Cardinal O'Brien visits India

Cardinal O’Brien arrived in India on the 24th of January to visit SCIAF projects that have been funded by Scottish donations and contributions. Paul Chitnis (SCIAF chief executive), who is hosting the trip said “I am delighted that Cardinal O’Brien is able to visit these projects. It will provide him with a first-hand opportunity to see the practical hope of several groups of people as they work to create a better life.”

Their itinerary will take them to Bangalore and then into the Kolar District. Bangalore, the ‘silicon valley of India’, contributes nearly 40% of India’s IT and software export market and has the highest per capita income of any Indian city. Yet, the project Cardinal O’Brien and Paul Chitnis will visit works with disabled slum dwellers, providing them with practical assistance and programmes for the detection of disability and the provision of integrated education. This group is part of the wider Association of People with Disability (APD), which was founded in 1959 with the aim of creating equal opportunities at all levels for persons with disabilities.

From Bangalore they will travel on the 26th to visit Prakruthi, an agricultural programme in the drought prone district of Kolar. SCIAF’s work assists 1,000 families to increase their food production whilst strengthening the position of women in the community. The target group is from the lowest castes and uniformly poor in resources. By introducing measures to conserve soil and water, Prakruthi can enable increased productivity and improved life outcomes.

Before he left, Cardinal O’Brien said: “During my trip to India I will be very happy to represent Scotland’s Catholic aid agency SCIAF. I am sure it will be a humbling experience to stand in solidarity with the poorest of the poor of India as I have done before on previous visits to many countries in Africa and Central America. In my travels I have discovered that in the harshest of circumstances the Gospel is alive, well and vibrant.”