Sister Shanti Priyal, a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Little Flower of Bethany, is the director of Bethany Social Service Centre (BSSC), Paradip, a port city, some 105 km east of Bhubaneswar, State capital of Odisha.

She is a professional social worker who is committed to the causes of the poor and marginalized. AT BSSC, she is passionate about the empowerment of women and working for their financial self-reliance and promotion of gender justice. Matters India Special Correspondent in Manila, Santosh Digal, conducted an email interview with Sister Priyal about her work, experiences and BSSC.

“I am one of the passionate social workers having a Master of Arts in Social Work with 15 years of experience among the Sisters of Bethany Congregation in this field. I have accepted social work as a mission to fulfil my religious vows seeing Jesus in the faces of the poor and marginalized.”

“The centre and its members currently do face a challenge to help the women establish market linkage. BSSC is empowering women. Why is it so important for them and society at large?

Well, I believe, women empowerment is the best process for self-reliance and holistic development. Once they are empowered, gradually their problems (individual and group, community) will be solved by them. They lead them to work for sustainable development.”