Youth Club’s Plan To Aid Calcutta Refugees

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30555, 25 September 1964, Page 21

Youth Club’s Plan To Aid Calcutta Refugees

Members of the St. Stephen’s Anglican Church Youth Club, Shirley, have an ambitious project of overseas aid. In November the club, which has about 35 members in their teens or early twenties, will organise an appeal throughout Christchurch, Ashburton and Rangiora for food and medical supplies which will be sent to homeless and under-nourished refugees living in the Sealdah railway station at Calcutta. Sealdah, Calcutta’s central station, was until recently the “home” of nearly 7000 Indian refugees. Many of them—--1300 families—had been living there, on straw mats or burlap in tiny cubicles in or near the station, since the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. At present the station, which presents one of the world’s worst refugee prob-

lems, is the subject of resettlement plans organised by the Bengal Refugee Service, and supported with funds contributed by the World Council of Churches. St. Stephen’s Youth Club chose the Sealdah station as the subject of its project at the suggestion of the general secretary of the National Council of Churches (the Rev. D. M. Taylor). Mr Taylor wrote to the director of the Bengal Refugee Service (the Rev. K. Dowding) asking the type of goods most needed by the refugees. Mr Dowding suggested disinfectants, antiseptics, vitamin pills and baby foods—and these are the goods that the club hopes members of the public will give during the week from November 16 to 20. The Chemists’ Service Guild has agreed to co-operate with the youth club by making chemist shops available as collecting depots. The guild will assist in the technical job of checking all goods and preparing them for transport overseas. Club members, organised by a committee of five, will then undertake all transport and delivery. Speaking of the project, Mr Taylor said: “I have seen some of the work being done for the people of the Sealdah station, and their need is beyond question. The National Council of Churches appreciates the enthusiasm of St. Stephen’s Youth Club to be of assistance, and is grateful for the offer by the Chemists’ Service Guild of such substantial help. Club members are holding working days, and individually earning money towards the project; Mr A. Frost (aged 18) and Mr H. Guthrie (aged 20), said, “We haven’t any set target. We just hope the project will be a success and perhaps lead to bigger things. in future years.”