Started Women Empowerment through Livelihood and Entrepreneurship
Started project – Empowerment of Women and Youth in Fisher folk community through Education, Health and Livelihood Promotion in the coastal district of Kollam in Kerala state
Started Don Bosco Coastal Forum
Started project – “Capacity Building for Gender Equality in terms of Development, Peace and Security”
Started a project – “Sustainable Income for Rural Women Through Entrepreneurial Activities and Social Development”
Started production units – Healthy Masala & Powder Unit, Healthy Homecare products, Handicrafts
Started Vishapinu Vida – a charitable program to build awareness and raise funds in an effort to eradicate hunger.
Started Counselling centre mainly for youth and families
Started monthly skill training programmes
Financial transactions of FCDP and TMS were computerized
Started Project Axshya in partnership with Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) under Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI).
Asha Kiran project begun in order to foster the saving mentality of fisher folk women.
Launching of FCDP Website
DB Tech, Don Bosco Tech Kollam was started with the intention of generating employment for the under privileged in the society.
CHILDLINE Kollam began preliminary efforts to reach out to the vulnerable children especially in rural and coastal areas and conduct mass outreach programmes in order to identify the child based issues
Programmes for children education
Nursery school, lower primary (L.P) supplementary classes for STD. I, II and III, remedial education centers is continuing.
Drinking water project
Started Housing project
Community Health Centre at Mundakkal Area
Sponsorship for professional course
Tsunami relief work
Introduction of Food Security Project
Introduction of Drinking Water Project 2001
FCDP started 6 months course in Screen Printing, Straw Art Works and Hand Made Greeting cards for fifty SC and ST youth with the financial assistance of District Panchayat of Kollam.
We brought 3 cents of land in Kakkathope and built a hall and started a Remedial Education Centre for children there.
FCDP started Self Employment Support Programme (SESP), to help the unemployed youth to begin their own income generation activities.
Introduction of Insurance Scheme and Death Relief Fund for fishermen.
Introduction of Computer Training Centre.
FCDP started Credit Union for Fishermen to avail advances and loans for their needs at reasonable interest rate.
Another prize-coupon programme was organized to raise funds for the educational programme of FCDP.
FCDP conducted Handicrafts, Embroidery and Fashion Technology courses for women with the financial assistance from the Corporation of Kollam and the Kudumbasree programme.
FCDP completed the construction of its office building. It was blessed and Inaugurated on 21 August 1999.
With the financial support and collaboration of Rotary Club of Quilon West FCDP built 8 houses for the most deserving members in Pallithottam.
FCDP started a scheme called “Scholarship for excellence” to motivate students to study well and to help bright students to progress in studies.
Started Public Telephone Booth, an income and employment generation programme
A lucky-dip was organized as part of our efforts to collect more funds for the activities of FCDP.
FCDP collaborated with the Rotary Club of Quilon West to conduct a Community Marriage for 12 couples whereby 12 poor girls benefited.
Started Fixed Saving Scheme for members
From 19 May, FCDP started functioning from its own newly constructed office building. (Till now FCDP was functioning from rented buildings) The finance for the building was raised through various programmes conducted for this purpose and the donation received from friends, well -wishers and beneficiaries of FCDP.
FCDP received a prestigious award from the Malayalam Daily, ‘Deepika’ for its activities in favor of the fisher-folk and for the leadership of Fr. Jose Koyickal, its Director. In 1997, due to some problems, the owners of 23 fishing boats with all their crew members broke away from the Fishermen Welfare Society (FWS) and insisted that they want to be under FCDP.
Therefore, FCDP started a separate centre for them at Pallithottam on 01 April 1997, to be known as Don Bosco Fish Marketing Centre, which will now function under FCDP.
