Sponsor monthly groceries for the elderly

A survey was conducted among 31 beneficiaries receiving rations from Dignity Foundation. Quite a few interesting observations were made out of the 24 questions that were asked. These findings help the organisation to improve their services better, especially because the beneficiaries are all poverty-stricken elderly people, belonging to an age group of 60-90+. The total monthly income of the beneficiaries is 1500 on an average with about half of them having zero income. The rations that they receive are shared with 2 more people on an average. About 90% do not work and the remaining work either as domestic help or on part time basis. An updates on a beneficiary: Ramesh Solanki, 73 is a differently abled man who lives with his wife in Mumbai, in search of a livelihood. His wife works as a domestic help. Their three sons live in the village and do not look after them. Rations are provided to them by Dignity Foundation so that the couple can get through each day with proper food.

Dignity Foundation supports indigent senior citizens in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune by providing a month's worth of basic dry provisions to the very poor senior citizens who cannot fend for themselves.

107 Senior citizens are receiving rations at their doorstep every month without fail till the financial year of 2017-18

Senior citizens either call on Dignity Helpline or come in person to request for ration support. Dignity Foundation also reaches out to the slum localities through the Dignity on Wheels outreach programme and with the help of volunteers.

The Ration project takes off after a physical verification of the genuineness of the case by a Social Worker. These senior citizens are not sleeping hungry and are able to live with dignity in their last days. This has been made possible by your support for this program. Expected total number of beneficiaries in this program for FY18-19 - 50 Total Budget for the project for FY18-19 - INR 1,00,000

Sulochana's story This is real life situation of one of our ration beneficiaries. She is a 65-year-old lady staying in a small room (semi pakka) in the slums of Mumbai. She lost her husband at a very young age. She had two sons and one daughter to take care of. With no literacy she started to do domestic work and support her children. Her children went to local municipal school and were school drop outs. Slum conditions and poverty were responsible for death of her two sons. Her daughter, 45 years old, is staying with her. Due to poverty and multiple factors her daughter studied upto primary school. From young days she joined her mother as a domestic helper. Recently the mother had a stroke which resulted in paralysis of right side. To keep herself active she takes up domestic work. The ration support has helped her in a big way. She never goes hungry now.

Program Update

The main aim of this program is to provide at least one full day's meal to an elderly person or a couple for an entire month. We at, Dignity foundation, with the help of our volunteers, conduct camps and surveys in the slum areas of Mumbai to identify elderly persons or couples who are suffering from food storage due to financial imbalance. When these identified elderly persons or couples meets our criteria, they are enrolled into the program. They are provided with monthly ration materials so as to provide for themselves. Our monthly ration articles include:- Atta-5kg, Rice-3kg, Sugar-1kg, Tur dal-1kg, Tea-250gm, Cooking Oil-2ltr, Moong dal full 500gm, Salt-1kg, Poha-500gm, Rawa-1kg

Story from the field

Yallava Nagappa Shinnur receives monthly ration , Therefore some money remain in her hand for medicines

Yallava Nagappa Shinnur, a 65 years old window, suffering spondylose problem lives alone in the slums of Dharavi Mumbai. Due to old age, she is unable to go to work everyday and earn her own bread. She is dependent on her sister financially. Although, it is very difficult for her to fulfill her food requirements with the support she receives from her sister. She managed to live on a single meal everyday. Additionally, she had medical requirements which she couldn't afford. She did not have money to buy medicine. It gradually started affecting her health.

Yallava was identified by one of our volunteers, and was later admitted into Dignity foundation's ration service program. Yallava, now receives better meals two times a day. She now uses the monies she receives from her sister to attend to her medical needs, and maintain her health. Earlier only at times she could afford to eat rice and dal. After she has become a part of the program, she is able to eat chapatti, rice and dal for meals everyday. She is thankful to be a part of the program and receive her monthly rations, which helps her to feed herself with nutritious food.