Serving Humanity Is Prayer

Most of us look the other way when we see someone suffering on the streets or lying abandoned in a corner on a road because we do not know what to do, where to take them or where to turn to for help. We may be the most compassionate of people, yet we find ourselves unable to constructively help or make a lasting, long-term difference in their lives. This is where AiR Humanitarian Homes steps in.

We are a nonprofit organization with three shelter homes spread across Bangalore, located at Bannerghatta, Chikkagubbi Village and Chandapura. We operate a 24/7 Emergency Helpline Number, dedicated to the service of the poor and the homeless, which empowers people to contact us and inform us of the whereabouts of such destitute, abandoned individuals. Once details are shared, not only do we ensure that they receive prompt medical attention at a partnering government hospital, but after the initial treatment is over, we admit them at one of the three AiR Humanitarian Homes till they completely recover and regain lost health.

Today, we care for over 675 people in our three homes. From infants to the elderly, from victims of abuse to those with debilitating or life threatening diseases, no one is turned away. Many of the people we rescue are found in inhuman conditions, starving, with diseases, injuries, often with open, maggot- infested wounds. Each one of them has a story to tell, a heart-wrenching story of loneliness, of abandonment, of pain and hunger, of spending days and nights on the streets in despair and darkness. And it is these very stories that, in a matter of time, become stories of inspiration, stories with a happy ending. This is how kindness and compassion can turn things around. Little wonder that the smiles of our residents light up our lives. We consider ourselves fortunate that we have been able to witness many happy family reunions, where a lost father, mother, son or daughter is reunited with his or her loved ones. Or that we are able to send someone back home in good health and cheer, after having rescued them from the direst of circumstances. The difference we make in their lives, inevitably, makes a difference in our lives. It is the wind beneath our wings!