Near St. Francis Assisi School there is a building (formerly used as a hostel) which is owned by the school community and is now used as a home for physically and mentally disabled people. The name chosen by our Indian partners for the project is Golden Heaven. People over the age of 18 who have the above-mentioned disadvantages and who are no longer cared for by the Indian state can find refuge here. As poverty is so great in this part of India, these people are often rejected by their families and have to sleep and live on the streets, in railroad stations or similar.
Families whose relatives fall into the target group and who can no longer afford the cost of care have the opportunity to ask for support. A member of our team then visits the families and analyzes the current situation. If it seems plausible that the person would really be better off in Golden Heaven, they can be admitted depending on available capacity. People can live there, receive three meals a day and receive medical care. Of course, people who are already living on the street can also be admitted there.
The project was launched in 2023 by our Indian partners on a small scale and with purely voluntary staff. There are currently 15 people living there. Austrian Doctors has also been supporting the project financially since 2025 in order to be able to pay the staff a salary (as they could no longer afford to do the work purely on a voluntary basis) and to double the number of residents (both men and women). After a year, everything will be evaluated and then the number will be increased further – as the existing building can accommodate more people.
The following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are being promoted with the help of this project:
The project partner is the Prado Welfare Society Santragachhi. The origin goes back to the founder of the St. Francis Assisi School, the Prado Brother Ephrem, who started this school project in 1990.
