“Education alleviates poverty” - by Jerome D’Sa

Jerome D’Sa

Dubai, 21 December 2009: “Education is central to development and a key to attaining the Millennium Development Goals. It is one of the most powerful instruments for reducing poverty and inequality and lays a foundation for sustained economic growth.” These words are so very true to the people of Moodubelle because education did make a significant change in all of us. Even economically, we are today in a far better position than we were, say, thirty-five years ago.

Jerome D’Sa

Speaking of old days, I am reminded of my days in school. Particularly, there is an incident that has always remained fresh in my memory. Coming from an agricultural background, it was part of my daily morning chores to work in the field. A quick wash before rushing to school was often not sufficient to remove all the dirt from my body. Once the water dried up, it strains of it would reappear on my body and would be noticed by my classmates. But then, our generous classmates, especially the girls, would come to my rescue by offering some coconut oil taken from their hair to rub off the mud from my body. Good old days, indeed, when everyone cared for the other in true family spirit! 

"Give a man a fish; feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; feed him for a lifetime", goes a Chinese saying. This is what our great visionaries of St. Lawrence School did: they chose to prepare us for life. St. Lawrence was blessed with eminent educationists who contributed significantly to the growth and development of the students who passed through its portals. Take the example of Fr. Rego, a great educationist, who spared no efforts to visit all homes in his neighbourhood and impress upon the parents the importance of imparting good education to their children. He was a mentor, career guide and a source of great inspiration to all. A graduate from Loyola College, Chennai, Fr. Rego knew too well the importance of education. 

Fr VGF Rego & Fr Alexander Lobo

Then there was another stalwart - Fr. Lobo: a man of action, discipline and an achiever. I still remember him as a person who loved everyone irrespective of caste, creed or other divisive considerations. He helped people not only in education but also to move up the economic ladder by adopting viable economic activity like growing jasmine flowers for sale. As a gesture of encouragement, he would often reward them with a bag of bulgur. This way, people became more and more self-supporting and contributed to the economic growth and social wellbeing of the people of the locality. As people gained greater bargaining power, their farm produce and other products fetched better prices. As time passed by, modern luxuries started coming into our villages. Tiled or terraced houses replaced thatched-roof houses and small mud roads gave way to big tarred roads facilitating better transportation system. Electricity, TV, motor vehicles, telephone and public amenities gradually became part and parcel of the life of the people of Moodubelle and significantly improved the quality of their life.

Having had the opportunity to visit, live and work in different parts of India, I can today proudly say without any hesitation that Moodubelle is not a village anymore. Thanks to the far-sightedness of great visionaries like Fr. Rego and Fr. Lobo who “taught us to fish”, the people of Moodubelle are today prosperous, happy and economically well-off, without, however, losing their simplicity and generosity.  This was possible only because of the efforts of all our formatters; committed teachers not to name any but gratefully remembering all. They were not only our teachers but were also character guides too.

I would like to take this golden opportunity to thank all the people who have played a role in making us who we are today. A tree cannot last without a strong root, and that is the role our mentors played. With the growth of every individual, the whole community of Moodubelle grows into a healthy and happy family. I wish St. Lawrence School the best of luck in all its future endeavours. I pray that it remain strong so that even our future generations can benefit from it. May the Belle community spread across the world be a beacon to the people around them and help illumine their life with the vision of true humanity for a better tomorrow.

Long live St. Lawrence School!