“I am speaking on behalf of all the participants of this Para Legal Training. We are feeling very happy and fortunate to have had a chance to participate in such a training. We feel we could face the world now confidently and help our world to become better!” were the words of Hannaben as she was happily sharing her experience of the training with the audience.

At the initiative of the Madurai Province Task Force for the Humanitarian Aid and Advocacy for Sri Lankan Tamils, Loyola College, Chennai has launched a new website for promoting the Just cause of the Sri Lankan Tamil sisters and brothers. It is yet another attempt of the concerned citizens to keep alive the cause of the battered and wounded Sri Lankan Tamils for a dignified living in their own country.

In view of the forthcoming Fourth World Social Forum on Migration (WSFM) to be held in Quito, Ecuador from 8-10 October 2010, the Society of Jesus – through the Secretariat for Social Justice and Ecology in Rome, the Conference of Provincials in Latin America (CPAL), the Province of Ecuador, the Jesuit Refugee Service of Latin America and the Caribbean (SJR-LAC), and the Jesuit Migration Service of Latin America and the Caribbean (SJM-ALyC) - is organizing a Pre-Forum on migration for works and apostolates of the universal society from October 4-6 in order to:

In June this year, JESA-Gujarat embarked on a massive campaign in order to ensure that the Right to Food becomes a reality for the poor and marginalized in Gujarat. The programme in the initial phase will be taken to nine hundred villages and fifty slum settlements of the state. The eleven centres involved in this unique collaborative venture are: AKY (Bhiloda), Ashadeep, Behavioural Science Centre (BSC), Borpada, Navsarjan, Nyaya Darshan, Prashant, Rajpipla SSS, Sangath, Shakti-LAHRC and St. Xavier’s Social Service Society (SXSSS).

Around 50 government run schools in Latehar, Palamau, Sareikela-Kharswan, Khunti, Dhanbad, Bokaro, Giridih and East & West Singhbhum districts of Jharkhand have been permanently taken over by the CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) and the JAP (Jharkhand Armed Police) and another 43 school buildings partially off-and-on for the purpose of, what the government calls “Operation Green Hunt”.

In November 2009, the Jharkhand High Court ordered the CRPF to vacate the school premises within 6 months. On May 17, CRPF approached the HC again for an extension of another 6 months to stay and use the school buildings for their operations.

The Taskforce (TF) on ‘Jesuit Mission and Ecology’ comprising of five Jesuits and a laywoman from all Conferences and cutting across ministries along with the Convenor Fr. Fernando Franco SJ, Secretary of the Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat had its first meeting in Rome from 5 – 11 July 2010. The members of the TF are deeply saddened that the Lord has invited Fr. Paul Locatalli SJ, Secretary for Higher Education who was appointed as the co-convenor of the TF, all too suddenly to his eternal reward.

Tony Herbert (HAZ) based on his own personal experience of living with the Bhuiyas in Hazaribag area has published a book A Cultural Journey: With the Bhuiyas of Central East India, Indian Social Institute, New Delhi. Here below is a review of the book by an Australian Jesuit in their e-newsletter.

At the beginning of this book, Tony Herbert describes his first meeting with the Bhuiyas in Jharkand state. It was during his first travels in the villages. He saw children playing outside some dilapidated houses. On asking his companion who they were, the reply came, ‘These people? These people are bekar'. The word means useless, not human. They were regarded as lazy, disgusting in their personal habits, and had a high incidence of alcoholism.

Vincent Crasta who was till recently director of CNFE (Centre for Non-Formal Education) at Bijapur has been appointed as the Coordinator of Social Action for Karnataka Province. He took over from Francis D’Souza who was the CSA and the director of LVK (Loyola Vikas Kendra) at Mundgod.

Jeyaseelan Arockiam, who is the Director of LITDS (Loyola Integrated Tribal Development Society) at Kattukapalli, Andhra Pradesh has been appointed as the CSA of Andhra Province. He took over from AXJ Bosco, who is the director of CITRA (Centre for Information, Training, Research and Action) in Secunderabad and who has been working very hard on getting the SC status to Dalit Christians and Muslims.