The establishments of the Mangalore Province since 1990s and particularly in the region of North Karnataka portray clearly the thrust of the Province to be with those on the margins of society. The Province represented by Sr Lenita D’Souza and her team has reiterated the thrust yet again in 2012 by establishing a community at Sindagi. Sindagi, in the Sindagi taluka of the Bijapur district lies 65 kilometres away from Bijapur.Its demographic and topographic condition is similar to that of Bijapur; hence, it pleads for lending a hand to those suffering inhuman living conditions, or to include the excluded into the one human community. The Jesuits of Karnataka Province had commenced such work already in 1994; the work was undertaken in an organized manner in 2004 by the setting up of a social action centre named Sangama in the town of Sindagi. The centre carried out activities like organizing women into SHGs, making the governmental schemes available to people, organizing children and youth into clubs, arranging coaching in English language, and running a hostel for post- child-labour boy children. Having realized the significance of education in empowering people, they started a formal school at Sindagi in 2011, which consists of nursery and class I. The Ursuline Franciscan Sisters were invited to collaborate in the mission in 2012.
As Sneha Sangama at Bijapur had been a concern of the Mangalore Province since August 28, 2009 and since Sindagi is closer to it, the Province agreed to extend assistance at Sindagi. Accordingly Sisters Irene D’Sa and Sunitha Pinto, members of Sneha Sangama, were sent to Sindagi. Currently the Assisi Nilaya community carries on as a sub-community of Sneha Sangama. The Sisters have begun teaching in the School. The School has been making steady progress. Sr Sophia Bellary joined the community in 2013. They reside in the rooms provided by Jesuits at Sangama centre.
They envision upgrading the sub-community into a full- fledged community; they also intend to initiate other apostolic activities alongside collaboration with the Jesuits. Sindagi offers ample scope to working for alcohol addicts, differently able children, children of migrating parents…. The region also calls for conscientization of men, women and youth about their rights and duties towards a dignified living. The Province has discerned rightly in taking up the mission at Sindagi.
