This is our second quarterly report and covers the period ended 30 June 2021. Mercifully the death toll amongst the Goan community in the UK from the pandemic has slowed down considerably and this reduction is probably due to the successful Covid-19 vaccination programme.
However, there have been a number of deaths from other causes and we continued to provide bereaved families with advisory support relating to the registration process and funeral arrangements. Repatriation of bodies to Goa / India resumed and relatives were able to repatriate the remains of their loved ones to their motherland, where the death was due to non-Covid reasons.
Regrettably, the pandemic started ravaging Goa a few months ago, which led to the local hospitals there being overwhelmed, and resulting in an astronomical death toll. The Archdiocese of Goa opened up their Pastoral Centre to care for patients who were unable to access hospital facilities and provided essential Covid relief to patients. The Trustees contacted Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao immediately to offer financial help for the Covid Care Centre in Old Goa. We also appealed for financial contributions from our members & supporters, which brought in £1,200.00. These donations, together with £5,000.00 from our own resources, were transferred to the Archdiocese of Goa’s special foreign contributions bank account on 18 June 2021. Fr Noel D’Costa, the Financial Administrator of the Archdiocese, has acknowledged our contribution, of £6,200.00.
The Trustees are pleased to report that Caritas Goa had been providing the family of Kenneth De Souza with support from May 2017 to 2020, which ceased at the request of the family. Members will recall that Kenneth De Souza was the paralysed boy whom we uplifted to Merces, Goa, in December 2015. However, our annual grant of £100.00 for Kenneth’s medical needs will continue.
We have also been providing considerable financial support to members of the community, who have lost their jobs, for their rent and other essentials.
With kind regards and many thanks to all our members for their continued interest.
FLAVIO GRACIAS
Chair of Trustees
Patron: Dr Stella Mascarenhas-Keyes, BSc., MA., Phd.
Registered address: GOAN WELFARE SOCIETY UK, “The Firs”, 17 Firs Drive, Cranford, Middlesex, TW5 9TA
