSA Memory Lane…
Fr. Rocky Banz
I have enjoyed an invigorating 12-year journey with the Centre for Social Action (CSA) from 1997 to May 2009. The people I've met and worked with along the way have been inspirational. The target groups I've helped serve have made every moment meaningful. And the outcomes have been extremely joyful!
When I began my mission in 1997, the present day CSA was known as the "Office for Social Work". Supported by Cardinal Archbishop Ivan Dias (then Archbishop) and Cardinal Oswald Gracias (then Chancellor), we registered the agency as a charitable trust under the Charity Commissioner, Mumbai, and with the Income Tax authorities and the Home Ministry, Delhi for FCRA purposes. Soon after, our focus shifted from charity and welfare work mainly within the Catholic community, to the empowerment of poor and marginalized communities using a Rights-Based Approach.
I have walked with CSA through the 90s and into the new millennium. The tide of technological breakthroughs has brought in its wake dramatic socio-economic and cultural changes. Millions of poor and marginalized people caught in the crosscurrents of change have been pushed to even lower rungs of the poverty ladder. Human trafficking, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, Special Economic Zones (SEZs), relocation of slum dwellers and global warming are issues that have reached monumental proportions. We realized that we could not function as a lone warrior for social change in the battle against deeply entrenched forces of social injustice. The only effective strategy was to collaborate with other like-minded institutions and agencies like the College of Social Work, Community Centres, NGOs, and CBOs. We were amazed at the momentum
that resulted from our combined efforts in working towards a common cause - equipping people at the grassroots with knowledge and skills to fight for their own destiny!
that resulted from our combined efforts in working towards a common cause - equipping people at the grassroots with knowledge and skills to fight for their own destiny!
I owe our 12 years of successful interventions to the powerful support I received from our parish-based community centres, NGOs and CBOs. In Raigad District we collaborated with 16 centres to implement educational and empowerment projects targeted towards the Katkari tribal women and children.
A big feather in our cap is — Sarvodaya — CSA's very own Capacity-Building Centre constructed in 2006 to meet the training needs of grassroots community animators, church personnel, social workers, agency coordinators and directors. We are proud to announce that Sarvodaya is being used to full capacity not only for Archdiocesan seminars and workshops, but also by other secular social work organizations at the regional, national, and international level.
Another major celebration is CSA's participation in a research study of the socio-economic, political, cultural and other issues in the Uttan / Gorai belt (Dharavi Island) in the Thane district. This study has enabled us to scientifically determine effective strategies to address the problems faced by this target group, and design relevant programmes to meet their needs.
Every day in CSA has been an adventure. I enjoyed brainstorming new ideas and innovative projects with my staff. It was encouraging to network both nationally and internationally with individuals and agencies who expressed an interest in learning about CSA and our community development approach. I am extremely grateful to my staff for their unstinting support in every phase of work. As I move out of CSA and on to another phase of pastoral work, I feel immensely happy and satisfied that I was blessed with the opportunity to serve the poor and marginalized of the Archdiocese of Bombay.
