Home for Aged & Destitute

Our Latest project In Tholayavattam India, the Jeevan Jothi Home for the Elderly, is an existing two-story facility currently housing elderly and abandoned women. Sister Jancy, Chief Architect of our Annaikarai facility was recently reassigned to the Jeevan Jothi home. Upon arriving in 2019, she realized that housing the women on the second floor was not practical and in violation of the Indian housing code. No elevator and frequent power outages lasting between 4 and 8 hours daily coupled with elderly, frail women going up and down stairs, seemed like a recipe for disaster. She contacted us, explaining her dilemma.

In January of 2020 on our annual visit to inspect all the existing Mercy Home Foundation projects, we stayed a few days with her and met with her staff and residents. The solution we came up with was to first convert the second story to staff bedrooms and offices, and house the residents in temporary facilities on the first floor. The long term goal is a four-stage approach to build a permanent home designed to house, feed, and care for the residents, on the land adjacent to the existing building. The first stage is the design and permitting phase, which will begin with breaking ground in April 2020. We believe that as each phase is completed, we can move more of the women into the new areas while also starting the next phase.

We anticipate that this project will cost around $100,000.00 dollars. So far, we have sent the first $25,000 to complete the first stage. As with all of our projects, we will inspect at least once a year and continue only if the project meets our expectations. The good news is that we have been working with Sister Jancy for over ten years, and have the utmost confidence in her leading this project.

First step – laying the foundation stone, burying it, praying over it.

We had the function of the laying of foundation stone. Fr. Jayakody from elavuvilai and Fr. Benghar our p.p. celebrated the holy Mass. and Fr. Arul devadass, Fr. Bengar and Fr. Jeyakody together blessed the foundation stone. Our mother general, our principal and the councelours also attended the function.

Testing the soil and they passed!

Step 2 – Dig the foundation and bought the Iron bar

And we’re really moving along

And we build…

Blessing the Entrance Door Celebration

Raising of the Entrance Door Ceremony