Maya CARE is a non-profit organization established in 2009 by Abhay Joshi and Manjiri Joshi that provides free medical, logistical, and emotional support to the elderly living in care homes or their own homes. Led by a team of persons with disabilities (PWDs), Maya CARE operates in 62 cities in India and five cities in the United Kingdom. The organization is well-known for its Project Bindu, which focuses on hiring and training PWDs and enabling them to become economically independent. As a result, 90% of paid work at Maya CARE is done by PWDs, with 60% of them being women.
In this interview with TheCSRUniverse, Manjiri Gokhale Joshi, Co-founder, Maya CARE, shares her organisation’s journey in providing a life of dignity and financial independence to senior citizens and people with disabilities by involving them in their social projects. She shares beautiful stories of exceptional courage on part of the people belonging to these communities who have faced all odds and defied orthodox mindsets. Moreover, she urges government to mandatorily invest in infrastructure that can support differently abled people. She spells out ways for corporates and policymakers to incorporate inclusivity and accessibility in their social initiatives.
To gain insights on how to foster inclusivity through impactful and creative changes, read the full interview below.
Q: Based on your research, what are the most challenging issues that plague our senior citizens and people with special needs?
A: The elderly and the disabled form the most marginalised sections of society today because there has really been almost no attention paid to the issues faced by these two. Society has been looking at them as unproductive people who will not contribute just to the family finances but to the economy and people who are eternally dependent on others. So, the issue common to these two sections of the population is the lack of self-esteem and the feeling of being unwanted by a family, workplace and/or society.
This is the first generation of Indian people who are above the age of 70, right up to 100 plus, who are facing the issue of suddenly being told that they are going to be living on their own. So, there is a deep sense of loneliness, often leading to depression, isolation, the onset or worsening of dementia and several issues which they never anticipated. This is the generation which looked after their elderly traditionally as part of the traditional joint family system and somewhere expected to be looked after themselves. Another major issue is financial stability. Once again, this is a generation which gave everything to their children. Everything was done for the family. And now, they are left to fend for themselves.
Q: Could you please shed light on the recent survey done by you in terms of geographical reach and findings?
A: Maya CARE Foundation works with elderly and disabled in two countries - India and the UK, with the hope of working with more countries in the future.
For People with Disabilities (PWDs)
We find that 99% percent of the persons who have overcome disabilities (PWDs) we work with in India, live with their families, which is a great sign that the families are trying their best to look after them.
But it also means that there has been no attempt at developing most of the people who come to us. There is limited education and no attempt at bringing them to a stage professionally and personally to be able to pursue careers and work on their own, live on their own, and more than anything else, look forward to a life where they're not dependent on other people. People who are hearing impaired, visually impaired, people who have not been able to walk ever, or have cerebral palsy, neuromotor diseases - everybody is in the same situation. They are home bound. They're not often exposed to the external world. There is no sense of independence.
For the Elderly
We find there are slight differences in the condition of the elderly across the country. For example, in northern India, we find that there are more concerns about the safety of the senior citizens living by themselves. Not just the danger of going out into the street on their own, but even the fear of being by themselves in their own homes. In western and southern parts of India, there seems to be a lesser sense of danger. But overall, the issues across India remain the same.
Q: Despite laws and policies governing senior citizens in India being very elaborate and comprehensive, what are the major roadblocks and gaps, according to you, that hinder progress in this domain?
A: This is not about law or policy alone. Despite having numerous diversity policies, they often prove to be ineffective because of practical limitations. Most people with disabilities (PWDs) are unable to work and earn a salary because they lack prior work experience, while many employers prefer to hire individuals who are highly qualified and have previous job experience.
While there are some concessions for the elderly, such as discounts on transportation, there is still a lack of adequate infrastructure to support them. For someone in their 80s, the fear of falling, dependence on others, and potential medical problems can make it difficult for them to leave their homes. This can result in limited mobility and prevent them from participating in activities such as attending a movie, theatre, weddings or family function. Many elderly individuals choose not to attend these events due to concerns about causing trouble or difficulties if they were to have a fall.
Maya CARE Foundation as an organisation has existed for over 13 years. For the first eleven years of its existence, 92% of funding came from the personal salaries of the founders of Maya CARE, which is my husband, Abhay Joshi, and me. As we pursued our careers in various parts of the corporate world, we realised this is not sustainable. As we advance towards our own retirement age and since we do not have strong financial backgrounds, we were faced with a difficult decision of whether to close down Maya CARE or take a bold step forward. After much consideration, we decided to take a radical approach and concentrate our efforts on Maya CARE over the past two years. Our main objectives were to build a strong and capable team, including a strong leadership, and to secure the funding necessary to properly compensate them.
