BHARATI PAWASKAR
Brightly painted in florescent green, this cosy home was all set to welcome its first homemakers - Rosy, 78 and Pavlo 56 on May Day. The close neighbours from the South as well as friends and volunteers who lived far North all made it to Varca to turn this house into a home, to have a lovely evening together. The occasion was the inauguration of Samarpan Foundation Home for the Aged at Novangully, Varca where two of its inmates stepped in on May 1 while 14 others would be moving in gradually.
Donated by the Alemao family to Samarpan Foundation, the mother-daughter duo Fatima Fernandes Alemao and Valanka Alemao inaugurated it and no sooner was the ribbon cut, two of the inmates along with the volunteers and neighbours poured in for the house warming get-together. It was a cordial, warm and welcoming atmosphere that the inmates Rosy and Pavlo found in this new home of theirs. While Rosy was anxious to meet others who would share the home with her, Pavlo showed extreme joy for settling in a home of his own.
The neatly kept bungalow with a large open varandah also has ramp for wheelchairs, spacious rooms with attached bathroom, a large dining room, fully-equipped kitchen and all necessary medical equipment like oxygen cylinders, ECG machines, blood pressure measuring equipment, wheelchairs, fouler beds etc. “It’s a mini hospital that we have tried to raise here,” quips Jeshua Fernandes, volunteer, Samarpan Foundation, who has been associated with this project since its inception.
“This home was gifted to Samarpan Foundation four years ago and we were getting it readied as and when funds and donations arrived in our kitty. But the work gained momentum in the real sense after August 2018 and things began to fall in place with great speed. People called in to say they want to donate household items or kitchen equipment. The house began to take shape of a home. By January we were sort of ready, however it took us May to finally throw open our doors. And here we are,” smiles Jeshua, who visits regularly 17 orphanages and 12 old age homes in North Goa and is closely acquainted with the issues of the elderly and the homeless.
Jeshua welcomed the new members in Samarpan’s extended family with open arms and made sure that all felt comfortable in their new home. For the Samarpan volunteers who were present on the occasion, it was a moment of extreme joy and gratitude of giving back to society. “All these years it is they who looked after others in the society, now it’s our time to take care of them,” says Gizella Fernandes who shouldered the responsibility equally in setting up the home along with her sister Jeshua.
Others who would be sharing the roof along with the inmates are full-time Samarpan voluteers Chandramani, Vinita, Dipen, Ajay, Anand and Satish who would be in different roles of cook, house-keeper, gardener, driver, care-taker etc. The entire team seemed enthusiastic to make everyone feel at home.
Sharing Rosy’s story, Jeshua recalls, “Rosy who worked all her life as a loyal maid, taking care of her kind masters until she was fit and fine, hale and hearty is now frail and fragile and needs someone to care for her. Her masters are also aged now and cannot look after ailing Rosy anymore. But hey, here she has found a new home which is all hers where she and many more like her would give her company. What could be a better gift to Rosy than stepping into a warm and welcoming home of her own on the international worker’s day?”
Briefing on Samarpan Foundation’s vision, Vinette DeSouza states that it is, shedding light even in the darkest corners. “Our missions is changing universal consciousness by opening minds and hearts and we, volunteers, work following the philosophy of love, peace, happiness, kindness, simplicity and clarity,” elaborates Vinette, a volunteer with Samarpan Foundation for the past couple of years. For committed volunteers like Jeshua or Vinette, it is a fulfilment of many a people’s dreams to make the aged comfortable in their golden years.
Vinette mentions that after the Alemao family did a gift deed of the property in Samarpan Foundation’s name, a multinational firm stepped ahead to assist under their corporate social responsibility (CSR)’s community initiative in furnishing and setting up the home. Also, many individual donors and sponsors opened up their hearts and pockets generously to help financially. “This is a continued and recurring responsibility and it is with such strong backing that we are confident of taking this project forward and accommodate 16 aged persons here,” adds Vinette.
The aids to take of these elderly will stay on the premises for 24x7 days and they will be offered permanent accommodation. Most of these are Samarpan volunteers who are well-acquainted with the projects of the foundation and its commitment towards social causes. “We expect needy, homeless, elderly who are alone in this world, to come and join us in this home. If all the 16 beds are filled, we would open another home,” assures Jeshua. Adding to Jeshua’s josh, the equally enthusiastic Valanka Alemao expressed her joy over seeing their nondescript gift (of a house) turn into a beautiful, vibrant shelter-home where elderly, orphaned and lonely would find a caring company till the last day of their life.
“This has made my (May) day,” smiles Valanka who seems to be ever willing to extend all help to those dwell in this home. “Samarpan means giving yourself out totally and wholeheartedly and I truly commit myself to this cause,” promises Valanka and it is through the dedication of several others like her that many a four-walled empty houses turn into vibrant homes, embracing homeless and offering them a loving shelter.
