Friday 7 January 2022
Fighting an emerging crisis: Elderly & Homeless
Homelessness is a serious
problem across the world. It is a concern faced by both
developing and developed countries. Though the definition of homelessness
differs across countries, the United Nations Economic and Social Council Statement broadly defines it as,
‘When we are talking about housing, we are not just talking about four walls
and a roof. The right to adequate housing is about security of tenure,
affordability, access to services and cultural adequacy. It is about protection
from forced eviction and displacement, fighting homelessness, poverty and
exclusion.’
Homelessness in India
In India, homelessness is defined as,
‘those who do not live in Census houses, but rather stay on pavements, roadsides,
railway platforms, staircases, under flyovers, streets, in hume pipes, or other
open spaces like places of worship etc.’ India ranks 6th among top 10 countries
with significant homeless population and has the highest number of street
children in the world. The other countries being Nigeria,
Egypt, Indonesia, China, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Honduras, Germany, and United States.
According to Census 2011, there are 17.7 lakhs homeless people in India with
urban areas having the highest concentration of more than 9 lakhs homeless
people.
Homelessness is one of the
worst kinds of human rights violation. It not only deprives people of shelter, but also compromises their
safety. Homelessness also limits accessibility to food, healthcare, well-being,
employment opportunities, and education. The homeless population consists of men, women, mothers, the elderly, and the disabled. There are
many NGOs in India that address different needs of the homeless population.
Some organisations feed the needy, some provide necessary items like
clothes, blankets, etc. and yet others work towards making healthcare,
education, and employment opportunities available for this section of people.
Homeless women, in particular, are
the most vulnerable and suffer the worst kind of violence and exploitation. Homeless mothers spend sleepless nights while safeguarding
their children, especially daughters. In addition, there are also 40 million
widowed women in India who are abandoned by their families and children. Among
the widows are single mothers, pregnant women, and aged women.
Akshaya Patra’s intervention
In an effort to ensure homeless
mothers receive their daily share of healthy meals, The Akshaya Patra
Foundation, an NGO in India has stepped in to provide food relief. At present, the Foundation is providing food to thousands of
homeless mothers in Vrindavan. On an average, a moderately active women should
consume 1800-2200 calories per day. To meet this requirement, Akshaya Patra
provides freshly prepared, nutritious, and hygienic meals everyday to homeless
mothers. These meals support their health and also instils a sense of ‘being
cared for’.
Akshaya Patra is a reputed mid-day
meal NGO in India. It has been nourishing school children with
nutritious meals for the past 21 years. Akshaya Patra provides mid-day meals to
18,00,907 children on each school day across 58 locations in 13 States and 1
Union Territory. The Foundation has always contributed to food relief activities
during crisis situations like natural disasters and COVID-19 pandemic.
Feed the needy homeless mothers with Akshaya Patra
In order to continue the
feeding programme for homeless mothers, Akshaya Patra requires the help of donors and supporters. Every
penny of NGO donations is an assurance that the beneficiary homeless mothers will receive their
share of food every day. You can help Akshaya Patra in an
instant by contributing an online donation at the click of a button. Your
contribution will uphold dignity of the homeless mothers, support their health
and give them the assurance of receiving nutritious food every day. Donate
generously to feed the needy homeless mothers and spread the word about
this feeding programme too.
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