PANJIM: The Street Providence Goa will start its fifth shelter home for women with disabilities in North Goa district from September 16.
This home will focus on women suffering from Parkinson, Dementia, Down Syndrome and Autism.
“We have a couple of such women in our four homes, but the demand for rehabilitation is so high that homes for such poor women suffering from the above disabilities and sickness is not available in Goa as care givers is a big issue,” said Donald Fernandes of Street Providence.
According to Fernandes, the Street Providence started its first home for women in June 2018, followed by second home for women in April 2021. The third and fourth home for women was started in September 2022. It is also planning to open two more homes for women across the State in November this year and three homes for women outside the State in January next year.
Caring for homeless women and poor women with mental disabilities is not a joke if the NGO does not have trained nurses and loving care givers, Fernandes said.
“Currently we care for 55+ such women in Goa who are severely affected by mental disabilities of which 80 per cent are ethnic poor Goans and that number will cross 100+ by December this year,” he said.
He thanked Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas who making life easy for him and many abandoned women suffering from mental disabilities.
In Daltonganj Diocese, Jharkhand, the Street Providence opened its first shelter home for homeless men with disabilities in a nursing institute.
Instead of Street Providence starting its own nursing home to train care givers it collaborated with the nursing institute in Daltonganj Diocese and funded the institute, by paying the fees of those poor children, who wished to join nursing course, but could not afford the fees due to financial crunch.
The Street providence has also signed a MoU with the young nurses to work for one year in its shelter homes in Goa and Across India as homes are planned in Manipur and Jharkhand.
It has also introduced four courses Tailoring classes, Computer classes, Flower making classes and Needle work and crochet classesside by side in this institute by investing in the machinery and the human resources.
