Orissa NGO helps specially abled women reunite with their families

BHUBANESWAR - Mission Ashra, an NGO in Orissa that helps specially abled women reunite with their families, hosted a special event to mark the 350th family reunion of such unfortunate women at Bhubaneswar on Thursday.

The volunteers of this NGO pick up specially abled women from roadside and later treat them.

The present inmates under the care of this voluntary forum, as well as those women treated in the past attended this event.

Mission Ashra Director Gobind Pattnaik related the various modes of treatments rendered by the NGO.

“We give psychiatric treatment as well as counselling and different therapies like music therapy, yoga therapy and all other therapies and we are also implementing some innovative programmes like involving them with different social, cultural and other activities, so that the percentage of recovery is very high,” said Pattnaik.

Mission Ashra was founded in 2003 and the 350th especially abled woman to be reunited with her family was Sital from the neighbouring state of Chhattisgarh.

“She had a minor mental problem. We also got the treatment done but there was no improvement. In March 2009, she left from home; we tried looking for her but were unable to find her despite giving advertisements in the newspaper,” said Dinesh Sahoo, husband of Sital.

“Then after 16 months, we received a call from Ashra and we found her here,” he added.

Till date, Mission Ashra has rescued 500 specially abled women from the streets of the state and around 170 specially abled women are still under its treatment. (ANI)