VANDANA TELKAR – Belgaum
Vandana is unmarried and is a mental patient. She has a very old mother who could not look after her any longer. Due to her mental state, Vandana has a very violent nature. Her aging mother could not handle her any more. She was being treated by Dr. Belinda Viegas-Mueller from Goa.
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LEENA REGO – Belgaum
She was in an old age home, she was not happy there hence she came to Karunalaya, she is 94 years old.
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BARBARA D’COSTA – Belgaum
Barbara D’Costa is an orphan and now that she is old and sick, cannot do things on her own and needs help.
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PRADEEP ARABHAVI- Goa
Pradeep Arabhavi is an orphan and is mentally disturbed.
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MILTON JOHN KALE – Belgaum
Milton is from Kolhapur and suffers from depression. His parents died and was then looked after by his brother. His brother then died and Milton was looked after by his relatives. His relatives cheated him and encroached on his property. All these events took a toll on Milton and he left home. He went into a deep depression. He used to stand near the railway station all day. A few classmates of his recognized him at the station and brought him to Karunalaya. He is being treated for depression and is much better now.
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MEERABAI VERNEKAR – Belgaum
Meerabai is from Karwar. She has two daughters who moved out of the house after they got married. She managed on her own for sometime but soon developed osteoporosis and was unable to move about any longer. Her daughters were unable to keep her with them as their in-laws refused to keep her. She went from one relative’s house to another, until she had nowhere else to go. At the earnest request of one of her daughters, we brought Meerabai into the Home as she was old and in real need of help. She suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes. With much treatment at the Home, Meerabai is much better now and is able to move about the Home with a walker.
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ALEXANDER GONSALVES – Goa
Alexander came to us from a nearby village called Santibastwad. After losing his wife, he suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed. He has three young school-age daughters. His daughters approached some society members to help look after their suffering father. The society members were moved by this sad and tragic story, and admitted Alexander into Karunalaya. He suffers from hypertension. His condition has since improved, but he still cannot walk due to the paralysis.
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GEORGE REGO – Belgaum
George is an orphan from Castlerock, a small town on the outskirts of Belgaum. George lost his parents when he was very young. During a heavy Monsoon rains downpour, George’s make-shift home collapsed and he had no roof over his head. He used to roam on the streets begging for food and shelter. A social worker brought him to us and requested us to keep him in our home.
HARI SHINDE – Belgaum
Hari, a tailor by profession, used to make his living stitching clothes and lived all by himself. However, recently his health began deteriorating and was unable to stitch any more. He could look after himself anymore and had become very weak. We were then contacted to take Hari in to our home as there was no one to look after him any more.
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LEENA REGO – Belgaum
She was in an old age home, she was not happy there hence she came to Karunalaya, she is 94 years old.
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SUDHA AND UTTAM HALALE – Left Belgaum
This husband and wife couple are from Belgaum. They have a son who used to live with them. All their life they provided for their son and even got him married well. But one day, after the son had a fight with them, he threw the parents out of the house. Uttam had to leave his own house with his wife Sudha. Their son told them that their own house was transferred over to his name and asked them to leave and never return. As these events unfolded, both parents were numb with shock and had nowhere to go but to the nearest temple for shelter. This case was brought to the attention of a few soceity members earlier but knew that they had a son who was living and capable to look after them. Meanwhile, both parents walked a distance of about 13 km (approx. 8 miles) from the city of Belgaum to the village of Navage and appeared at the doorstep of Karunalaya. By that time, the husband needed urgent medical attention and seemed to be in a critical condition. Based on humane and compassionate grounds, the society members decided to admit the husband and wife couple into Karunalaya.
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DOMINIC RODRIGUES – Belgaum
Dominic was from Khanapur and used to sell vegetables on his bicycle for a living. One day a spoke from his bicycle injured his leg and Dominic did not bother to take care of the wound. Gangrene formed in his foot and it had to be amputated. The priest from his Parish in Khanapur requested the society members to take Dominic into Karunalaya as there was no one to look after him.
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SHAMLA ACHARYA – Belgaum
Shamla was from Camp, Belgaum. She had a married daughter but due to traditional Hindu customs was unable to keep her mother with her. She managed her life well on her own but once her health problems got the better of her, she was unable to look after herself any longer. Her pitiable state was brought to the notice of the society members who admitted her into our Home. Shamla was given much care and treatment at the Home and her condition improved very much. Shamla left the home to live with her daughter as she was able to take her back in the home.
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NALINA FURTADO – Belgaum
Nalina was from Goa and suffered a severe mental break down. She had spent numerous years in rehabilitation centers in Goa but unfortunately has showed no signs of improvement. Some people known to her approached the society members to admit Nalina into Karunalaya because they were sure that with the amount of love and care shown to residents at Karunalaya, Nalina would improve. Nalina did very well at the home. She left Karunalaya to return to Goa.
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SHAMIYA WAYDANDE – Belgaum
Shamiya was brought to us after he met with a very bad accident that crippled him and was unable to walk. He had no one to look after him. We treated him after his accident and kept him in Karunalaya for almost a year. He left the home to find work for himself.
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AJIT POTE – Belgaum
Ajit was found lying near the Lele ground in Tilakwadi Belgaum by some college students. They gave him food and medicines for a few days and later contacted Karunalaya. Ajit had many open untreated wounds on his body. We took him into the home and nursed his wounds and gave him shelter. After some months he completely recovered from his injuries and we were so happy to see him back on his feet again fit and healthy. He left our home to find work and look after himself.
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M P SHYAM – Belgaum
Shyam was unmarried and a very heavy smoker due to which there was no blood circulation in his right leg. We even had his leg operated but even after being operated he could not walk. We looked after him for a few months in Karunalaya after which he was later taken by his old mother.
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CHANDRAKANT PARMAR – Belgaum
Chandrakant’s family was very poor. His entire family lived in a small one room house. Then unfortunately, Chandrakant suffered a major stroke and could not move any longer. His family home was so small that there was no place for him to even lie down straight. His wife then used to go out to work to bring in money to look after them. As a result, there was no one left to look after him. So their neighbours requested us to take him into our home. After a year, when he could walk again on his own after several physiotherapy sessions, Chandrakant left Karunalaya and returned home.