Old age home for 350 abandoned elderly women

Dear Maitri friend,

We are most delighted to let you know that the construction of Maitri Ghar and Ageing Resource Centre is finally complete! Congratulations to each one of you on being part of this huge success!

Currently the ground floor is complete, with beds and cupboards purchased, enabling 30 widows to be moved in. The sewage line has also been put in place permitting us to shelter another 30 widows shortly.  Traditional (Madhubani) Indian paintings of Lord Krishna and Radha adorn the prayer halls where widow mothers can freely pray each evening as part of their daily devotions. Those who are residing there are continued to being served a daily mid day meal along with provision of other basic necessities. 

With winter round the corner, Maitri is also preparing to procure blankets, comforters, sweaters, shawls and other essentials to help widow mothers in Vrindavan brace the biting cold season.

In the midst of this success, we look back and see how far we have come, the gaps we have filled, the obstacles we have crossed and how the effects that had been felt in the past have influenced where we are today. We wanted to share a part of this journey with you that you may know how big of an achievement you are part of. 

Our project in Vrindavan started in July 2010 with a promising note. We aspired to restore dignity and respect to as many abandoned and destitute widow mothers through the provision of food and basic necessities. Later in May 2011, Maitri signed an agreement to maintain a Government Old Age Home in Vrindavan. For a time, the programme worked well and we were able to provide services to the widows how ever, none of the funding came through from the State Government as promised.  Unable to meet the needs of the women living at the Home due to lack of resources, we were left with no choice but to let go of our services at the Government home in July 2013. Discouraged by this experience, Maitri transitioned to independently providing services to other abandoned and destitute widows across Vrindavan. This wasn’t easy.

In July 2012 Maitri was featured on "Satyamev Jayate," a popular TV show in India and was generously funded by viewers and The Reliance Foundation for our work with abandoned widows. This opportunity enabled Maitri to buy land to construct our own “Maitri Ghar and Ageing Resource Centre” in Vrindavan. 

Till date Maitri has not been paid by the State Government for the tenure we served at the Government Old Age Home however today we chose to focus on the fact that we have been able to build our own home and that too in a record time of one year. Maitri Ghar is not only going to give abandoned widows a home but also provide them with a loving environment where they can live together and grow.

Adequate space has been catered to incorporate the most unique feature of our home, an Ageing Resource Centre. On completion, this edifice will be one of a kind in the country addressing all aspects of ageing. One of the facilities of the Ageing Resource Centre will be an empowerment project for resident widows, which will include making of incense sticks, beads and organic soaps.  Further to this, the Centre will also carry out research and policy analysis on the aged and related issues.  Finally, we are also happy to announce that Maitri is in the process of partnering with two Hospitals and a University to provide training for old age care. Campus enrollment will commence in due course.

Today we want you to know that had we never gone through the setback with the Governement Old Age Home in the past we would have probably not envisioned building something of our own. Today, we want to thank you for extending a helping hand in making this big dream a reality. We are pleased to have taken this initiative with you and look forward to your continued support to sustain the achievement you are so largely a part of. 

Dear friends,

It gives us immense pleasure to inform you that the construction of Maitri Ghar and Old Age Home is almost nearing completion.

Since June 2014, work as progressed immensely with an aim of completing the construction at our earliest so that we can soon shelter 100 abandoned widow mothers. Currently the tiling wok of the second floor is in progress while the painting of the inner walls is taking shape beautifully.  Furthermore the construction of the front porch and installation of water tanks and electric wiring is complete. Under progress is the sanitary work and plumbing related work along with the mosquito and fly proofing for all windows and doors.

Maitri would like to thank you for your relentless support in helping us come this far to realize a vision born out a burden for the plight of abandoned and destitute widows in Vrindavan. Without your contribution this dream would not soon become a reality.

As we move towards accomplishing our target in proving a permanent shelter for 100 such widow mothers may we invite you to support us on Global Giving’s Bonus day to have your donations matched by 50% starting 16^th Jul y 2014 at 9am EDT to 11:59pm EST. Your support on GlobalGiving’s Bonus day would help us procure the remaining essentials  needed to make Maitri Ghar a Home so that we can move in 100 widow mothers next month.  Find inspiration to bring change to their lives in this literary piece put together on behalf of the Widows of Vrindavan.

“We are the Widows of Vrindavan.  Born into poor circumstances, we were married at very young ages.  Oftentimes our parents did not have the financial means to care for us.  Some of us had good marriages of mutual respect and love; many have faced physical and emotional abuse, loveless relationships, and the effects of substance abuse.  We have had to work hard throughout our lives to care for our children, our husbands, our homes, and even our parents.  Many times these efforts went unnoticed and we received very little in return. 

Our husbands, in various circumstances, have passed on and we have been alone for many decades, attempting to provide for our families and arrange our children’s marriages.  We are left at the mercy of our children and community.  We have encountered illness, tragedy, conflict, and death and we would like to spend our remaining days with our families and loved ones.  Sometimes this is not possible and our children do not have the means to provide for us in our old age.  Sometimes our children do not want us; they have abused us, withheld food from us, threatened our lives, and forced us to leave our homes in search of shelter, food, and security.  Society looks down upon us and denies us the respect that we should be afforded after a lifetime of sweat and tears. 

We have come to Vrindavan to find respite and an opportunity to live the remainder of our lives in religious devotion and peace.  The way has not been easy.  As frail, older women, we have had to beg on the streets for food, even when it is difficult for us to walk.  For Bhajans, we are given a single meal and a few rupees.  What little money we are able to secure is never enough to meet even our basic needs.  We ask for very little and we are grateful for any assistance in the way of food and shelter.  It is our greatest wish to complete our lives with dignity and hope.  We are the Widows of Vrindavan. “