Empowering Dreams: MDS Charities Hosts ‘Umed 2026’ to Support Higher Education
MANGALURU, AUGUST 16: More than 900 students, parents, educators, clergy, religious and well-wishers came together for ‘Umed 2026’, an orientation and educational support programme organised by Michael D’Souza and Family Charities (MDS Charities) at Bejai Church Hall, Mangaluru, on Sunday, August 16.
The programme brought together beneficiaries and their families not only to highlight the educational assistance being extended through MDS Charities, but also to encourage students to make the most of the opportunities before them and, in time, help create similar opportunities for others. The initiative is focused on enabling needy and deserving young people to pursue professional and higher education.
Presiding over the programme, Most Rev. Dr Peter Paul Saldanha, Bishop of Mangalore, described philanthropist Michael D’Souza and his family as “a gift of God to the community.”
Referring to the MDS Charities philosophy of “Care, Support and Empower,” the Bishop observed that the family’s philanthropic initiatives respond to needs at different stages of life. While home care, Medicare and family care address immediate needs, Educare looks to the future by enabling young people to pursue education and build better lives.
Reflecting on the enduring value of investing in people, the Bishop quoted:
“If you want to touch the past, touch a stone. If you want to touch the present, touch a flower. If you want to touch the future, touch a life.”
He observed that Michael D’Souza’s philanthropy had touched the past and the present in different ways, but that its most enduring contribution lay in touching the future by touching lives.
The Bishop urged the beneficiaries to remain grateful for the assistance they had received, use their opportunities well and, when they were able to do so, make a positive difference in the lives of others. The original account similarly records his call to beneficiaries to remember the support received and strive to leave their own positive mark on society.
Stephen Pinto, Advisor to MDS Charities, welcomed the gathering.
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. CA Lionel Aranha, Advisor to MDS Charities, presented an overview of the reach of the organisation’s initiatives over the past 13 years.
Between 2013 and 2025, educational assistance under Educare reached 3,838 students, comprising 3,098 students from Mangalore and 740 from Udupi. For the academic year 2026 in the Mangalore Diocese, MDS Charities has sanctioned ₹4.84 crore for 505 students. Of these, 343 are continuing beneficiaries for whom approximately ₹3.33 crore has been sanctioned, while 162 are new beneficiaries receiving assistance of approximately ₹1.50 crore.
The presentation also highlighted the wider reach of the family’s charitable initiatives. Housing assistance has benefited 520 families, with aid totalling approximately ₹7.25 crore, including support for 314 new houses and repairs to 206 homes. Under the Third Child Sponsorship initiative, approximately ₹73.19 lakh has been provided to 691 children, comprising 253 students assisted in 2025 and 438 in 2026.
Looking ahead, Prof. Aranha outlined plans to establish an MDS Charities Alumni Network under the motto “One Life Touching Another.” The proposed network is intended to keep beneficiaries connected beyond the period of financial assistance and to build a community focused on networking, mentorship, career guidance, and mutual support. As beneficiaries establish themselves professionally and in society, they would be encouraged to guide and support students who follow them.
The idea carried forward the theme articulated by the Bishop: the assistance received by one student today need not end with that student. One opportunity can lead to another, and one life can, in time, touch another.
Rev. Fr Faustine L. Lobo, Director of Father Muller Charitable Institutions, who was the Chief Guest, exhorted students to study diligently, develop essential skills and make full use of the opportunities available to them. He also encouraged them to return the good they had received by supporting others when they were in a position to do so.
Resource person Richard Alvares of Cordel conducted an interactive session for students and parents on youth empowerment. He centred his presentation on three themes — Investment, Innovation and Inspiration — encouraging students to invest their time wisely, explore new ideas and capabilities, and find the inspiration necessary to excel.
Parents participated alongside the students throughout the programme, underlining the fact that the pursuit of higher education is often a journey undertaken by the entire family.
Several student beneficiaries also shared personal testimonies, speaking about their educational journeys and the difference that financial assistance from MDS Charities had made in enabling them to continue their studies. Their experiences gave a human dimension to the figures presented earlier and illustrated the impact of educational assistance on individual lives and families.
The programme was conducted in a structured and professional manner, with the sessions and hospitality arrangements coordinated smoothly.
H. M. Pernal, Sahitya Akademi Awardee 2025, compered the programme, while Reena D’Costa proposed the vote of thanks.
Guests of Honour included Nirmal D’Souza, Vice President of the Bejai Parish Pastoral Council; Very Rev. Rajesh Rosario, Rector of St Joseph’s Interdiocesan Seminary; and Rev. Fr Wilfred Prakash D’Souza, Director of St Joseph’s Engineering College. Priests, religious sisters, representatives of beneficiary institutions and organisations, well-wishers, advisory members and members of the MDS Charities team were also present.
The programme culminated in a Eucharistic Celebration presided over by Bishop Peter Paul Saldanha at Bejai Church, which was filled to capacity for the occasion, followed by lunch at 1.15 p.m.
Umed 2026 reflected the continuing commitment of Michael and Flavia D’Souza and their family to philanthropy that seeks not merely to meet an immediate financial need, but to create opportunities that enable people to build more secure and independent futures.
True to its name, ‘Umed’ — hope — carried a simple but powerful message to the young people gathered there: financial limitations need not become limitations on their aspirations. In the spirit of the Bishop’s words and the proposed Alumni Network, the programme ultimately pointed to a larger ideal — touching the future, one life at a time.