Economic instability clubbed with societal insecurity and failure of the political system produce people the side-lined and marginalized. They sometimes are segmented as unwanted and people in need special care and protection. Understanding such people and the need of the society Vincentian Service Society Marymatha Province and its networking partners have established institutions that provide love, care and protection to the vulnerable and marginalized of the society, especially the so called 'unwanted'. The institutions in the network array from fondling care centre to the centre for terminally ill. It is believed that institutional care provides the poor with a place to foster the opportunities and live a life to the maximum. Our institutions deliver strategic interventions aiming at assisting maladapted persons of society to be adjusted and become socially functioning abled persons.
Based on the believe, man is created in the image and likeness of God, and caring the human beings is one of the best way to serve God the networking partners have initiated children's home for children in various needs. For children are the tiny buds of today and the flowers of tomorrow. The well cared bud blossoms to its full beauty. But these buds are not properly cared by the responsible one to be abled citizens of the country. The networking institutions take care of hundreds of children who have divergent needs in institutions established for them. The networking partners like Divine Charitable Trust, Vincentian Service Society, Bhimadale Development society etc takes care of almost 450 children who are orphans abandoned by their family, broken families, financially and socially backward families. Our institutions provide them decent living conditions that foster integral personality along with education facilities and then induct into mainstream society. Our networking members manages institutions with the approval of social welfare board and orphanage control board of governments. Divine Hut for Foundlings, St.VincentBalanagar, Divine Care Home for Senior boys, De Paul Home for Junior Boys, Divine Villa for senior girls, Samairtan Home for Junior girls, and St.Vincent'sBalabavan in different parts of Kerala and De Paul Boys home Bhimadole and Depaul Boys home Kariveena in Andrapradesh, De Paul Boarding for boys and De Paul Boarding for Girls in Maharashtra and De Paul Boys home in Uganda.
People long for more care and protection as they approach their twilight years. Geriatric care is one of the major challenges of the society, especially in India due to the cultural change and increase in the longevity of life. Care of the old becomes expensive and resource consuming which the modern generation does not spare for others. Thousands of old aged have become victims of this and being ousted or evicted from their home without any right. Responding to this the member institutions positively established centres that care for the old making geriatric care as a divine obligation. These centres provide them food, clothing, accommodation along with spiritual care that facilitates positive approach to life and death. Divine Charitable Trust has established three centres of such kind namely Divine Home for Aged, Maria SanthiBhavan for aged women and Divine Mercy Home for Aged Men. KarunaBhavan for the Aged couples is one in unique in the state of Kerala which cater only couples in their old age. These institutions are functioning with the support of the well wishers and benefactors and without financial aid of the government.
HIV/AIDS care is a challenging mission for millions of people affected and infected are facing its severity physically, mentally, economically and socially. Policies and government systems have been supporting financially and tried incorporate HIV/AIDS treatment in the mainstream health care. But poor management and social stigma attached with the disease have created segments and social isolation of patients, their family and relatives even in the state like Kerala where majority is literate and health indicator and service delivery is high. Understanding needs of the poor and marginalized HIV/AIDS patients the networking member society of the Vincentian Service Society Marymatha Province has established St.Vincent Home for AIDS patients as a pioneering centre in this regard. The centre cares 50 HIV/AIDS patients irrespective of religion, caste and sex. Along with nursing care, medicine and food are providing to the inmates. At a stage we have 8 children to take care and they are sent to divine English medium school as normal children.
Alarming increase of mental health issues in the country have instigated its partners, De Paul Extension services and Vincentian Service Society to initiate school mental health projects and impart special training to teachers in association international and national agencies. More specific focus is being done in the school children and adolescents health. The venture resulted in promotion of Mental Health Gym by De Paul Extension Services. An increasing demand for the training shows the significance of such programme in the country.
Though multitude of programmes are designed by government and non-governmental agencies for the poor and marginalized sick and terminally ill people the accessibility and availability of such facilities are limited due to increasing demand for such services. Realizing the need for centres that can accommodate terminally ill patients from rural and remote villages and are not in-patients of medical colleges and tertiary referral centres but needs daily treatment such as chemotherapy, radiation, dialysis etc Vincentian service society, a member society of the Vincentian Service Society Marymatha Province has established two care centres in Kerala namely De Paul Care Centre, Thalassery and De Paul Care Centre, Kozhikkode. The admission to the centres is restricted to patients from BPL category and food and accommodation is provided at free of charge with the support locally mobilized funds from well-wishers and benefactors. On an average 70 patients are accommodated in each center in a day. There is an increasing demand for admission but financial constrains limit the furtherance of such facilities.