WORLD Elder Abuse Awareness Day is observed each year on June 15th to examine the issue of violence against older persons. In India, there are over 104 million senior citizens, and that population is expected to increase. Many of these seniors are victims of elder abuse and are neglected and abandoned by their own families. To help these elderly people, there are NGOs across the country that have made it their mission to rescue and care for these seniors.
Here are 5 NGOs you can support on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day:
Seneh
Heartbroken at the sight of homeless elderly women living on the streets in misery, Indian Air Force Group Captain AC Barua resolved to spend his retirement years serving the needs of the abandoned elderly. He served in the Indian Air Force for 30 years and upon retirement, Group Captain AC Barua did not stop serving his country. He was troubled by the elder abuse he witnessed while helping people during the 2007 floods in Assam. Therefore, he established the Bhavada Devi Memorial Philanthropic Trust with a home for elderly abandoned mothers called Seneh.
Seneh provides shelter, nutritious food, clothing and other basic needs for 28 abandoned old women. The residents of Seneh are victims of physical and mental elder abuse and have been left alone with no one to care for them. To run the home, Group Captian AC Barua takes on the financial responsibility but needs your help to keep Seneh open. Hear from national hero Group Captain AC Barua in this heartwarming video and donate now to make sure these 28 abandoned elderly women can keep their home and not be forced out onto the streets again.
Ashadeep
Homeless elderly people are susceptible to elder abuse, violence, starvation and trafficking. But when they are also mentally disabled, the dangers are amplified. People with psychological disabilities often get lost on the streets and cannot find their way home. Or caregivers may torture and throw them out onto the streets because they see them as a burden. These seniors need to be rescued and cared for with love and affection, explains Dr. Anjana Goswami in this video.
Dr. Anjana Goswami founded Ashadeep in 2014 to give people with mental disabilities a safe and loving home where they are cared for and all their needs are met. Ashadeep provides food and medical care, counselling, therapy, sport, recreational activities, practical education and vocational training to ensure that the rehabilitation truly transforms their lives for the better. Some are even enrolled in the Special Olympics Bharat! But Ashadeep is struggling to afford the essentials to keep the home open and running. Donate now to help Ashadeep rescue and treat more mentally ill and abandoned seniors recover from elder abuse and abandonment.
Abhoy Mission
Many of the elderly women at the Abhoy Mission Ashram were thrown out of their homes and left on the streets to die. This elder abuse is an unfortunate reality for many parents who are abandoned by their children. Suffering with dementia, arthritis and other medical conditions, these seniors suffer heartbreak in addition to the fear and danger of being left on the streets. The Abhoy Mission Ashram cares for this vulnerable group of people by giving them a safe home, healthy meals, rehabilitation, physiotherapy, medical treatment, counselling and recreation so they can live their lives with care and enjoyment.
But after decades, the walls of the Abhoy Mission Ashram are crumbling and the home floods every time it rains, further damaging the building. Ms. Susmita De of Abhoy Mission explains in this touching video that “your help is needed to care for these elderly and neglected women and keep them in good health and safety.” Donate now to Abhoy Mission’s fundraiser and help 28 elderly and abandoned women continue to have a home to call their own.
Share and Care
“They take care of their children from birth, but when their children abandon them, these old parents cry and weep”, shares Carmel, the founder of Share and Care. The NGO provides food and basic necessities to hundreds of senior citizens who are victims of neglect and elder abuse. Almost all of the 400 elderly people that Share and Care looks after are too old to work and this means they cannot afford to buy food to eat. Carmel and her team give these abandoned elderly healthy food, dry food rations, clothes, blankets and toiletries. The team also arranges medical camps, follow up treatments, geriatric counselling, physiotherapy, yoga and other activities to improve their mental and psychological conditions.
To continue supporting these senior citizens and widows who have suffered elder abuse, Share and Care needs your support. In addition to old age, these elderly people struggle with medical conditions such as leprosy and cancer and need your help to cover the costs of the food, medicine and other basics that they so desperately need. Donate now to help Share and Care continue providing for these 400 abandoned grandparents.
Second Chance Foundation
Left on the streets, bus stops, railway stations and hospitals, elderly people who have been abandoned are rescued and cared for by Second Chance Foundation. This NGO was founded by a young 27-year-old with a heart to end elder abuse and help people “discarded” by their own families. The NGO cares for more than 200 abandoned parents and provides safe shelter, nutritious food, medical help, emotional support and affection. The Second Chance Foundation team receives frequent calls about destitute people and they immediately head to the location to rescue them and bring them to the home.
Having rescued over 2,000 old people from misery and neglect, Second Chance Foundation now needs your help to continue supporting seniors in need. “Every bit of your donation goes entirely towards the welfare of the elders” shares Jasper, the founder of Second Chance Foundation. To continue helping the 200 elders and to rescue more people, the NGO needs your support. Donate now to help give the abandoned elderly a life of meaning and purpose.
This World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, we can support NGOs across the country that are dedicated to rescuing and caring for neglected, abused and abandoned elders.
Shirley has been in the development sector for over 10 years and is passionate about making a change in the world around her, including adopting dogs and writing to make a difference.
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