Old Age Home

A major focus of the Mahila Seva Samity is the Old Age Home,with a capacity of 42 beds. It is housed at the new Old Age Home at Bosepukur. Ashoka Niketan was inaugurated on the 8th. of November 2010, to commemorate the birthday of our first President, late Ashoka Gupta. This is a three-storied building with single and double rooms along with attached bathrooms and balconies. Full of sunshine and surrounded by trees.
There is a community hall for social and cultural interaction, a sick room to cater to residents who require special medical attention, and an elevator to ensure the residents do not have to climb stairs.
Ashoka Niketan always puts special emphasis on the health care services of its residents. A team of doctors take care of the health of the residents. A consolidated health care management which includes a weekly health check up by medical practitioners, pathological tests, health records, supervised medication and diet control, help the residents maintain fairly good health.
Indoor recreational facilities like magazines, newspapers, library books are provided to the residents. They also enjoy T.V. and Radio Programmes. Special entertainment, lunches, outings, are organised by us and other welfare organisations throughout the year.
The Mahila Seva Samity does not receive any government funding for running the Old Age Home. A nominal charge is taken from the residents if they are able to afford it.
The amount received from the inmates is entirely inadequate to cover the actual cost of looking after each resident. Their actual expenses are met from contributions of members of the Samity and from public donations. With the Samity's acute resource constraint, we require your help and support for the smooth running of the Old Age Home. Funds are required for further finishing, furnishing and equipping the home for the welfare of the residents. Mattresses, pillows, sheets, blankets, quilts, mosquito nets, curtains, tables and cupboards are welcome. Additional funds are needed for chairs, cutlery, crockery, and towels among other daily items.
The Samity would be grateful for donations either in cash or kind to enable the Samity to achieve its objective of making lives comfortable for elderly women who have been rendered homeless in their last years.

How can you help? 

	Sponsor a "Dida" (grandmother) by donating Rs. 25,000 annually for accommodation in the new home. This will cover food, lodging, personal and routine medical expenses.
	Adopt a "Dida" by visiting her, writing her letters and sending her gifts.
	Contribute towards medical expenses of residents amounting to approximately Rs. 2,000 per month.
	Donate in kind - by sending books, magazines, food items, clothing, personal linen, winter wear, foot-wear, toiletries, etc for the residents.

Short Stay Home

Begun in 1984, this project is partly funded by the Ministry of Human Resources of the Government of India. It has a capacity to take care of 30 women who come here to escape from physical assault, sexual assault, and other types of physical and emotional danger. Our goal is to give them shelter, nourishment, care, space and support to help them regain their self-confidence through intensive in-house counselling, and opportunities for work.
Children who come to the Short Stay Home with their mothers are sent to school to help them get ahead. In addition, all our illiterate adult residents are encouraged to join our adult literacy programmes. Mahila Seva Samity has promoted many adult literacy centres in neighbouring villages with the goal of eradicating illiteracy.
The rehabilitation of the residents is arranged by giving Skill Training in various disciplines to help their economic empowerment either by way of self employment or by way of arranging jobs for them. There is a process of follow up which is adhered to in order to ensure and monitor the complete rehabilitation of the individual case.
On average, every year at least 10 women leave the Short Stay Home. Some leave to live independently on their own; others return to their families. However, after women leave the Home, we encourage them to keep in touch with us so that they know the Samity is always there to stand by them whenever necessary.
This year 15 have been rehabilitated. And there are 15 new entrants.

Swadhar

Sanction of the Swadhar Project from Ministry of Women and Child Development , Government of India was received by us on 21st February 2007. Mahila Seva Samity started the Swadhar Shelter for girls in moral danger from1st March 2007 with two inmates. The total strength of the Swadhar Shelter is now 50 of which 36 are women and 14 children. We have rehabilitated 14 women and 3 children.
A great deal of care is taken at our Rajpur Home for the physical and mental well-being of the inmates of both the Short Stay and Swadhar Home. They have regular medical checkups from doctors on attendance. They are taught sewing, weaving, mushroom cultivation, food processing. Computer training is also going on.Two of our girls have successfully cleared the Madhyamik examinations. One of our students is now a graduate and armed with a teachers training course, she aims to become a teacher!
There are regular outings, going for excursions and picnics. There are cellebrations in the Home too. With functions during Shishu Mela, art competitions, sports , dance and drama. Kolkata Sanved conducts a regular dance movement therapy programme which has gone a long way towards giving them a sense of self-belief and self -respect.

Crèche and Nutrition Centre for Children

Mahila Seva Samity runs five crèches in Rajpur Sonarpur area of South 24 Parganas.
They are located at Rajpur, Brotochari, Kamalgazi, Chowhati and Kodalia. The Creches
attend to underprivileged children in the 0-6 years age group. Another Creche in Kolkata, located in Topsia and the Chowhati Creches are aided by West Bengal Council for Social welfare, while West Bengal Social Welfare Board supports the others.
Each crèche provides shelter, meals, daycare, pre-primary school education, and regular health check-ups to 25 children between 0-5 years of age whose mothers work in neighbouring villages. Each crèche is open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and is supervised by 2 Crèche Mothers who also ensure that the children are enrolled into local schools when they reach school-going age.

The crèche rooms are spacious and provide comfortable accommodation to the children. All the crèches have sufficient light and ventilation and are also provided with electric lights and fans. A new crèche building has come up in the premises of Mahila Mondal and Sishu Bikash Kendra in Rajpur. Chowhati creche also has now acquired bright new premises, with large windows through which fresh air and bright sunlight stream in.
In all creches the children are taught numbers, the letters of the alphabet, nursery rhymes and songs in both Bengali and English. Teaching is aided by charts, flash cards, and books which are replenished from time to time. Their daily activities also include drawing, painting and making simple handicrafts, many of which are displayed in the crèche room. Children also enjoy listening to stories told by the creche mothers or samity members. They are also encouraged to play with toys.

© Mahila Seva Samity

site developed by A4 creations