Our Focus
CREST (Caring, Research, Education, Scholarship and Training) was established in 2006 with the goal to assist underprivileged people in developing communities. One such community is in
Mangalore, India where one of the first projects supported by CREST - a fully functional hospice care center for terminally ill cancer patients - has been built and being operated. In order to meet the growing needs of the community, the Centre for Development Studies and Education(CDSE), the organization that runs programs to assist marginalized people of the society has planned to expand to other areas of care to create a broader impact in the society. CREST is fully committed in supporting these programs for highly noble human causes.
CREST and CDSE are non-profit
charitable organizations and the services provided by CDSE are free of cost
to the patients. The establishhment and operational needs are met by the
voluntary contributions (time and financial resources) from like minded people who can relate to these causes. We are
grateful for your generosity. CREST is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit charity in
the United States of America.
Our Programs
Ave Maria Palliative Care
The hospice was established to provide free care to terminally ill cancer patients. The hospice care
center has a capacity of fifteen patient rooms and is in operation for the last four
years. A dedicated team of health care professionals assist cancer patients in the last stage of their life and
provide relief to the family members from the emotional stress. As of Nov
2012, about 200 patients have undergone terminal care at this facility.
Childhood Cancer Foundation
Increasing number of children are affected by the painful disease of cancer.
Being one of the most vulnerable soft targets for such a disease in recent
decades, children are bearing the brunt of development that is ecologically
destructive, physically harmful and emotionally stress inducive.
This initiative is to assist children diagnosed with cancer especially
from the economically backward sections of the society in these four
areas – Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment and Cure. Initial focus of the program
is to identify eligible pediatric patients in and around Mangalore, provide
assistance through charitable/governmental outreach programs or direct
financial assistance and follow-thru with the treatment until cure.
Sampoorna – Guidance and Counseling program
The counseling program provides specialized mental health services for adults, families and care
givers. The goal is also to provide community outreach, prevention and care
coordination especially to victims of social/domestic abuse, trauma, sickness
and separation. The counseling program is staffed by nuns and lay counselors
who have extensive training in clinical psychology and capable of
treating those with relatively minor
behavioral problems to individuals requiring intensive interventions.
Holistic Healing (Long term goal)
As part of the holistic healing goals, CDSE in partnership with CREST plans
to establish a center for alternative/holistic healing through yoga and
meditation. The techniques include Yoga, Pranayama, NLP and Vipassana. The goal is to train people to explore the potential of mind-body-spirit and attain increased awareness, self-control and have a balanced approach in facing life-situations. It has been proven that a pure mind is essential to prevent physical ailments and cure disease.
