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Home, Our Home
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If you look around and find no comforting presence, no warm gesture, no loving caress... don't lose heart. Our Home stands to embrace every distraught soul.
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In loving care: Children at the home.
MOST CHILDREN long to visit their relatives during summer holidays. But 11-year-old Prem Kishore, who is an inmate of Our Home, has been showered with so much love that he is reluctant to even briefly visit his relatives. However, during one such visit he brought with him his six-year-old sister and insisted that she be given shelter at Our Home. Chand Pasha, another six-year-old stretches out his hands and says: "Vyjayanthi Amma loves me so much."
Going beyond the traditional structure of an orphanage or an old age home, Our Home in Jayanagar is based on a new concept. This home, which started a year and a half ago, has its doors open for orphans and the abandoned. Curiously, there are destitute women who assist the inmates in their everyday activities. " I have always believed that they can draw on each other for their emotional needs. It makes logical sense to make a home for them together, because their physical needs are similar," says Vyjayanthi Raman, who runs the home.
As part of Project Uplift, the home was first started in Chennai. Conceived and funded by Mickey Jagtiani, an NRI who believes in ploughing back some of the fruits of his labour. The project is managed by Ayesha Saeed, a trained psychologist based in Dubai. She travels to India every other month to supervise the operations.
Children from various backgrounds reside here. Some of them have parents who are serving a sentence in jail. Some others are street children or children whose parents cannot provide for them. These children come with behavioural problems because of their traumatic background, but over a period of time they all blossom to be happy children.
Affection-starved inmates undergo a dramatic change after they come under the loving care at Our Home. They take on roles in the everyday routine of the home. Some assist in dressing the children before they leave for school, some supervise their studies, and some just take on the role of doting grandparents.
Lingamma (65) feels secure and happy. "I have no one to care for. But here there is a sense of belonging. I have many health complications. I only hope I can be here as long as I live."
Our Home emphasises on providing quality facilities. It pays attention to cleanliness and morals. The children are sent to English-medium schools. There are no food restrictions and children often run up to the cook with special requests, which are accommodated gladly. "I attend all the parent-teacher meetings at the school," says Ms. Raman, "and all the children have excellent grades," she adds proudly.
Still in its infancy, the home needs the assistance from philantropists. Social service need not be in the form of only monetary donations or full time commitment, clarifies Ms. Raman. "If a dance or music teacher volunteers to teach them twice a week, the children will have overall development," she explains. "Or if a school teacher offers to help them with their homework or coach them even at home, just as any child would be by its mother, it would help. The possibilities are endless. One only has to come out of the straight line of thinking," she adds.
The home is also looking for volunteers who can take children for outings at regular intervals. "Donations can be in any form," she says stressing that the home needs a vehicle and a computer. Eventually, the home dreams of having its own premises.
The institution does not believe that it can change the whole world or wipe away every tear but it has made a start with a few distressed souls.
Those interested in assisting and volunteering their services may contact Ms. Vyjayanthi Raman, 708, 16th A Mani, 38th Cross, Jayanagar 4th Block.
It can be contacted on 6630413 and 6650541.
MANJULA MENON SHELKE
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
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