He’s lying alone on a hospital bed, struggling to cope with the pain in his stomach because of cancer in the advanced stages. Counsel the 14-year-old to go home and rest, the boy writhes again. He doesn’t wish to go home as his mother doesn’t care for him. He’s pleading for a room in the hospital itself. He’s pleading to be looked after. That is when Mansi Shah, co-founder of Happy Feet Home, met the kid and took him under her wings.
Just like this boy, there are innumerable children in the city suffering from HIV, thalassemia, cancer, and other such life-threatening diseases. Happy Feet Home, India’s first hospice exclusively for children, is a day care shelter that looks after the emotional, physical as well as spiritual health of such children. Started in 2014, this free of cost facility has over 230 registered children today. There are children and teens from the age group of 1 to 19 years, and predominantly from the lower strata of society.
Shah, who’s been working in the non-profit sector for 11 years, says: “There are very few hospices in India, none of which are exclusively for children. At Happy Feet Home, we try to create an environment where children can be themselves and celebrate life. “Just because these kids have limited time left, it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t spend it with smiles on their faces.”
The happy team
With a team of 12, including a nurse, two counsellors and five volunteers, Happy Feet Home works in collaboration with the nearby Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, commonly referred to as Sion hospital. Children suffering from life-threatening illnesses, who come to the hospital for treatment, are brought to the shelter after signing a registration form. Children from nearby areas such as Dharavi and Chembur are regular visitors as well. Among other services, they are provided with three nutritious meals a day.
Each day at Happy Feet Home is filled with learning sessions and fun activities for the kids. They are taught therapeutic art, meditation, English, Mathematics, and fun art. “Our endeavour is to let these children enjoy and live their lives to the fullest by singing, dancing, playing and also learning,” says Shah. They recently celebrated Children’s Hospice Week, where the kids were taken to a dance studio, shown a 3D movie, and also hosted by Blue Frog for an exclusive party. “The kids had an absolute blast. All these were first time experiences for them. The smiles on their faces were priceless,” says Shah.
The shelter is looking to expand into a bigger facility in order to accommodate more children. “People tend to donate only to those causes where there is real impact. Like educating a child or paying for an operation. No one wants to invest in a ‘lost cause’,” says Shah. Sustainable funding over a period of time would enable Happy Feet Home to invest in bettering the lives of underprivileged children. “By helping to bring a smile to the faces of these kids, one is only getting more help in return,” she adds.
The writer is an intern with The Hindu
