Help real-life hero Dr Somarajan to rescue abandoned elderly from a life on the streets

“We received a call in 2012 that an elderly person had been abandoned at a government hospital in Kollam, Kerala. Our rescue team reached there and what we found shocked us. The elderly man was Sankarankutti Nair, a prominent director and producer in the Malayalam film industry. He was lying there helplessly. His left leg had been amputated and he had lost his vision completely. He lost his wife and was abandoned by his family and ended up on the streets”, says Dr Ponalur Somarajan, founder of Gandhibhavan.

Without Gandhibhavan, Nair and hundreds of other abandoned elderly would not have a home. Over the last two decades, the NGO has adopted thousands of abandoned elderly from the streets and has taken up full responsibility for their wellbeing. Gandhibhavan is currently home to over 750 abandoned elderly and has been their only refuge.

The last two years have been tough for Dr Somarajan. His NGO is sitting on huge debt and Dr Somarajan, with a heavy heart, admits that he will not be able to continue his work without funds.

Help Dr Somarajan care for 750 abandoned elderly who have lost their homes. Donate now.

All donations to this fundraising campaign are tax exempted under 80G of the Income Tax Act (India), & 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (USA).

A humble beginning

Dr Somarajan, in 2002, found an elderly lady on the street in a visibly distressed condition. Malnourished and ill, the lady was fighting for her life with no one to care for her. Having lost his mother at a young age, Dr Somarajan was moved by her plight, rescued her and brought her home. This encounter led Dr Somarajan to start Gandhibhavan. He rented a two-bedroom house and started rescuing abandoned elderly from the streets. Over the last two decades Dr Somarajan has saved thousands of helpless elderly from a miserable fate. 

Abandonment of elderly on the rise

According to Dr Somarajan as migration towards cities grows, the problem of elderly abandonment would continue to rise. “Children leave their parents behind and move away in search of a livelihood. We have several mothers and fathers here who yearn to see their children. Many children are in such good positions today but they do not want their parents. This is heartbreaking for me to see,” Dr Somarajan says.

A herculean challenge

Most of the people who are brought to Gandhibhavan are ailing, disabled or old. Dr Somarajan says, “In order to provide proper medical care we have doctors at Gandhibhavan along with a medical facility. We even need to have our residents admitted to hospitals at times. But all of this comes at a heavy cost and we need support to be able to give helpless elderly the care and love they need”. “We take care of each and every need that a resident has, from nutritious food and comfortable shelter to medicines and clothing. Gandhibhavan is a family and not an old age home” He further adds.

If we do not receive funds urgently we will have to close the gates of Gandhibhavan to countless abandoned elderly parents who are suffering on the streets. Help Gandhibhavan keep its doors open for countless abandoned elderly parents in need of a safe and loving home. Donate Now.

Donate to this fundraiser by Give.do to support Dr Somarajan in his mission to rescue abandoned elderly from a life of begging on the street.