Started TMS Bakery, an income and employment generation programme
FCDP started to build low-cost houses for the poorer coastal people. Thus 25 concrete houses were built and given to 25 beneficiaries. The Kalidasa Kala Kendram of Kollam staged their drama “Shanghumudra” to raise funds for the construction of the new FCDP office building. We also started the construction of the FCDP office building
Started provision store to supply household provisions to members at a reasonable price
Due to requests of the coastal fisher folk and the various organizations under FCDP as well as its Board members, the Salesian provincial appointed Fr. Jose Koyickal SDB as its full- time Director from 1995. This enhanced the status and functioning of FCDP in all aspects. Fr. Jose Koyickal SDB, Director of FCDP, and Mrs. Rebecca Kurien, a consultant took steps to make the Theeradesa Mahila Sangahatana (Coastal Women’s Society) an independent society. Thus was born Theeradesa Mahila Society (TMS) which was registered as a separate society on November 21, 1995. There are coastal youth not involved in fishing activities. We started the Non-Fishermen Youth Group as a platform for addressing their problems and involving their participation in the development.
Fr. Varghese Puthangady SDB, Chairman and Mr. Lawrence Asst. Director of FCDP bought 11 Cents of land in Pallithottam for the purpose of building the offices of FCDP. FCDP’s Capital fund was utilized for this.
Started Net-Making Scheme at TMS
Introduced Tailoring Unit as an income and employment generation programmefor the members.
We ventured a program of digging wells in the coastal areas with the participation of the coastal people themselves, to supply good drinking water. 10 such wells were dug in different areas, which are maintained and used well by the people.
We now gave effect to the process of making the coastal women’s organization into an independent organization, and for the purpose we formed their ad hoc committee consisting of 15 coastal women.
Under the combined auspices of FCDP and Indian Homeopathy society, we started Homeo treatments and free distribution of homeo medicines.
We also started, with the participation of the coastal people themselves, a programme to make and give to each coastal family a modern toilet with its own septic tank. We were able to build 637 of such toilets.
We started the Men’s Forum (Fishermen Youth Group) with activities for all the 5 coastal areas.
FCDP started the Vanitha Forum, which is the platform of the coastal married women to address all the social problems facing them in managing their families. Don Bosco Career Guidance and Youth Development Programme also started functioning under FCDP and the Quilon don Bosco society. A 3 month-long training in Home Science was, for the first time, conducted for the coastal women.
Due to the scarcity of fish in the sea and the high cost of mechanization of the boats, FCDP started a Training Course for the use of Sails for the Fishing boats.
FCDP started activities specifically for the coastal women, and children. It started the Vanithavedi which is the platform for addressing the problems facing unmarried women and Balavedi to cater to the all- around development of children below the age of 14.
Due to the great expansion of the activities of the Fish Auctioning Centers it was found necessary to establish them as an independent registered society called Fishermen Welfare society (FWS) to look after the fish Auctioning activities and fish Marketing Centers of the five coastal areas.
FCDP intensified the Non- Formal Education programmes, and also started Evening Tuition classes.
Started Domestic Budgeting Programme (DBP)
On 14 November 1984 FCDP was registered as a society under the Travancore Cochin Literary Scientific Charitable Societies Act.
Fish Auction Centers became popular with about 85% of the fishermen in these five coastal areas now becoming the members.
It was at this time that the Theeradesa Mahila Sanghatana (Coastal Women’s Society) and the Non -Formal Education programme were started by FCDP.
An elected Advisory Committee of 22 members including the Secretary of the Quilon Don Bosco Society was formed to advise and evaluate the activities of FCDP.
Introduction of Mechanized Boats in the traditional methods of fishing. FCDP Started Fish Auctioning Centers, first at Mundakkal west, and later in Pallithottam, Vaddy, Thangassery, Moothakkara and Port Kollam.
Fr. Sebastian John, another Salesian priest, continued these Salesian activities for the fisher folk very efficiently and effectively as the co-coordinator, while Fr. Louis Panikulangara worked as the director of these activities now christened as “Fishermen community Development Programme “ (FCDP)
Late Fr. Louis Panikulangara, a Salesian priest, extended the above activities up to Thangassery from Pallithottam. His services for the fisher folk deserve special mention.
Brother Kurien Katticaren, a Salesian Brother, succeeded in getting the local fishermen to cooperate with him to organize and to sell their catches by auction and to start their own fixed deposit scheme.
The Salesians of Don Bosco, Under the leadership of late Fr. C.P. Joseph, took charge of the Thope parish (Pallithottam) and started social development activities in the name of Quilon Don Bosco society.
