 I kept praying that I would not cringe or make a fool of myself. Then I saw this young, handsome boy whose limbs had been amputated. There was so much pain in his eyes that I just wanted to hug him and take away that pain. 
A former principal of an upper class school in Mumbai, she quit her sanitised surroundings to work in a leprosy colony. Soon, realising the need for an organised set-up – for information, help and access to NGOs and funds – Sara D’Mello launched the Committed Communities Development Trust, an institution that continues to nurture many a caregiver. JAYASHREE MENON spends time with the gutsy 63-year-old who swears by her motto, "Compassion with excellence in action"
She is a simply ‘what you see is what you get’ kind of person – ebullient, no nonsense, frank and fearless. If that fits in more with a Wild West shoot-from-the-hip sheriff’s image, well, she’s the least bothered. Sara D’Mello, founder-director of Committed Communities Development Trust (CCDT), has a complete aversion to what she refers to as ‘oppressive words’ and the word ‘victim’ tops that list. But then 63-year-old D’Mello, with 23 years in teaching, is not your typical khadi/jhola social worker, nor is she the chiffon and pearls socialite/crusader.
"I’ve always been a rebel…questioning the system…bucking the trend and yes, I am a roadroller when it comes to getting things done," she admits cheerfully. That’s why as principal of the decidedly upper class Green Lawns School in Mumbai, when construction workers camped in the premises for adding floors to the school building, D’Mello had no qualms about picking up their children and bathing and feeding them in the school. She also encouraged her students – from different classes – to interact with them.
At that point in time, D’Mello was quite happy being a teacher. The thought of starting an NGO was the last thing on her mind. A chance visit to Junagadh, Gujarat, changed all that. "I knew some nuns there and they insisted I accompany them to the leprosy hospital. I was not at all keen but went just to please the nuns. The stench was awful…all rotting flesh…. I was repelled by what I saw and made sure that I did not touch anything," recollects D’Mello. now that counts."
CCDT works in three main areas:
a) HIV/AIDS,
b) community health and
c) children in vulnerable situations.
Its HIV/AIDS related projects like Children of HIV Positive Individuals Living in Dignity (CHILD), Ashray, Phulwari, Dancing Feat and the Ankur-Asmita programmes, provide enabling environments to the afflicted.
CCDT’s Integrated Health and Development Project (IHDP) works on components of health, economic improvement and education, while its Help A Mother Save A Baby (HAMSAB) aims at safe motherhood and the Sarvajanik Arogya Mohim (SAM) ensures quality health care services for women, men and children.
Contact information: Committed Communities Development Trust,
42, Chapel Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai 400050.
Tel: (022) 26513908/26443345
Website: www.ccdtrust.org
E-mail: ccdtrust@bom5.vsnl.net.in
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