WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis), one of the community’s foremost non-profit organisations, dedicated to community-service, has announced the launch of its latest project – ‘WAPIZ Helping Hands For Seniors’, in support of the community’s elderly. A much needed and welcome initiative for the community, ‘Helping Hands’ has been conceptualized and brought to life by WAPIZ Trustee – Karryesh Patel, who is well known for his devotion to community service, for well over a decade.

‘WAPIZ Helping Hands For Seniors’ will be tremendously beneficial for so many helpless senior members of our community who have no care-takers or have been abandoned by family and relatives. Many are unable to care for themselves physically and end up living in pitiful situations and unhygienic conditions, oftentimes malnourished, with no one to turn to, even for basic requirements like a haircut or running necessary home errands. Aimed at providing a life of dignity to our silvers in their twilight years, ‘Helping Hands’ aims to provide them with care-takers, clean homes and other helpful measures.

Parsi Times is delighted to share the story of the very first beneficiary of the ‘WAPIZ Helping Hands for Seniors Project’ – 87-year-old Katie Ghadiali, who lives by herself in Tardeo (Mumbai), and who called the WAPIZ office seeking help from Anahita Desai (WAPIZ Trustee and BPP Trustee who has devoted the greater part of her life selflessly serving the community). Katie Ghadiali shares that she had read about Anahita and her late husband – Yazdi Desai’s social work and community efforts in Parsi Times.

Karryesh Patel immediately swung into action. On meeting her, one got to know that the poor lady had often been cheated financially by many who pretended to help her and that she was in dire need of help in every way. Her home was hoarded with newspapers, plastic containers, old bags and other scrap material strewn all over the place, including the bed. The walls and ceiling of her kitchen and bedroom had exposed rusted rods and bricks, and she had to live in her front room as the plaster the kitchen and bedroom kept falling on her head. Even the toilet needed urgent refurbishing.

Though partly mobile, she walks very slowly and is unable to climb stairs. Karryesh and his team assured her help and support – starting with cleaning the house. A professional cleaning agency will be required to do up the bathroom and toilets, and a civil contractor for replastering the walls and ceiling. Priority has been given to simply clearing and cleaning up her living space.

‘WAPIZ Helping Hands for Seniors Project’ put out a request on social media requesting helpful community members to volunteer and join them over the weekend to help give ‘Katie Aunty’ a clean and hygienic place to stay. They received an overwhelming response from volunteers for this project from all parts of Mumbai, Pune and Gujarat, as also small amounts of donations.

Kudos to Wapiz Trustee – Karryesh Patel for conceptualizing, arranging funding and organising all the logistical requirements for seniors in their hour of need.