DISCRIMINATION against widows is still prevalent across India. Upon the death of their spouse, women are confined to isolated places, forced to adhere to strict dress codes and excluded from public ceremonies or celebrations for fear of bringing “bad fortune”. This discrimination against widows is bad enough; worse is the mistreatment that widowed mothers face at the hands of their own families and children who subject them to various forms of mental and physical abuse for the purpose of snatching finances and property from them or because the widowed mothers have become an inconvenience. Vrindavan is known as the city of widows for the high number of abandoned widows who make their way to the city in Uttar Pradesh to escape mistreatment and seek help. Pure Devotion Foundation is an NGO for women that is responding to this call for help. 

For elder widows across India, the fortunate receive care and affection from their families and continue living their lives. But for millions of others, their lives are turned upside down and they have to grapple with both societal discrimination against widows plus their children’s mistreatment. Pure Devotion Foundation provides safe shelter, regular and nutritious meals, medical care, recreational activities and a place to call home for the rest of their lives. Sunder Gopal Das is the founder of this NGO for women and under his care, thousands of abandoned mothers have been taken in and saved from the dangers of the streets. 

In this short video, Sunder Gopal Das explains the wretched conditions that the NGO finds these abandoned mothers in and how rescue and rebuild their lives:

The discrimination against widows

Widows are one of the most marginalized groups of people in India. There are centuries of discrimination against widows weighing down on their shoulders, that includes outlawed practices such as sati, of which there have been more than 40 cases since Independence. Other historical forms of discrimination include being prohibited from getting remarried, denied ownership of their husband’s assets, excluded from participation in ceremonies or celebrations, forced to wear white clothing and banned from wearing jewelry, listening to music or engaging in entertaining activities. While this discrimination is considered “historical” and is more prevalent in rural parts of the country, widows across urban and educated India also experience discrimination. 

The abuse and mistreatment of widows

In addition to discrimination by society at large, widows face abuse and exploitation by their immediate family members, including their own children. Behind closed doors, widowed mothers face mental and emotional abuse from their families. Being shouted at, slapped and pushed, denied food and water, having finances and property stolen from them and even being kicked out of their own homes and thrown out onto the streets. These are a few forms of torture that elderly widows experience at the hands of their own children. Unable to bear the mistreatment, these elderly widows travel to Vrindavan hoping that someone will help them. Known as a pilgrimage destination, the city is filled with widows who are in search of a home, care and affection – which, as an NGO for women who are abused and abandoned, Pure Devotion Foundation is ready and poised to provide. 

How Pure Devotion Foundation rescues abandoned widows

Pure Devotion Foundation was founded during the tumultuous COVID-19 era when the most vulnerable people were completely cut off from access to basic needs such as shelter, food, water and medicines and were left on the streets to fend for themselves. Forced to beg on the streets for good, this time was frightening and unbearable for abandoned widows. These elderly widows were not just unable to find food or shelter, but they were also exposed to the dangers of being a woman alone on the streets and vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse by criminals. 

But an NGO for women called Pure Devotion Foundation started caring for a group of 80 abandoned widows in Vrindavan and this number soon grew to 800 in a few months. Now, the Vrindavan-based organization provides safe shelter, nutritious food, clean water, medical support, recreational activities and lifelong care. Pure Devotion Foundation is the sole source of care these abandoned women have and without the long-term and permanent care that is offered, these widows in Vrindavan would be forced to live and beg on the dangerous streets just to survive. 

Because these abandoned widows were living on the streets, they have developed serious health problems as a result of not having proper food, water or medicines. Malnourished and suffering from neglect, their health continues to worsen until many even succumb to their diseases – with no one to even claim their bodies or conduct their funerals. When the NGO for women finds these women on the streets, some of them have backs that are bent out of shape or such severe eye problems that their eyesight has failed them. The widows in the NGO’s care also suffer from blood pressure, Diabetes or other serious conditions which are life-threatening. 

Sunder Gopal Das, the founder of this compassionate NGO for women, shares that “at a time when they needed care and shelter the most, their sons have driven them out of their houses. In Vrindavan, thousands of mothers have been shunned by their sons. In this condition, they take to begging just to survive on the streets of Vrindavan. Somehow they survive by eating rice soaked in water.”

But Pure Devotion Foundation has made it their mission to rescue these abandoned widows from the streets, give them all their basic needs and transform their lives from darkness to light. In giving these abused and abandoned widows the chance to live their lives filled with fulfillment, affection and care, Pure Devotion Foundation can heal and help these abandoned women recover from the heartache and despair of abandonment.

Support Pure Devotion Foundation

Sunder Gopal Das and Pure Devotion Foundation are passionate about reaching out to more abandoned widows who are begging on the streets and giving them safe shelter and lifelong care. Your support can help this NGO for women rescue more abandoned widows in Vrindavan and give them dignified lives filled with comfort and happiness.  

Support Pure Devotion Foundation

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