Setting a unique example in community care for orphans, residents of Dampara Village, located 90 kilometres from Jamshedpur, are running a shelter for around 40 children.
By Girija Shankar Ojha
Dampara Village (Jharkhand), Aug.1 : Setting a unique example in community care for orphans, residents of Dampara Village, located 90 kilometres from Jamshedpur, are running a shelter for around 40 children.
The initiative has given orphaned and abandoned children hope for a bright future.
An underdeveloped village, Damparag's Munda, Santhal and Karmakar tribals have gained a reputation for their austerity and simplicity.
Concepts like social development or political awareness were unheard of words here, until a local youngster Kantha Singh, mobilised support for a collective effort for the common good of the village.Kantha is educated and owns a tiny garage on National Highway-33.
Disappointed with the State Government's non-supportive attitude towards initiating progress in tribal-dominated Dampara Village, Kantha generated public support to form the Dampara Development Committee in February, 2007.
The Committee then established the orphanage, which today shelters 38 tribal boys and girls.
"These children are from Dampara and other places in Jharkhand. They are orphans living with relatives or working as child labourers," Kantha Singh said. "I wanted to help them. After the formation of our village committee, we thought of establishing an orphanage for such children, and it runs a public charity," he added.
The school provides education up to Standard III.
Kantha Singh and a few others, go door to door to collect rice, wheat, milk, clothes, money and other essentials.
Parimal Pani, a teacher at the orphanage, said: "He (Kantha Singh) goes village to village and asks for donations. And, with that donated material and money, he supports the children's education, food, medicine and other things."
Daily chores like cooking, cleaning or other related works are voluntarily taken care of by village women.
In a short span of five months, other villages neighbouring Dampara have appreciated the community spirit.
Jaidev Das, a student, said: "We get good food here. We are living very comfortably in this place."
ANI