The Franciscan Family Apostolate (FFA) has always tried to venture into new waters to uplift people in any way possible. In our searching, Sister Daphne came up with the idea to have one day family workshops for all FFA sponsored families.

The goal of the workshop is the overall training of families in such spheres as one’s personal life, career and wellbeing. The training sessions needed funding causing us to struggle for months as to a possible solution. Finally, we decided to use a ticket system charging the families a nominal amount to attend the workshops.

Conducting six seminars on a regional level, which included both husbands and wives, including widows and widowers, we were able to provide food and training to all the interested families. Classes were given on family budgeting, norms to be adopted for a successful living such as sharing day to day family matters amongst the couple, sparing time for children, giving importance to educate the children, various self help ventures that women can do even at home like drying of fish.

They were given ideas on how they can do the packing and distribution of fishes to nearby shops for sale. We even suggested the opening of a small scale catering business at home which is easily manageable and which would be a supplementary income for the family. It was a day where families relaxed, shared and enjoyed the company of others.

The seminar promoted community welfare and the idea that a united society is one where families help others in time of need. Several self-help groups are built around this concept where people pool in money and lend it out to families who need it in times of health issues, death, marriage, etc. The cultivation of love and humanity has been the prime focus of the FFA since its inception and we continue to live and grow on it each day. We hope to conduct more of such workshops in the future so that we can educate more who are unable to pay.