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.