Ashakiranam

Ashakiranam is a humanitarian concern of the Catholic Church in India. It is a cancer care campaign spear-headed by Caritas India, launched in Kerala with the objective of fighting cancer, preventing and reducing cancer and extending palliative care and counselling, supporting financially, liaisoning with the Government to get cancer affected pension and best treatment.

Vijayapuram Social Service Society, the Social welfare and development organization of the Diocese of Vijayapuram, launched the Ashakiranam Programme in the Diocese on 30th May 2016. The Ashakiranam resource team handpicked volunteers from different parts of the diocese, with outstanding leadership, motivation & training capacities. These key volunteers gather every quarter for Training of Trainers sessions. An action plan was formulated by the Ashakiranam Core Team of the Society, which enlisted activities to be undertaken in the field. A Resource Team was formed and the members were taught how to orient & train volunteers to implement Ashakiranam activities successfully. They also share their field-level experiences and help conceptualize future Ashakiranam activities. The volunteers visit homes of Cancer patients to offer palliative care and counselling. They also mobilize resources, by organizing various programmes as collecting and selling old newspapers and Acri materials, organizing Snack centres, organizing public resource mobilization campaigns, dumb box collections etc. Presently we have 360 volunteers engaged in the service of the cancer patients in our target area. Steps are taken to enhance the number since the patients requiring our service outnumber the number of volunteers.

The programmes envisaged under Ashakiranam Programme are

• To conduct a survey in the operational area of the Society to identify the cancer patients and the type of cancer
• To promote and strengthen a Core Team to monitor the progress made in the project and the change brought about through the implementation of the project.
• To promote volunteers and enhance their leadership capacity in Cancer preventive actions.
• To improve the knowledge and skills of the Volunteers on various aspects of integrated programmes to change the lifestyle of the community.
• To take awareness classes in Schools and promote volunteers from among the students.
• To take up awareness-building towards preparedness to cancer prevention
• To take up awareness campaign throughout the target area on cancer and the lifestyles that promote cancer, as food habits, intake of alcohol, smoking
• To help the poorest of the poor in early detection and treatment, with the support of institutions that detect and identify cancer.
• To promote safe to eat food through an integrated organic family farming approach.
• To take up cancer research initiatives with the support of leading hospitals in Kerala.
• Befriending the victims, connecting patients with reliable treatment facilities and institutions.
• To mobilize funds through different methods to support cancer patients.

Besides we have supported the cancer ward of Medical College Kottayam with trolleys and wheelchairs.

One of our Volunteer groups at Thellakom serves noon meals to the patients at the Cancer Ward of Medical College Kottayam every Thursday.

Presently 393 very dynamic Volunteers. We regularly extend our services to 264 cancer patients

We have mobilized an amount of R,14,12,083. We gratefully submit that the amount has been mobilized by the cooperation of the volunteers through various campaigns on special occasions and from the generous people in our target area.

We have spent Rs.11,76,939/- for supporting the cancer patients and for providing materials to Medical College Kottayam and Palliative Centre Poovam.

We are pleased to state that the amount mobilized otherwise and spent for cancer care at parishes is higher than that mobilized for the central operation.

Lenten campaign against Hunger & Disease

Lenten campaign is Caritas India’s flagship drive against hunger and disease. During the 40-day Lenten period, which begins with Ash Wednesday, Christians especially give in to prayer, penance, fasting, abstinence and works of mercy in preparation for their most solemn feast, Easter or the Resurrection of Christ from death.

Responding to Caritas India’s invitation Vijayapuram Social Service Society joins the efforts in becoming catalysts, adopting the “Each one Help one” approach in reaching out to attain a sustainable life for the poor and sickly people. We contribute a considerable amount to Caritas India’s Campaign every year.

Income and Expenditure for the last five years is drawn out:

Amount outstanding after contribution to Caritas India is spent for poverty eradication and medical support programmes of the Society.