Hence, the attempt over the past two years has resulted in the following:
Maya CARE today offers free services to the elderly in 66 cities of India and four cities of the UK, as well. The organisation is run entirely by persons with disabilities who have overcome their own set of challenges and are today able to be the leadership team and administrative backbone of Maya CARE to serve the elderly and get paid for the work they do.
The team of PWDs works closely with a group of volunteers who visit and provide services to individuals in their homes and care facilities. We are proud to say that the funding for this support is not from the founders, but from generous donations from corporations and individuals who believe in our cause. This is where Corporate Social Responsibility policies come into play.
Q: The inclusion of the CSR mandate under The Companies Act, 2013 was an attempt to supplement the government’s aim to improve the lives of senior citizens and the special needs community. In that case, what interventions would you recommend that Corporations should make to expedite government efforts?
A: The mandatory 2% CSR funding for companies has brought about significant changes in the country. However, companies have the freedom to support causes that align with their business objectives, as profits are necessary for their growth and the well-being of their employees. Through our experiences at Maya CARE, where we approached 330 companies across India in various industries over the past two years, we can say with certainty that with the exception of just one or two, we have found that every company has responded to our appeal for donations for the elderly, saying that they do definitely appreciate the work being done for this community.
However, in their CSR mandate, there is no allocation of funds to the elderly. That is not part of their agenda at all. And this is the refrain which is across the country. We also understand the reasons why this is the case.
All projects, whether they originate from corporations or individuals, seek to have a positive outcome. When someone contributes, say, Rs. 50,000 towards a project, they expect to see the lives of those benefiting from the project improved and made happier. Unfortunately, the cause of supporting the elderly, while fulfilling and impactful, ultimately ends with the passing of the elderly person, which is never a joyful outcome. This is a harsh reality known to both individuals and corporations, and it is why CSR funding for the elderly is scarce. The allocation of a small percentage, even 0.1% or 0.2%, of the mandatory 2% CSR funding towards the elderly by the government or policy makers could make a significant impact, but such decisions are beyond the control of charities like Maya CARE. We can only be grateful for any donations received and leave the choice of where to donate to the discretion of the donor.
On the other side, there is a lot of interest in persons with disabilities and their growth and their development. We see a lot of companies reacting positively and having a very strong diversity and inclusion agenda that goes beyond just being a mandate and policy. There are several employers who are forward looking and would wish to genuinely support the cause of persons with disabilities. The roadblock is in the implementation, the lack of willingness to invest in training and nurturing talent, in offering them the flexibility that is needed for them to be able to work, the notion that people with disabilities will be of a certain level of knowledge, of skill, of experience, and then only they will be able to work.
Q: COVID and the subsequent lockdown had led to financial insecurities and uncertainty, which further pushed senior citizens out of their comfort zones to pursue small businesses or odd jobs. How can social sector stakeholders turn this around as a lucrative and sustainable livelihood opportunity for the elderly?
A: COVID changed a lot of people's lives. In the case of Maya CARE, people continued to work and accomplish more, right through COVID.
There has been an increase in activities and opportunities for the elderly, persons with disabilities, and the ability for these groups to work and be productive from the comfort of their own homes. The increased work has led to greater fulfilment and achievements for these individuals.
The issue of elderly employability is complex, as the current generation of older adults in India is facing the challenge of aging alone while also being more active and healthier due to lifestyle changes. While a 70-year-old today may be fit to work if they are in good health, the reality of finding employment at this age can still be difficult, especially if they are financially dependent on working. Maya CARE has made a positive impact by providing a sense of purpose for the elderly. It is interesting to note that 60% of Maya CARE volunteers are retired professionals or homemakers who have completed their family responsibilities!
1000 plus such people have come together across 66 cities in India to work with us. It is phenomenal how these people selflessly go out every day and visit people who are above 80 and 90, to speak to them, read to them or take them to the doctors and otherwise.
Obviously, with Maya CARE’s limited meagre resources, we are not able to offer them a handsome income, but we are able to offer just a remuneration which barely takes care of their commuting costs. But it is a sense of community, a sense of activity and engagement which we have seen has worked very well for the elderly.
Q: What are Maya CARE Foundation's long-term goals for these communities?
A: Maya CARE remains the only free service across India and the world to serve the elderly in their own homes and care homes, managed by a leadership and administrative team of persons who have overcome disabilities.
