Pune-based nonprofit EDRACH’s new initiative is geared for senior citizens, disabled children and poor homeless women
With their children settled abroad, many elderly Indian parents and other senior citizens lead a lonely life worried about medical care and even basic necessities of life in their golden years.
Thousands of miles away, in other parts of the world, their children too have an agonizing time as they worry about how to take care of their old parents or other loved ones.
The problem has been compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic and attendant travel bans. Many Indian Americans have lost their parents and loved ones in India due to a lack of medical attention and personal care.
Pune, Maharashtra, -based nonprofit, Entrepreneurship Development and Rehabilitation Center for the Handicapped, or EDARCH has some good news for Indians settled abroad and their loved ones back home.
Read: AACI gets $2.5 million Bezos Fund grant to end homelessness (November 19, 2021)
EDARCH, which mainly works for the sustainable rehabilitation of Divyangs (handicapped persons) through skill development, has launched a new initiative to help three sections of society — senior citizens, disabled children and poor homeless women — at one go.
Under this program, elderly people can take cottages at the Centre with an attendant poor homeless woman living separately with a handicapped child in another cottage to take care of all their needs, says Dr. Dilip Deshpande, founder president of EDARCH.
These women not only will take care of the elderly parents of NRIs, but they themselves will receive decent food and medical treatment facilities, and enjoy their time cheerfully with handicapped children as well, he said.
Deshpande hopes that Indian American business persons, officials, and philanthropists will help EDARCH in every way possible to implement this project.
A chartered engineer with a doctorate from a US University in skill and entrepreneurship development, particularly for handicapped people, Deshpande explains how the new initiative would work in an interview with the American Bazaar.
AB: Please tell us about EDARCH’s new initiative?
DD: It’s a special project for the benefit and welfare of three segments of the society: senior citizens/parents of NRIs; children with multiple disability and poor homeless women.
This project will take care and provide a peaceful and healthy lifestyle in nature for the Divyang children who are living only a vegetative life and are totally dependent on their families especially their mothers.
It will also help needy, homeless, poor women in the society and the senior citizens/parents of NRIs.
AB: What kind of facilities will be provided?
DD: In this project, the Center will accommodate the Divyang children to lead a near-normal life without any tension. Each such child will be housed in a separate cottage at the Center under the care of a poor, homeless lady in the cottage.
The senior citizens/parents of NRIs will get a separate home — a cottage where all the amenities and luxuries as per their requirements will be provided.
They will get warm and fresh food as per their liking prepared by the homeless lady. They will get tea and breakfast as required or they will be able to prepare themselves anytime if they so desire.
Their medical care will be taken care of. They will be able to pursue their interests and passion and will have the company of Divyang children in the cottage.
They will lead a creative and satisfactory life with a feeling that their remaining life is not a waste, but is useful for the growth of a Divyang child. They will also be able to enjoy life by mixing with other senior citizens staying in nearby cottages in the complex.
AB: How will this plan help Indian Americans living in the US?
DD: Many Indians living in the US have their parents in India. As they are senior citizens, they have limitations in life and they cannot live alone.
As such, in spite of having money, they are compelled to stay in old age homes. The irony is that even though all these senior citizens have earned a good status and made money in their career, they are required to stay in old age homes.
At such homes, their basic needs of emotional care, the requirement of warm fresh food, and medical care are not taken care of which leads to their frustration and depression.
They have to lead a life waiting for their death. In our immediate future plan, we have taken care of all these issues of the parents of Indians living in the US.
Indians living in the US will be relieved from the worries of their parents as they will have confidence that all required needs of their parents are well taken care of and their parents are enjoying and living a satisfactory, creative life in India in our project.
AB: What kind of support EDARCH is expecting from Indian Americans?
DD: Many Indians living in the US have invested in India in purchasing land and property. As such 95 percent of Indians living in the US have their bank balance and properties in India.
We are appealing to those who have land in the Pune area in Maharashtra to donate a portion of their land to this project. The project could be named after them or their loved ones.
Indian Americans can sponsor the type of cottages they desire. They can send their parents to stay in this project to lead a cheerful and satisfactory life.
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For more information on EDARCH:
In the USA, please contact Anil Prayag at 301-343-7610
It was a nice and inspiring reading expirience wet Endarch. We are in Pune for last 42 year and feel ourselves very proud to associated through various activities. Wish a very remarkable and sustainable development of Endarch in coming time. Wish you and total Endarch team, best wishes and strong support. Regatds