Old age home for 350 abandoned elderly women

Dear Maitri Friends,

Your love has helped more than 300 widow mothers. We had a dream to make a difference in the lives of widow mothers and 10 years now, you have made a difference. India is undergoing a demographic transition. While 8 percent of its population was recorded as 60 years and above in 2011 Census, it is expected to increase its share of elderly to 12.5 percent and 20 percent by 2026 and 2050 respectively. There is a growing pressure on all aspects of the elderly-financially, health and shelter. It becomes immensely difficult for a widow woman, more so of an ageing widow mother, with lack of resources, property rights and speculations of being weak and inferior are often at the receiving end of discrimination and violence at every stage of their life. Maitri has been working with homeless, abandoned and ageing Widow Mothers in Vrindavan and Radhakund since 2010.

You will be happy to know that on the day of International Widow’s Day, Maitri organized another group travel for Widow Mothers. Connecting people, living adventure, travelling healthily and actively, celebrating life. is what the beautiful widow mothers were engaged with on #InternationalWidowsDay.

A soulful Trip to The Golden Temple:

Amritsar, the city of gurus and the city of nectar, a new exposure for the widow mothers. The golden temple is an irresistible gurudwara, nestled at the center of a captivating water pool. Crowned with a pure golden dome, it secretes tranquility and modesty that can calm a restless heart. Maitri has organised another group travel where widow mothers have travelled from the interiors of Radhakund to Amritsar and are exploring every place. The mothers were indeed touched by the beauty and had memorable experiences. The trips are a great bonding exercise and inculcate feelings of friendship and sisterhood among the women, helping the women express themselves better adding on to the mobility.

Do you know, some of them have never travelled outside of the city since they left their homes for Radhakund? Do you know one of the mothers expressed profound joy on wearing a kurta and our staff was surprised to see how delighted she was? There are numerous other stories, which brings a smile to your face as every travel creates memories. But the most important part is the mere fact that a person who is ageing, is a widow, is a woman and has probably struggled through realities that these identities bring along with them, is experiencing new places and new memories.

Being devotes of Lord Krishna, some mothers also shared their feelings. God is one, be it Nanak or KRISHNA . The mothers have understood the essence. They call the Sarovar (pond) , samudra (ocean) and want to take a dip everyday to wash away all negativity from their lives. Travel creates memories, stories, new friendships, new food tastes and new experiences. Interestingly they enjoy the gurbani kirtan so much that they want to hear it even though they do not understand the language.

Stories Of Change

Story I: She can walk again

Mother “A”, a 81 year old mother has been staying in Maitrighar since a long time .She was very ill and was not able to move. She was bed ridden and kept under strict observation. Even doctors had given up but our staff never left hope. With routine healthcare, regular medication, daily massage and care from our in-house nurse, she is now able to walk. She walks around asking everyone about their health. With regular care and love from our compassionate staff she has not only recovered, but also gives health advice to the nurse and other mothers. She takes part in all activities and has now become a health advocate for herself and others.

Story II: Her knees have got better

Mother “B” , 60 years old was born in Bihala, Kolkata to a garage laborer. At the age of 17 she was married to a 36 year old man. After her husband’s death she faced a large number of issues but with the support of her father she was able to raise her children. In recent years however, she has not been able to receive any support from her children as they also have financial constraints resulting from extreme poverty. She has been staying at Radhakund ashram along with her widow mother. She used to have a very poor health and required assistance for her day-to-day living. Four months back she got admitted in a hospital and since recovery she faced a lot of difficulty in walking. With support and encouragement from the staff and widow mothers, she started working on herself. Her health has improved. She has learnt stitching under Maitri's skill building initiative and it has become one of her favorite tasks now. Recently, one of our staff members was blessed with a daughter and Mayiya stitched two frocks for her. This was a heartfelt moment for everyone.

There is such great satisfaction to share these moments of happiness and gratefullness.  Its only through your support we are able to make a difference.   Your gift is touching the heart of every mother 's  soul, and it is priceless. Thank you. 

