Partnership with Shanti Kunj
Project Profile
Located near Darjeeling, the Shanti Kunj Home for Destitute Women was initiated in June, 2006. It is currently home to ten elderly women, and aims to provide them with daily meals, healthcare, and vocational education.
Partnership History
Shanti Kunj has been an Omprakash partner since January, 2008.
Need for Volunteers
Individuals with interest or experience in nursing and healthcare should consider helping out at Shanti Kunj. Please read the text below and contact ashley@omprakash.org or Puran Rai at puran_rai@sancharnet.in to learn more.
Need for Material Resources
As described in more detail below, Shanti Kunj operates on a budget of roughly $350 per month. All donations towards this cause will make a huge difference in the lives of the elderly women living at Shanti Kunj.
The text below was composed by Puran Rai, director of Shanti Kunj. We are proud to allow him to represent his vision on our website.
Name of Organization: Shanti Kunj
Registration Number: S/1L/32516 of 2005-06 under Societies Act XXVI of 1961
Geographic Area: Salbari, Behind Springfield Academy, PO Sukna, Via Siliguri, Darjeeling District, India
Area of Focus: Rehabilitation (food, shelter & clothing), education and skill
Target Groups: Poorest, needy, abandoned, neglected and destitute old aged women regardless of community, religion, sex and race.
Target Beneficiaries: 10 old aged destitute, abandoned, neglected and needy women
Started home with 1 client in the year 2006 and increased upto 5 and now there is 3 but likely to increase if able to raise fund in near future as 7 women are still waiting to rehabilitate them
Started Date: 1st of June, 2006
Estimated monthly budget: Indian Rs. 15000 (US $ 350) per month for 10 old aged women
BUDGET ESTIMATION FOR FUND RAISING FROM PARTNER ORGANISATION
|
FUND RAISING FOR 3 DIFFERENT PURPOSES |
Indian Rupees |
|
1. Recurring Items Ø Fooding, clothing, toiletries, recreation and medication @ Rs. 1000/- per head X 10 women Ø Rent, Communication & Maintenance of Home @ 3000/- Ø Aadministration & travel expense @ 2000/- |
10000 3000 2000 |
|
2. Non-Recurring items Ø Wooden cots and bedding materials for 5 Women @ Rs. 2000/- Ø Bedding materials Rs. 1000/- X 5 Cots Ø Dining Table @ Rs. 3000/- Ø Chairs Rs. 250/- for chairs X 10 old aged Ø Tin Box for 10 Women Rs. 500/- X 10 women |
10000 5000 3000 2500 5000 |
|
3. Construction of Home (1 storied moderate building) with required facilities on a donated land of 0.05 acres land in Salbari, outskirt of Siliguri City Ø Phase 1 – for fencing, foundation and water Ø Phase 2 – for roofing, flooring & partisan of rooms Ø Phase 3 – for wiring, painting & furnitures |
500000 500000 500000 |
Vision : To see the transformed life of the destitute people in a safe, secure and homely environment shelter.
Mission : To look after the people in their distress keeping them away from being polluted by the world and lead them in the kingdom of God
Goal : To ensure quality life to destitute people with physical, intellectual, psychological, economical, social and spiritual well being
Objectives :
1. To rehabilitate the poorest, needy, neglected, abandoned and destitute people in a safe, secure and homely environment shelter
2. To provide nutritious 3 meals in a day and proper clothing
3. To provide the regular health check up and medication
4. To provide the need based education, counseling, vocational and skill training and recreation
5. To lead them with spiritual activities ensuring their salvation after the physical death
Activities :
1. Provision of nutritious food, clothing and shelter
2. Monthly thorough health check up and regular medication
3. Vocational and skills development training for income generation
4. Education through non-formal & library
5. Chores – reading, cleaning, washing, gardening, cooking
6. Recreation – celebrations, TV, video player, outing on festivals
7. Spiritual development – daily devotion and sunday church service
Policies :
1. High level of commitment, integrity, transparency and accountability are maintained.
2. High level of management is maintained.
Brief description of Organisation: The “Shanti Kunj”, a newly initiated Christian non-profit organisation is headed by Chairman Rev. Dr. Adon Rongong with 8 Board Members. The Board Members meet atleast once in every quarter/biannual and discuss about the plan, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and transition. Its registration under Societies Act of Govt. of West Bengal, India is S/1L/32516.