In the long term, we aim to serve the elderly in every city of the world, ensure that there is a helpline available for the elderly in every spoken language, managed by a person with disability in that country.
Q: Please elaborate on the various projects that your organisation has undertaken and their social impact, in the last one decade.
A: There have been several initiatives over the past 13 years which have had a massive impact on the lives of the elderly as well as disabled. I would just like to quote three of them.
1.Vaccination project:
During COVID times, when the country was grappling with the shortage of vaccine, especially between March to August of 2021. It was the most difficult time for the world, and India as well, when the vaccine was just not available. During that difficult period, Maya CARE had undertaken the project of ensuring the vaccination of 1200 elderly people across 18 cities of India. We are proud that this project was managed by one of the key members of Maya CARE's leadership team - Sandhya Atram.
Sandhya is a wheelchair user based in Chandrapur, Maharashtra. This was the first ever project in her life that she had run. And the uniqueness of the project is such that Sandhya ran the project with a team of 30 persons who had overcome varied disabilities. There were people who could not see, who were making calls to the elderly, checking if they've had the vaccine or not, and worked on ways to make vaccines available to them. So, the calling was done by visually impaired people. Hearing impaired people, people with cerebral palsy, people who cannot speak were doing the data searches, looking at the documentation, at the Aadhaar cards and whatever else needed to be submitted to book the appointments for the elderly.
There is a person with epilepsy, one of our key members called Pramit. He overcame his stammer and learned how to book appointments and started booking appointments for people across the country.
It was not easy, given the fact that the OTP does not come in. When it comes in, it expires. People would listen to his stammer and hang up. We crossed a lot of bridges. He was able to do that. And the last mile was people on wheelchairs who organised and coordinated with the volunteers across 18 cities. Volunteers who do not have any disability, who work with us, who battled COVID times, a lot of times themselves, people above 60 who went with the elderly and ensured that the vaccine was administered.
They sat with them, made sure they had a bottle of water and a place to stand or sit in the shade when the vaccination centres had queues. This was a project we are very proud of.
The Vaccination project was supported by ICICI Lombard. The project went on to win the Metropolitan Labs award for the best public health initiative for this project.
2. Masks project
The second project we took on during Covid times was the design, development, and distribution of reusable cotton masks. And once again, this was the project which was led by and managed by persons with disabilities.
The project team comprised people who have never worked before, who had no idea what a vendor is, an invoice, a purchase order, or what is design.
This team got in touch with vendors, got samples, and placed the orders. It was the first time for all these people. And once again, very proud to say that 42,000 masks were distributed across India, across 18 cities, out of which 5000 masks were directly distributed within old age homes who were suffering a great deal during this period.
3. Nritya Vidya Project
The third recent project was started in 2022. This was following the passing away of my mother, Dr. Vidya Gokhale, who was one of the co-founders of Maya CARE. She was a medical doctor who taught at B J Medical College in Pune for 27 years and then went on to pursue her passion for classical dance.
In her memory, we set up the Nrikta Vidya initiative on her first death anniversary on the 20th of April 2022, and ending with her birthday on the 5 November. During this period, the process followed was such that old age homes across the country were contacted once again by our team of persons with disabilities. It was led by one of our extremely remarkable leadership team members - Abhijit Mali. He is the person who is, thanks to an accident eight years ago, is unable to walk, use his arms, use his hands, and still manages to use the computer with a stylus in his mouth. He's the one who led the project.
Aspiring classical dancers were asked to submit a one-minute video of their performance, which was then evaluated by a panel of experts to determine its quality. Performances that passed the evaluation were organized in elderly care homes by a team of individuals with disabilities. The team made sure that the performances were well-coordinated and successfully executed. 35 performances including four in the UK and 31 in India were organised, bringing immense joy and excitement to the residents of the elderly care homes. These performances have given purpose to the lives of these elderly individuals who were otherwise just passing their days with nothing to look forward to.
Q: What are your expectations from the government for any policy level changes?
A: The request to the government is to support initiatives where the elderly and the disabled are treated with dignity and empathy.
We need actual implementation of several rights, like what you see across the world. In developed countries, there are laws in place to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities, including mandatory access to ramps in public buildings, transportation such as buses, trains, and flights, so that both the elderly and disabled can have equal access. However, there is still much work to be done in terms of inclusivity, such as providing news and information in alternative formats like text-to-speech and speech-to-text. The government's support is crucial in helping to achieve this goal.
