Tomoko Iwao, AMDA Headquarters
Ms.Vedha with one of her clients
Ms. Vedha, a former staff of *AMDA Peace Clinic in Bodhgaya, India, has been running an elderly care home at the Shripur village located in the outskirts of the city. Up until now, AMDA has continuously assisted the facility by constructing a bored well or donating foodstuffs.
Whenever she receives a call from the police, hospitals or villagers about an elderly person who has no one to turn to, she hurries to the place in an auto-rickshaw to save the individual. Currently, the nursing home houses about 15 people who are either old or disabled without families.
Serving simple meals mostly prepared using beans and vegetables, the elderly home is not the well-furnished kind we come across in developed countries. However, the level of hospitality she offers is far beyond and incomparable.
Running a nursing home has never been easy for Ms. Vedha. There were times she had to rely on aid organizations or local temples for the food supply. Things often get tough when the bored well becomes unusable for days due to a power outage. Despite such circumstances, she stays by the side of her residents and takes care of them until the end of their burial.
Ms.Vedha at work
Residents at the nursing home
Recently, good news was delivered to AMDA Headquarters in Japan from Ms. Vedha herself. Thanks to the help of local people, she said the mud walls of her facility were replaced with brick walls, with its roof now being changed to an iron one.
AMDA has always been inspired by Ms. Vedha’s enthusiasm and will continue to be there.
*Established in 2009, AMDA Peace Clinic (APC) began its operation by offering Ayurveda treatment. Responding to the local needs, APC made a fresh start in 2014 specializing in maternal and child healthcare. The clinic has committed to providing quality health services ever since its foundation.
The facility building after the rennovation
The building before remodelling