In her early fifties, Romaine San Francesco is not to be mistaken for just any other social reformer. She practices first before she begins any of her preaching and that’s what makes her different. Her talks, lectures and workshops across the nation as well as on international platforms, are well appreciated. “We are a community of outward-focused volunteers, guided by the principle of doing what needs to be done to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number,” she shares. The Samarpan Foundation, which she runs along with her husband Patrick San Francisco, is a charitable not-for-profit entity that works to provide global support and assistance of any kind where there is humanitarian, ecological, environmental and animal welfare need.
Photo Credit: Vincent Braganza
Founded in 2006, the SF works across the globe dealing with issues like poverty, illiteracy, illnesses, waste, hunger and shelter.
As the project head at SF’s Chennai chapter, Romaine manages the various projects initiated and implemented by Samarpan Foundation. Ask her what makes her happy and she gives you a bright, childlike smile, “Greening urban areas, creating healthy environments, finding solutions for pure water, producing green nutrients, indulging into organic farming, hydroponics and poultry farming.” Quick to add, she announces, “All this is but a part of what we do.” Her list continues “ imbibing ecological consciousness, creating social awareness through applied practices in environmental, ecological and sustainability programmes.
Announcing her philosophy of work Romaine describes, “Doing what needs to be done “ whenever there is a humanitarian, ecological or environmental crises, for me, service in any form is a 24X7 meditation.”
Invited as a guest speaker at many national and international platforms, Romaine speaks extensively on topics like health, nutrition, sustainability, organic farming, hydroponics, afforestation, water solutions, waste management and low-cost housing. Empowering youth to pursue universal peace and co-existence and stressing the need to improve nature while managing waste, she also highlights on the role of women in waste management.
‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ is her mantra. Sowing the seeds of change, Romaine, walks the green path to reap positive results. She conceptualises and implements the environmental, ecological and sustainability programmes, speaks of green initiatives like raising forest nurseries of local mixed indigenous species and planting them in the city and suburbs, raising mangroves nurseries for planting on the coast and backwaters, implementation of mosquito eradication programme with the use of systematic, cyclic method of control using herbal pesticides and waste management / recycling.
“We have demonstrated a ‘global first’ unique waste management project that recycles used PET bottles into ‘bottle bricks’ to build eco-friendly ‘green’ houses, benches, hospitals, community centres and schools,” she states. This method of construction is low-cost and an example of recycling PET bottles with zero carbon footprint. The process of manually filling the ‘bottle bricks’ with mud is a zero investment cottage industry that provides employment for impoverished communities.
SF’s newly built Chennai centre has been constructed with used plastic bottles and fishnets. Adding a fish net to the structure makes it resistant to earthquakes up to 9.8 on the Richter scale. Romaine’s team has constructed a bottle bench and a table that represents a green statement at Calangute church in Goa. “It’s a hands-on demo for the Goenkars who can positively utilise state’s huge plastic waste to turn into eco-friendly projects,” she suggests.
SF also works in the field of water conservation and recycling by constructing rainwater harvesting trenches (RWHT). “We demonstrated the global first method of rainwater harvesting trenches transverse the city roads, the prototype model of which was constructed in Chennai in 2012,” she says and mentions a novel plan to convert the Buckingham Canal into a ‘Freshwater Canal’. "A similar plan can be prepared for Goa, especially for the capital city which gets flooded every time it showers. The creek that runs through the city of Panaji, can be cleaned and mangroves can be grown at its sides to allow the city breathe in oxygen," she feels.
SF's empowerment programmes for prison inmates “ Injustice of Justice (IOJ) has been a great success. Is she happy with her work? Armed with a master’s degree in Public Education, Romaine's work did get recognised. She has been conferred the ‘Rose of Ridwan’ award for achievement in the field of the environment’ in Chennai.
Her work expands on the international canvas. Romaine is the jury member for the 2016 Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards “ a school-level recognition programme for volunteer community service. “The award programme is an extension of the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, the largest youth recognition programme in the United States of America,” she boasts and dreams of bringing wonderful, radical and magical changes by educating the lowest strata of the society and bringing them in the mainstream.
As Patrick plans to rope in corporate and students to help SF make India’s cities greener and cleaner, walking besides him, aiding in his mission, is better half Romaine. Imparting her message to the youth she words her innermost musings, “Focus outward, be a centre everywhere and a circumference nowhere.”
This made for each other couple shares a common vision “ of shedding light even in the darkest corners. Believing in changing universal consciousness by opening minds and healing hearts, their philosophy spells love, peace, happiness, kindness, simplicity and clarity “ equally spread out for all.
