Bokola in the State of Assam
Assam is the entrance door to the states situated in the extreme North-East, bordering on China. The mountainous, hilly country is populated by approximately a hundred ethnic groups. The larger group is Hindu, as the major religion in the region as such is Hindu. They live in the plains of Assam. Moslems, too, make up a great part of the population, while Christians constitute a small minority.
Plentiful rain in this region is both blessing and threat at the same time, a cause for much suffering, since these latter often bring also floods and landslides. Economic development is largely concentrated in the cities. In the interior places people have hardly their own property – their life is simple and poor.
Sr. Elsit Ampattu with the Sisters at Bokola
This community is only 8 kilometers distant from Balipara. Only a few families manage to pay their livelihood with their earnings. The level of education is very low. Along with this, the tendency to consume alcohol and drugs is very great.
In the years 2002 to 2012, the Jesuits of Ranchi have done pioneering work and established a school. Due to lack of qualified teachers, the standard of the school deteriorated until, in 2013, at the request of the Jesuits, the sisters came to Bokola and took up responsibility.
The Sisters had lived in a classroom until a small and simple house was built for them.
Side by side with the school work, collaboration with the Jesuits in the social and pastoral field, is considerable development work in this place. The increase of the number of orphans on account of broken families is an additional concern for the sisters. Dangers through wild animals, too, are a daily threat: due to the missing protection walls around the house, wild elephants keep invading the area.