Dear Maitri friends,

Thank you for your continued support. It’s only through well-wishers like you that we are able to achieve progress in our endeavors. Widows in Maitrighar receive nutritious meals ( lunch & dinner) with health supplements, daily fruit and milk, hygienic and clean shelter with regular check up and health care through in house doctor and nurse along with facilitation for citizenship rights by availing pension, bank accounts etc.In the last quarter, International Women’s Day was observed, Holi was celebrated with Widow Mothers, local communities and well wishers followed by a community walk, two exposure trips were arranged for 80 widow mothers, expressive art therapy and counseling has been introduced. These activities have been planned and accomplished with the underlining intention of improving the emotional and mental well being of widow mothers. 

 Exposure trips: Group of Widow Mothers Travel for the first time

Vrindavan has always been the mysterious place where thousands of widows flock to live. Most of them have left home, and have been travelling in solitude, for survival, with memories they would not like to return to. This journey from grief to growth has been extraordinary and difficult, but they have created a new family in Maitrighar Old Age Home . Maitri has introduced excursions and group travels with widow mothers to provide them with opportunities of expressing themselves and enhance social bonding.  Maitri organised two trips from Vrindavan to Haridwar for two groups of 40 widow mothers. The excitement and the gratitude widow mothers had cannot be merely described through words. Most of them were finding it hard to even overcome the euphoria of their first group travel. The trips not only strengthens the spirit of sisterhood among mothers, but also helps in improving mobility and fosters active ageing. For some mothers, this first group travel has been a powerful gesture, a space to breathe, a walk to share and feel the bliss and blessing of the universe. And it has come true because of your support. 

" All my life I have felt like a burden.. a burden on my husband..a burden on my children.. this is the first time ever I feel free..Nature is beautiful..I never imagined that I will get such an opportunity..  I am thankful" - says 81 year old Widow mother with teary eyes.

 Celebrations & Community Walk

Many elderly widows live their lives feeling unloved, unseen, unrecognized, unappreciated. Because of their circumstances they are conditioned to hide their truth below a bushel of shame. Maitri celebrates Holi with Widow Mothers with flowers and petals. Maitri plays holi with different colors and flowers, to forget differences and get happiness, to celebrate our struggles, challenges and victories. Widow Mothers play with colors and greet with flowers, its a promise of being forgiving, joyful , truthful and showering all the possible love we have in us. The celebrations reflect the strength of their journey; existence and the paths lived by widow mothers. The sorrow they live with may had no way out but with regular conversations with love and compassion, they are recognizing their own strength. Celebrating the festival with the community and widow mothers is a part and parcel of our programme. After celebrating Holi with a spirit of happiness, laughter, and love , Maitri team along with Widow Mothers of Maitrighar went for a community walk. Through thin lanes and streets, this walk was a great experience in breaking down barriers and creating awareness with the local communities.

 Expressive Art Therapy Sessions

Maitri has hirred an expressive art theraphist. she first conducted a session to understand the population. On the basis of a 7 day session, she has created a module of 12 sessions: " Owning her voice, Mere Awaz Mere Pehchaan" The intention of the Project is to support the participants to calm down, feel relaxed and to let them express themselves as a fully functioning being. This is important for elderly women who are recovering from trauma or might be going through the phase of difficulty to cope with their day-to-day life challenges. The objectives of the project are To promote self-awareness focusing on three levels of awareness (Physical, emotional and mental) and to let the participants find their own way of feeling safe (breath, physical sensation, movement, drawing, sharing, etc.) using “Movement-Based Expressive Art Therapy” as a tool to open the gates of creativity. This work would act as a base to deal with past or present challenges of their current life. Additionally, Maitri also provides classes of Yoga and Reiki for widow Mothers. Maitri facilitated healing sessions and training of Reiki for teachers and widow mothers.

There is such great satisfaction seeing the sparkle come back into a widow’s eyes. Your support enables activities which can add value to their lives. Your gift is touching her heart and soul, and for her, it is priceless. Thank you.