Home For The Disabled (Disabled Services)

Background
The Home For The Disabled was set up by a group of like-minded individuals way back in 1933. In 1972, it underwent an overhaul under the guidance of Father Ambrose, where the tin-roofed sheds were replaced with concrete rooms.

The Home is spread over 3 acres, and houses around 320 inmates - comprising the aged, the disabled, the crippled, the retarded, and the deaf & dumb. It is quite simply a "Home For The Homeless", as Sr. M Esther (the sister-in-charge) calls it.

Activities
You're never quite prepared for what you see inside - the Home is entirely run by 3 nuns, and the rest of the upkeep is handled by the inmates themselves. The premises are so well-kept that you can literally eat off the floor.

It is not called a "Home" for nothing; the younger members are left in the charge of the older inmates, so there is always someone you can call your own. The inmates are productive and create lovely needlework, besides being constantly involved in maintaining their surroundings.

Volunteer Opportunities
The Home does not encourage help from volunteers as the nuns would like to maintain their level of stringent upkeep. However, you can do your bit by identifying and recommending homeless/disabled people to the nuns.

Cash donations are welcome and are tax-exempt. You could also sponsor a meal for the inmates which would cost you Rs. 2,000. It would surprise you to know that the "meals" are booked months in advance here.

In case a simple cash donation is too impersonal a deal for you, you could always donate old clothes, toys and other material that might be of some use.

A visit to the Home can certainly invoke some serious soul-searching; and meeting the inmates is like a crash course on life. Be prepared for a lesson or two in discipline, charity and ensuring productivity against the direst of odds - taught to you purely through example. It is an immensely satisfying experience, and makes you bow down with humility. And it matches several questions marks to your splurges.