The Mt. St. Alphonsus (MSA) Redemptorist community, Bengaluru, is reaching out to the economically poor and socially oppressed people of the slums in the vicinity, having opted for them as the ‘target group”. We have tried to give a concrete shape to our ideal if being Witnesses to the Redeemer, being involved in giving a healing touch to the wounded world, and to reach out to the families in distress, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown situation, which have hit the poor all the harder.
SEEDS - Social Economic Empowerment and Development Services.
In collaboration with some lay friends of the Redemptorists, we are engaged in rendering some services, forming ourselves as a unit named ‘SEEDS’ – Social Economic Empowerment and Development Services.

As of now, the activities of SEEDS include the following:
• Running two tailoring training centers for marginalized poor women
• Running seven evening tuition and study centers for students
• Running a garments production center in the name of ‘WE’ – Women Empowerment
“WE” (Women Empowerment) Center is situated in Bagalur slum. The main activity of the unit is to stich School uniforms. As of now, three schools (including a Bengaluru diocesan school) have given orders to make uniforms for their students.
Activities in the Lockdown situation Tuition Centers and Tailoring Training Centers:
From the middle of March, 2020 till date, just as the schools remain closed, so also our tuition centers. The teachers who give tuition and supervise the study in the centres, were provided ‘survival kits’ as also the families of students. It is the same situation with regards to the Tailoring Training Centers.
Sustaining families of “WE” (Women Empowerment) Center
When the “WE” centre, with ten women tailors, was about to launch on its first order of uniforms, at the end of February 2020, there came COVID 19. As the lockdown was announced, we had to halt all works. That meant that ten families were left in the lurch. Initially, for about two weeks, we pooled our resources, and, along with contributions from some of our benefactors, we were able to provide groceries and few other essentials for the sustenance of these families. Though the lockdown restrictions were relaxed only for essential activities, we could not re-start the WE centre. But the ‘WE’ center women, who owned tailoring machines, came forward to work from home. The supervisor went around distributing the materials and collected the finished products. This helped them to beat the disadvantages of the lockdown. This method of production is still going on even today (25.07.2020).

Direct Charitable works by SEEDS
During this lockdown period, we could not visit the families in their homes. Nevertheless, we reached out to them by way of:
• Financial help was provided to 30 families (some belonging to WE centre) for essential needs like groceries.
• Medical aids to two families.
• House rent for two families.
• School fees to two students
• Household expenses for three families.
Indirect Charitable works by SEEDS
We collaborated with the outreach efforts of St. Alphonsus School management, who were involved in helping hundreds of families, including those who come under SEEDS and WE center distributing food and groceries. The school organized free distribution of groceries to about 500 families of their poor students. The items included groceries and fresh vegetables from Shivamoga.

The vegetables were arranged by Mrs. Sharmila, a cousin of Fr. Juvy. We requested the school management to include the families of ‘WE’ (garments unit) and the families of our tuition children at Bagalur and PK Colony near Pottery road adjacent to Tannery Road (most of whom are sweepers). The management was gracious enough to share their resources with these marginalized brothers and sisters. 85 families of our choice received ‘survival kits’ for three weeks in May-June.
“Dream India” is another organization that came forward distributing grocery and provisions to those most affected by the Covid-19 lockdown. They were reaching out to the poor daily wagers in various slums of Bengaluru. We contacted them and channelized this resource to our people at Bagalur slum and Desiya Nagar slum on Lazar Road (most of whom are soothsayers, palm readers and beggars). Mrs. V. Palaniyammal, the municipal corporator of Sgayapuram ward, and her son Mr. Shiva saw to the collection and distribution of the food packets every-day for two months. Thanks to Fr. William SDB, his collaborators Mr. Cherian and his daughter Mrs. Maria Jerold along with Sr. Jaishree, for making this possible.
We had identified about 50 families in and around Lingarajapuram area among whom there were also about 20 families who used to be beneficiaries of St. Gerard’s Kitchen, Holy Ghost Church, who could not come out due to the lockdown. With the help of Mr. Vijayan, a volunteer from Holy Ghost parish, we could distribute food packets every day for about three months to these 50 families.
SEEDS and WE thank the MSA community, the Bangalore Provincial Government, the Majella Vice-Provincial Government and the Holy Ghost Parish (Bengaluru) team for their financial support and guidance.

Way Forward:
We have a long way forward. We wish to continue giving tailoring training and, in the near future, training in other professional capacities as well, thus empowering women to stand on their feet. We want to provide better study facilities to our children. When they come back from school, they have to face all sorts of hurdles to study at home: like for eg., small space, lack of light and furniture, disturbances due to petty conflicts and fights at home and in the streets, and the like.
We request your continued support through your concern, prayers, guidance and sharing your resources and by generous donations.