Programme 01 — Old age homes

Somebody has to go on a Tuesday, not only on a festival day.

The same homes, every month, with food, fruit, medicines and an hour of company — and we remember the names.

Programme 01Hyderabad and aroundEvery month, not once
An elderly man in a wheelchair, hands folded in greeting

Most of the elders we sit with are not destitute in the way people imagine. They have a bed and a roof. What they do not have is a Tuesday with somebody in it.

Our volunteers visit old age homes and single-room households around Hyderabad on a fixed day each month. We take what the home has asked for — rice, dal, fruit, adult diapers, a fan, a walking stick — and we stay long enough to hear how the month has been.

How it is run

We work with the warden, not around them: what is short is written down before the next visit, and everything handed over is entered in the home's register. Nobody is photographed without being asked first.

What it includes

The short list, agreed with the school, the home or the household.

01Monthly visitsThe same volunteers on the same day, so it becomes a relationship rather than an inspection.
02Food and fruitCooked food or groceries for the home, and fruit for elders who cannot manage a full meal.
03Medicine and mobilityRegular tablets, spectacles, walking sticks, a better mattress, a working light.
04Clothes and beddingWarm clothes before winter, bedsheets and blankets through the year.
05Company and festivalsBirthdays, Kalam Jayanthi and Sankranti — a reason for the room to be full for an afternoon.
An elder greeting visitors at an old age home
An elder at a home we visit every month.
Volunteers and families at a foundation event
A festival day at a home, with the volunteers' families.

How you can help

Three ways that actually move this programme forward.

01

Come along on a visit

Two hours on a Sunday, in your own city. You do not need to bring anything except patience.

02

Sponsor a month

Groceries, fruit and medicines for one home for a month, with the bill and photographs.

03

Send what is short

Adult diapers, blankets, spectacles, walking sticks and warm clothes — the list changes with the season.

Write to kalamfoundationts@gmail.com or sign up as a volunteer. We answer within three working days.

Other programmes

The rest of the work.

02 — Government & rural schools

03 — Sports & tournaments

04 — Ration & relief

05 — Children & orphanages

06 — Festivals & health camps