Pune Province

Pune province was actively involved in establishing ISI at Boat Club, Pune, around 1960 with the help of Fr. Henry Volken, which was later transferred to Bangalore.

At the same time in 1960 Fr. Herman Bacher had started working for the marginalized in Ahmednagar district. Social Centre was established at Ahmednagar in 1969. Within five years helping 1892 marginalized farmers with loans, 1128 new wells, 212 old wells repaired, 522 pump sets fixed etc.

From 1974 to 1995 in the second phase of Social Centre 5176 farmers were helped through Interest Subsidy Scheme. In the third phase after 1991 Social Centre has taken up the Indo-German Watershed Development Programme, started by Fr. Bacher. For this purpose WOTR Trust was started which is working in 16 districts with 75 NGOs, which has a say in forming policy in Maharashtra and to some extent India's Five Year Plans. Besides watershed work we have a Community Health Programme for preventive health care covering 400 Villages through 11 centres in the District, collaborating with Government Public Health centres. Through APRI (Area Plan for Rural Industrialisation) we work in 4 blocks to motivate and provide scope to the rural youth to become successful entrepreneurs.

Women's Training centre has been started to empower rural women through Mahila Self Help Groups, giving them agricultural and non-agricultural skills for income generating activities. Br. Noel besides working for Women's Empower¬ment Centre with some sisters has also Outreach Programme connected with our two Technical Training Institutes in the Province. Recently Legal Aid Centre has been started in Ahmednagar to create awareness in our rural areas, especially making women aware of their rights and we give the legal assistance to demand and get their rights.

Fr. Walter Saldanha continues td fight for the cause of workers in Pune for over last 25 years. Our Night School in Pune does a great service to the working boys in Pune. Fr. Luis Rebelo has taken up the service to the Street and Railway Platform children at Daund. Some of them are now strending schools and some learn technical trades to an honest way of earning their living.