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As 2024 ends and a new year begins most of us are looking back and taking stock of our achievements and losses. Among the achievers of the last year are those Good Samaritans who worked relentlessly to make this world a better place. Whether it's feeding the poor or providing companionship, a few individuals have helped to make the lives of others brighter. Here, we profile four such persons who wanted to be the change they want to see in the world.
When death gives purpose
Gattu Giri established Matrudevobhava Orphanage in 2018 after a personal tragedy made him realise that many mentally-challenged persons go missing from their homes and lead tough lives on the streets. The ashram at Balapur Mandal of Nadargul village in Rangareddy district provides shelter to 150 orphans and mentally-challenged persons from different states. "My brother was living with mental illness and one day, he went missing. After an exhaustive search, we found him at Osmania Hospital with a leg missing. He did not survive many days after that. This made me realise that though there are many organisations working for children, women and the elderly, there are few which work for people like my brother," Giri, who hails from Nalgonda district, said.
"Since the establishment of the Ashram, 280 mentally-challenged persons have been provided with food, accommodation, psychiatric treatment, counseling, and medicine from Erragadda Mental Hospital," added Giri. Speaking about how he manages to fund the activities of the ashram, he said: "50 percent of the profits from my own business goes to the orphanage. The rest come from welfare foundations. We receive regular food donations from kind-hearted donors on their birthdays, weddings and other occasions."
Hunger as motivator
Hunger as motivator
It was his own hunger that drove Paluri Siddhartha from Vijayanagaram district in Andhra Pradesh start a daily Annadanam programme in 2018. He has now expanded his programme to the temple town of Bhadrachalam in Telangana. Speaking about how it all started, he said: "I experienced hunger in my childhood. My parents are farmers and we could barely afford two square meals a day. This led me to start this programme as I do not want anyone to sleep hungry." Siddhartha now feeds 50 to 60 people every day. He provides food to orphans, beggars and the disabled. "My family helps me buy the essentials. People who come to know about us through social media, donate on birthdays and death anniversaries. Some drop rice and vegetables. A few government departments like the police and revenue have helped us," he added. Right now, Siddhartha is looking for someone who would donate an inverter as power outages are posing hurdles during the preparation of food.
Alone no more
Mateen Ansari established Dobara in 2014 to help seniors in distress, and has helped many till now. After completing a Masters in Gerontology from University of Southern California at the age of 64, she realised that seniors are suffering from social isolation and loneliness. "DOBARA was established as a platform for senior well-being. We are not enclosed by four walls. We specialise in organising and conducting senior-friendly events that help in holistic well-being," Ansari said. Some of their activities include mall visits, long walks, picnics, playing board games, and art & craft. "Our funding comes from generous donors, one-time lifetime registration fees, annual membership fee of Rs.2500, and an annual mela in December. We also raise money through our sustainable living initiative called Dobara Almari, where people donate anything and everything to us and we resell the goods. All proceeds go towards senior well-being initiatives."
Health for all
It was a crowd-funding initiative that made Mujtaba Hasan Askari start Helping Hand Foundation in 2007. "It was incidental for me. I helped raise funds for a son of an electrician in Infosys for brain surgery. The response was overwhelming and that was the starting point," he said. Today, the Foundation runs help desks in 13 government tertiary hospitals, 17 free primary health clinics in urban and peri-urban slums of Hyderabad, and 30-bedded rehab and palliative care centre. "We are one of the largest health Care Charity in India. Our gross receipts for 2024-25 stood at Rs 21 crore. We focus on making healthcare affordable and accessible for the common man. Our funds come through crowd-funding, international charities and CSRs within India," added Askari.
Helping the lost find home
Santosh, a migrant worker from Nepal, was on his way from Hyderabad to his home during the pandemic, when he was looted and thrashed severely by unknown miscreants. An organisation called Good Samaritans India not only got him admitted in Gandhi Hospital and got a crucial operation done, but also contacted Nepal’s embassy to help the victim find his family. This organisation has been in the business of reuniting hapless people with their families since 2011. “We started out with rescuing the elderly from the streets, and now we extend the service to migrant workers. Some of the elderly have lost their memory and cannot find the way home. Many of them get injured and take to begging. Throughout the treatment, we try to locate their families,” says the founder, George Rakesh Babu.
He adds that most of his funds come from donations.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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