Ayush Kumar Maurya, extends a helping hand towards the homeless and mentally ill

The Indian ministry of health and family welfare estimates that at least a quarter of India’s mentally ill are homeless. Mental illness and destitution often go hand in hand in a transitional society like India. The safety net of joint families and closely bonded communities is slowly eroding from our society where increasingly singular families are finding it difficult to care for their mentally ill relatives. Lack of medical professionals specializing in this field, poverty, large population and severe dearth of residential homes for the mentally ill has further aggravated the problem. 

For the past four years Ayush Kumar Maurya an alumni of Saraswati Shishu Mandir Sr. Sec School, Subhas Chandra Bose Nagar, Suryakund, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, has been working diligently to help  mentally challenged people who are living on the streets.

Ayush is a member of ‘Smile Roti Bank’, an organisation that provides shelter, food and medical facilities to the mentally ill and homeless in collaboration with the district administration. One of the founder members of the organization is another Vidya Bharati Alumni, Shri Krishna Pandey Ajad from the same school. The 20 member team works diligently and is taking care of more than 70 mentally ill individuals. They have successfully reunited 38 patients with their families till now. 

The organisation is segregated into two divisions. One wing ‘Matri Chhay’, takes care of 15 female patients and ‘Smile Home’ takes care of 30 male patients. The individuals are provided with shelter, food and health care, till they are fully cured and can be reunited with their families. Recently a school for mentally challenged  children has also been opened under its umbrella.

Apart from taking care of the mentally ill the organisation is also closely involved with provision of  education and one time meal to children in slums, railway stations and those engaged in trash collection.

According to Ayush, the ‘moral values and Indian ‘sanskriti’ taught by his school has had an immense positive impact on his personality. He firmly believes that more Vidya Bharati students will come forward to help those who are less fortunate in the future.

If you are an alumni member with a similar story to share, kindly email us at info@vidyabharatialumni.org

Your experience can be a source of inspiration to others in the community.