Villupuram, India—The Religious Youth Service (RYS) and Global Youth Service Foundation (GYSF), partners of UPF, co-organized the Rural Drinking Water Project on Mamandur Colony Road near Villupuram district in South India on March 18, 2023. The activity coincided with the U.N. World Water Day, on March 22.
RYS was launched in 1985 by Dr. Sun Myung Moon and religious leaders, scholars and academics for the purpose of promoting religious cooperation and active service for communities in need. In addition to the hundreds of projects it has undertaken since its founding, RYS has inspired hundreds of participants worldwide to embark on a lifelong ethic of virtuous service and peacebuilding.
Participating in the three-part project were 25 youth from high schools, colleges and universities in the district. The local coordinators were Father Arputharaj, youth director of the Archdiocese of Pondicherry, and Father Amaladas, a Capuchin friar and director of Solanus Casey Centre.
The first part was the Youth Prayer Service and Character Formation session led by Fathers Arputharaj and Amaladass. The second part was Motivational Training on Self Esteem and Optimism. Father Nithiya spoke about how to improve one’s self esteem using neuro-linguistic programming techniques and one’s optimism in life.
The third part was the service project, which aimed to provide an essential need, safe drinking, to a village. Up until that point, the community had hard, non-potable water.
The project involved digging a canal between a building and the side of a road nearby and laying pipelines in the canal, installing a water tank at the building, and closing the pipelines. Water softener machines will be set up and a river osmosis system will be assembled close to the roadside.
The group also reviewed the project. The larger area has seven remote villages, and children have to walk around 6 kilometers daily to attend their studies. However, due to family chores, they do not have time for their studies. The group proposed that tuition be provided to students in each village.
All the participants and organizers enjoyed lunch together, and afterwards, the youth had a short visit to Emmaus Renewal Centre where they relaxed and had fun.
The project was made possible by the support of RYS alumni Mr. John Connell and Mr. Sid Jain from the United States and Father Nithiya.