President – Rev. Dr. Adon Rongong
Vice President – Eld. Devdutta Rai
Secretary/Chief Functionary – Mr. Puran Rai
Asstt Secretaries – Mr. Amos Tshering & Mr. Arun Kumar Rai
Treasurer – Eld. Nirlam Pradhan
Advisors – Rev. Dr. Kamal Andrew Rai
Rev. Agendra Chemjong
Eld. Daya Ratna Pradhan
Contact Persons: Puran Rai, Secretary / Timothy Chettri, Warden cum Office Assistant (part time)
Contact Details: Phone : +91-353-2574650, Mobile : +91 94343 80752/98325 47100, e mail: puran_rai@sancharnet.in or Puran_rai2000@yahoo.co.in or puranrai07@gmail.com
Corresponding Address: Shanti Kunj, Salbari, Behind Springfield School, PO Sukna, via Siliguri – 9, District Darjeeling, India
Support from Partner Organisation:
To provide a volunteer with caring & loving attitudes; knowledge or experience on basic primary health.
To provide financial assistance for meeting the expected recurring expenditure Indian Rupees 18000 (US $ 350) monthly.
To provide 1 time or phase wise financial assistance for construction of its own home in a donated land with other facilities of Indian Rupees 1500000 (US $ 33400)
We would also encourage any committed volunteer who wish to run it independently or support us in running this destitute home for longer period.
Basic information for Volunteer:
Location: Shanti Kunj – Home of Destitute is located in Salbari, Siliguri in the district of Darjeeling, India in a rental single storied house.
Telephone: There is a landline phone with only incoming facility installed in the Home, its number is +91 353 2574650. The alternate mobile number is +91 94343 80752. There is public internet and call centre nearby (500m distance from home)
Communication: There is direct public service from Siliguri City (10 minute distance by public service), hub city for North Eastern India, Nepal and Bhutan. Siliguri is about 20 kms away from nearest Airport Bagdogra. There is direct flight service from Delhi (Capital of India) or Kolkata (Capital of West Bengal) to Bagdogra Airport (which is about 20 kms away from Home. A vehicle on hire is always available for picking or dropping the volunteer either from nearest Airport Bagdogra or Home.
Health Care: There is a Govt. Primary Health Centre located at Sukuna (3 km distance from the Home) and there is moderate nursing homes and hospitals in Siliguri City ( 7 kms distance).
Accommodation: There is moderate furnished 1 storied rental house available for the volunteer on sharing room basis in the house where destitute women are also accomodated with 24 hours water, electricity, toilet and other required facilities. There is the provision for volunteer if wish to stay separately on rental house nearby.
Food: Indian normal food at local level is available 3 times a day – breakfast, lunch and dinner with destitute women if stay together on the same house. If wish to have separately with own management is also welcome.
Clothes, bedding materials and toiletries: Volunteer is encouraged to bring warm clothes if s(h)e plans to stay for longer in winter season also (minimum 15 degree celcius) and light clothes in summer season (maximum 40 degree celcius). Umbrella is also needed to carry in rainy season (June to August). It is advisable to have volunteer’s own bedding materials, mosquito net and toiletries if not comfortable with the available one.
Payment: Volunteer is encouraged to pay the accommodation, fooding, toiletries, telephone, internet, e mail, travel and other charges during stay in the home or nearby rental house whenever the facility is provided at the time of the need.
Contact key person for correspondence: Puran Rai, Secretary – Shanti Kunj Society, Salbari, Behind Springfield Academy, PO Sukna, Via Siliguri, District Darjeeling, West Bengal – 734009, India. Phone : +91 94343 80752 (Mobile), +91 353 2574650 (Residence), +91 353 2514104 (Office), e mail : puran_rai@sancharnet.in or puran_rai2000@yahoo.co.in or puranrai07@gmail.com
Description of focal problems of destitute women
The public places, cowsheds and land lord’s godown were the shelter for these women and they did not have capacity to earn for their hand to mouth everyday. It is due to the various causes such as poverty, homeless, sickness, familyless, single, etc. They are therefore, forced to engage themselves in hazardous work taking the risk of their lives. They do not have place, dignity and respect in the society rather they are highly neglected and rejected by the society, as they cannot speak for themselves. They are rather detached from the homely environment and isolated with social stigma. They are frustrated and as the result they sometime want to commit suicide or sometimes are retarded mentally due to negligence by the society. The society itself is helpless as they do not have capacity to look after these vulnerable groups due to the poverty, an issue of the area. The vulnerable groups also do not have their relatives or neighbors.
