15.5.2023. 7 PM IST
Are there genuine ethnic homeless Goans homeless on the streets in Goa ?
Few days back the media highlighted through various channels that there are no ethnic goans on the streets.
Media reports like this are misleading and creates a doubt about the services offered by our NGO in the last 5 years of rehabilitating genuine ethnic goan people from the streets into our shelter Homes along with other homeless people mostly suffering from disabilites.
Well let me explain :
☆ 1. Presently we have 100 such ethnic goans in our homes of the total of 165 residents.
☆ 2. Most of these goans are picked up by the Goa Police from the streets and admitted into our Shelter Homes with a police letter.
☆ 3. A few have been recommended by MLAs & Sarpanchs of the village on their letter heads.
We do not accept anyone directly whether Goan or non goan into our homes.
And these requests for rehabilitation of ETHNIC GOANS being homeless with mental disabilities is increasing in huge nos.
In the next few days, I will be highlighting through this broadcast daily, the circumstances of each of these ethnic goans who we are currently residing in our shelter Homes so that all doubts are laid to rest.
Case 1
The above link goes back to 22.7.22 making it close to 10 months.
This Goan woman was brought by Curchorem Police Station and this can be verified by speaking to the inspector.
When rescued from the street, she was disoriented and suffering from mental disabilities.
If you click the link , you will get to see her picture and how disoriented she was.
Today, after 10 months of rehabilitation, medical help, love and care at the Shelter home she has improved and no one will believe she is the same person.
Having been divorced by her husband, she was not accepted by her husband nor by her own family.
She had no place to call her own, slept in public places and as a result of all the rejection, she became very abusive in her language.
We contacted the only living member of her family ie her brother but he refused to take her back knowing that she is mentally disturbed.
” I will lose my wife & Child if my sister comes back home and I have a tough choice to make. So I would rather stay with my wife & Child and not accept my sister into my home”……. was what he said.
Today this goan woman's mental health has improved phenomenally. She needs only 1 Psychiatric tablet daily from the 3 tablets she was prescribed at the beginning.
I am positive that in the next 6 months there will be more improvement.
Presently this ethnic goan woman is a cook and a care giver in our ladies home caring for another 9 women who are suffering from mental disabilities.
So how did this change occur?
In our rehabilitation Home, we don't lock up any inmates or look at these people as a burden but rather I treat them and encourage all our staff and team members to treat them with dignity and with love.
I look at each admission as a helping hand to run the shelter home and I always visualize how and what work they will do in the future. 50% of these visualizations materialize with them being of help to the other residents.
We provide the following therapies for them :
》Physiotherapy
》Vocational therapy and
》Counseling
We make them belive in themselves. We explain that there is a plan to fulfill in their life and we will stand with them no matter what issues they go through or have gone through.
Everything positive is spoken to them and most of all we treat them with care,love & compassion.
A stern hand is used sometimes when needed.
Pity is not encouraged. They need to work hard to maintain normalcy and we help them here.
So what will be the state of this ethnic Goan woman if she leaves our Shelter Home?
Obviously, she will fall into a depression and her mental condition will worsen.
But thanks to her determination and grit, she has recovered and from January 2024 she will paid a salary for the service she renders to the others. This is a financial support for her in her old age.
Now after reading this post please decide if this lady is qualified to be called as a deserving goan homeless person or not ?
Are we justified in our shelter home by taking her in for rehabilitation or should she be still on the streets as ” the media highlighted few days back that there are no ethnic goans on the streets of Goa ” ?
This is the 1st such case we are highliting.
God bless you all
Donald Fernandes
8380097564 / 7020314848