The Prajnopaya Foundation

As you are well aware, the rapid growth of urban centers throughout India has attracted vast numbers of the young from the villages to try their luck in the city. An unfortunate consequence of this trend has been the resulting neglect of the elderly who are left behind. The breakdown of the family support structure can cause a sense of depression and many then lose motivation to give back to society.

Prajnopaya Mangalam Bihar Initiative plans to build and support a series of elderly care facilities that will motivate the elderly to re-engage with life. Each facility is intended to house 50-60 senior citizens and will provide the residents and day visitors with health insurance. The unique construction of the center and the activities to be held are intended to motivate the elderly to interact with each other and their community. Mentoring programs will be conducted where the elderly can impart specific skills to the young, thereby bridging the gap between them.

The design of the facilities will be a challenge. They must remain low-cost, appropriate to the cultural context, and they must encourage social interaction. Prajnopaya has approached the Architecture Department at MIT and will work with faculty and students to organize a competition for MIT students and researchers to design the centers. A sustainable health insurance program will be designed by students and researchers from the Wharton Business School in Pennsylvania.

The first center, to be called Karunangana (Grove of Compassion), will be built in the village of Dhanarua, which is situated along the highway between the cities of Patna and Gaya. The second center is planned for the city of Vaishali. It is hoped that eventually the Mangalam initiatives will be replicated throughout India, building on the experience in Bihar.

In an attempt to strengthen the rural fabric of India, Prajnopaya envisions these elderly care centers not as retirement homes where people come to spend the remaining years of life before passing away, but as places for rejuvenation and reconnecting with society. It is hoped that the elderly will be motivated to live again with vigor and purpose.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

Donations

• $10 or more Sponsors equipment for small-scale Horticulture and Handicraft Production.

• $80 - Partial Sponsorship of Health Insurance for One Individual

• $400 Sponsors an Interactive Program with the community.

• $1,500 Sponsors a room.

• $2,000 Sponsors a Reading room.

• $2,000 Sponsors a Workshop room.

• $2,400 Sponsors a Community Space.

• $17,000 Sponsors a Mobile Ambulance.

• $155,000 - Capital Fund for the Building

There are “naming” opportunities available for sponsors that contribute to the construction of a room or program in Karunangana. The gift can also be made in someone's memory.

Click on the button below to donate towards this cause.

Prajnopaya is a nonprofit organization and gifts are tax deductible in the USA [under Section 501(c)(3)] and in India [under Section 80(G) of the Income Tax Act].