• A Unique, Much-Needed Community Service Initiative –

WAPIZ, the community’s frontrunning institution known for its dedicated community services catering to the needs of community members since decades, added yet another feather in its proud service cap, with the inauguration of a unique facility – The WAPIZ JEHANGIR DINSHAW PANDOLE SHELTER, on 17^th December 2024.

This one-of-its-kind, community shelter will provide the much-needed facility of a ‘Stop Gap Shelter’ by providing a temporary residence for abandoned/neglected community members who are in urgent and desperate need of immediate help. They will be provided with the needed care, till an appropriate, more permanent alternative is found. The Shelter comprises a 9-bed-facility, spread across two ground-floor flats (Address: 811, Jame Jamshed Bldg, Jame Jamshed Road, Dadar Parsi Colony), one each for men and women, along with a common kitchen and sitting area for both. The Shelter is scheduled to begin functioning by end of January 2025.

This noble project came into being as the indispensable furtherance of WAPIZ’s ‘Helping Hands for Seniors Project’, where volunteers would visit and clean houses of community members living in appalling, sub-human living conditions, including the repair of broken/leaking toilets, sanitizing the infestations of bugs and Insects, etc. This called for senior residents to be temporarily shifted outside of their decrepit/infested homes for the WAPIZ team to do the necessary fumigation or renovation, so as to render the place liveable again. Unfortunately, these neglected seniors were denied admission in various institutions for a temporary period and this lack of temporary accommodation caused innumerable inconveniences for the seniors. And with strict admission procedures practiced by all Senior Citizen Homes, which take days to be processed, those in need of immediate assistance, are rendered helpless.

Hence, about a year ago, when Darius and Farokh Pandole, the brothers of Late Jehangir Pandole, approached WAPIZ Trustee, Anahita Desai, to identify a project worthy of honouring the memory of their dear, late brother, Anahita Desai, along with co-Trustee Karyesh Patel put forth the proposal of building a ‘Stop Gap Shelter’, which was increasingly becoming the need of the hour.

Speaking to Parsi Times, donor brothers, Farokh and Darius Pandole shared, “We are delighted to partner with WAPIZ to address a critical need for the community in Mumbai, in the name of our brother Jehangir Dinshaw Pandole.” The WAPIZ Jehangir Dinshaw Pandole Shelter will also accommodate Parsi General Hospital Free Ward’s patients who have been discharged post-surgery or with injuries like fractures, who are in need of care-taking but have no one to look after them and cannot afford keeping a ward boy or ayah (monthly charges range from Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 30,000). This facility will now be available for them for free, till they recuperate and can return to their homes.

Kudos to this new WAPIZ project and to those who made it possible through their munificence, including Farokh and Darius Pandole who contributed towards the deposits for these flats, Eric Anklesaria, for the entire renovation of the flats including plastering, wiring, painting, fitting of water tank etc.; Fredun Medhora, for donating all the beds, cabinets and 2 wheelchairs (also a big contributor to the WAPIZ Adult Diaper Project); Persis Vatcha of Bai Maneckbai P B Jeejebhoy Trust, for the refurbishment and maintenance of this Shelter and their constant support to WAPIZ through its various community service endeavours; Zal Eranee, for donating a generous corpus of Rs. 2 crores, the interest from which will be used towards running the Shelter; Anahita Motafram, who shared her expertise as the Estate Agent introducing the property and foregoing any commission inspired by WAPIZ’s good work; and WAPIZ Chairperson Meher Panthaki, for donating Rs. 50 lakhs towards the deposit for the flats.

(For inquires, contact: 9820113791.)