Asha Bhawan helping families get basic needs

Residents of Asha Bhawan Dimapur pose of picture outside the centre’s building in Vidima Village, Chümoukedima. 

Morung Express News
Kohima | April 20 

Ever since the lockdown has been imposed on March 25 due to COVID 19 pandemic, people around the world continue to suffer, particularly, the daily wage earners, migrants and community based run centres.

 One such centre is the Asha Bhawan Trust of India, a caring community based at Vidima Village, Chümoukedima established in September 2005 - a rehabilitation centre helping people to get free from drugs and alcohol dependence, and also helping their families to get their basic needs for a new life. 

The Asha Bhawan do not charge any fees from its clients and their families who stay at the centre, and is run purely on the goodwill contributions of individuals and churches. It is not aided by any government agency or any other organizations and manages their kitchen through farming by the inmates.

Following the lockdown, the centre has been going through a difficult phase and has written a letter of request appealing people to contribute in whatever way it can to help the inmates at the centre.

Talking to The Morung Express, Albert Yore, the administrator informed that currently, the centre houses 18 children, 2 infants and 22 adults and is finding difficulty to manage the centre. Yore, a former drug user recovered from Asha Bhawan Dimapur, lives at the centre with his family. 

The centre, he said, doesn’t only take care of its clients to free them of their addictions but also their children, 18 of them who are going to a private school in Chumukedima, sponsored from the generous contributions of its well-wishers.

The house which currently houses the inmates and its families, he informed was constructed solely through the contributions of the people. The centre has undertaken farming activities plating varieties of vegetables all through the year to sustain their kitchen.

Just before the lockdown was imposed, Yore said, it had harvested 150 kgs of arhar dal and has been consuming that. However, with quite a good number of inmates, including the children, their kitchen is running out of basic essential commodities.

The centre, it was informed is sustaining through the goodwill contributions of some well-wishers since the lockdown, still it requires more help and support of the people, requested Yore. It was through a friend, the ‘request letter’ was posted in the Facebook page appealing everyone to help in whatever way possible - food ration or monetary contributions. Willing donors may contribute to SBI AC No. 20237731759, IFSC: SBIN0006486.