The approach of project intended to address the issues of these vulnerable groups as follows:
· To design, plan and provide the necessary nutritious fooding, clothing, shelter, medication and need based education, vocational and skill training services in a homely, secure and safe environment.
· To work out and engage them in daily chores such as gardening, reading, recreation, cooking and devotion practices as well as income based activities for securing love, hope, justice, security and trust.
· To promote a healthy and respectable community with transformed behavior and life style with physical, intellectual, moral and spiritual support.
· To make them a living example and send them to other such people living in hazardous situation so that they too will be encouraged to live a life with positive thought and attitude.
Project Description
1) Research and Survey: Though basic data are available about the vulnerable groups. The finer details will further be collected through intensive research and survey. The areas of information =include their needs, aspirations, visions, dreams, vulnerability, capacity, attitude to life and society etc. The information is collected thorough personal interviews, PLA exercises, and SWOC analysis. Premised on these action plans are developed and implemented. Model intervention plans for prevention; care and support of this group are worked out.
2) Health and Nutrition: The health and nutrition services are included for regular health check up and follow up services, supplementary nutrition to prevent them from sickness. The regular medication will be provided to sick people. A hired Ambulance will always be available for emergency and intensive medical care.
3) Education: Initiating adult education for destitute people who are illiterate so as they are able to read and write. The counseling on positive thought and attitude of living can be provided as often as possible.
4) Recreation: TV, video player, books, magazines and newspapers are provided. The celebration of various important festivals and days are organized in the nearest church where they attend and celebrate these festivals and important days. The computer with internet facilities is also provided to browse the worldwide web of activities of today’s world. They are engaged in daily chores to keep their body physically and mentally fit.
5) Advocacy: Building awareness on the modes of transmission of diseases and their ill effects. Conducting social mapping exercises/workshops/seminars and other such dialogues with Govt. and other agencies involved in the prevention and control of killer and epidemic diseases. Learning lessons from each other and strengthening one another’s design and intervention plans.
6) Sustainability: Initiating locally appropriate and feasible vocational & skills training as well as income based activities can be given so as the Home becomes self supported after 10 years. They are also be engaged on income based farming such as poultry, mushroom cultivation, etc. A grocery cum stationary shop, a STD/ISD/PCO Booth with a Xerox and Fax facility, a Transport Carrier Jeep for carrying the goods of Home are the feasible and appropriate projects to generate the income for its self-supporting. Special fund is required for these income generating projects and construction of a Home in future.
7) After Death: There is an agreement with nearest Church to use the church cemetery for burial of death body of any destitute people during their stay in Home.
Detail information about the Project : Shanti Kunj – Home for Destitute
The Shanti Kunj – Home for Destitute Project is located in a rental house in Salbari, Siliguri of Darjeeling in India since June 2006. It was started with 1 destitute old aged women Maya Chettri with locally raised limited fund and gradually increased upto 5 and out of 5, 1 died in the year 2007 and 1 has been taken back by a family in the same year. Now there is 3 old aged women till date. There is no fixed fund raising system from the like minded social people because the local people also do not have regular earning to support the home and therefore, whatever they were able to save is contributed to the home. It is sometimes very challenging to provide 3 meals in a day although God is so precious and gracious to us that we are anyhow able to provide 3 meals till today, we praise and thank God for it. There is 7 more old aged destitute women still waiting to be at Home but due to locally raised limited fund it is not possible for us to increase the no. upto 10 at this juncture. We are badly in need of fund for its recurring, non-recurring expenses as well as construction (estimated fund mentioned above). Although there is NO full time worker to take care of these old aged women and their home management right now and but we are managing voluntarily with our part time involvement
We are praying that God would speak in the heart of caring people who can provide financial support of US $ 350 monthly for 10 destitute women. We are also praying God for having its own building which will enable us to reduce monthly rental expenses and lead us to have self sustainability and self supporting in future.