Feeding the Widows and Elderly
Old age in India is a big problem. There are 81 million old people in India. Nearly 40% of senior citizens living with their families are reportedly facing abuse of one kind or another, with only one in six cases actually reported. According to government officers the incidences of elderly couples being forced to sell their houses are very high. Some elderly men have also complained that in case of a property dispute, they feel more helpless when their wives side with their children. Many of them suffer in silence as they fear humiliation if they speak up. A phenomenon called ‘grand dumping’ is becoming common in urban areas these days as children are being increasingly intolerant of their parents’ health problems.
After a certain age health problems leading to losing control over one’s body; not recognizing one’s own family owing to Alzheimers, are common. It is then their children begin to see their parents as a burden and may throw them out of their homes. Some put their old parents or grandparents in old-age homes and forget about them.
God put these dying old people on our heart to look after them and feed them. In February 2015 we have started feeding widows and elderly people. We are feeding them with two hot meals a day – lunch and dinner.
Yearly we also are providing 100 widows with blankets and extra clothing.
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- Serving elderly ladies with giving away free rice dinner
Empowering Poor Women
Tailoring Training Center
Women have always been marginalized and downgraded to the status of subjugated class in the Indian society. Women have not actively participated in their emancipation due to their lack of economic independence and illiteracy. There is a need to address the issue by raising the status of women. Keeping this issue in mind, Able Bharat Society has started running training programs for the empowerment of women
The main objective of this tailoring training program is to enhance the quality of life of women and teenage girls through enhancement of their skills and knowledge. Due to poverty, these teenage girls drop out of high school to get married and work as temporary farm workers, sweepers and manual scavengers. They needed to learn newer vocational skills such as tailoring (sewing) which can help them earn more income and become economically self-sufficient and independent. This will alleviate poverty, help them support their family needs without being dependent of husband and parents. In order to help them, we want to start free tailoring (sewing) training centers in various locations.
In these training canters, tailoring skills are taught. Students are trained by a qualified professional tailoring teacher. These tailoring classes enable women/girls in rural village to earn on their own, making them self-confident and self-dependent. After successful completion of 6 months training, women are given sewing machine to take home with. Women start their own tailoring shops and make money. So this project will women to get sewing machines and to start their own little business.
“There is no tool for development as effective than the empowerment of women”
– Kofi Annan
Your help towards empowering poor women will be life changing opportunity for a better future.