| Peoples Action for Rural Awakening | |
|---|---|
| PARA Samastha | |
| Established | 1988 |
| Type | Voluntary Organisation |
| Rector | Fr. Sabu, SDB |
| Director | Rev. Fr. Thomas Pallithanam, SDB |
| Location | Ravulapalem, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Campus | Rural |
| Website | http://paraindia.org/ |
| Data as of September 2008 | |
Peoples Action for Rural Awakening (PARA) [1] is a social action initiative of Don Bosco Mission in India. PARA is located in Ravulapalem in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh in South India.
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Taking care of innocent children is one of the prime concerns of PARA. Run-away kids found in the Railway and Bus Stations of the nearest river town of Rajahmundry are brought here to safety and educated in a bridge school that is taken care of by an able master.
After successful completion of the bridge course, students are then sent to Don Bosco Boarding School in Ravulapalem or the Government Schools in the vicinity. During holidays, PARA becomes their home.
PARA has been in the forefront in providing succour to the affected whenever any disaster struck. In fact, PARA arose out of the disastrous killer cyclone that struck Konaseema in the last decade.
When Tsunami struck in 2004, PARA immediately reacted by providing relief and rehabilitation to the affected in the four districts of Nellore, Prakasam, Krishna, and East Godavari in Andhra Pradesh. Its programmes are titled Navnirmaan and Punarnirmaan. While Navnirmaan has been launched in East Godavari alone, Punarnirmaan was launched in all the four districts. Community participation, transparency, and visibility were the unique features of these programmes.
PARA is managed through a Board of Directors. One of the Director, Fr.Thomas Pallithanam, a Rights Activist associated with movements of the landless poor and forming thrift groups among the womenfolk for self-empowerment directs the activities here.
Primary Sources
Secondary Sources