Social work often begins where families and public systems fall short. In Gurugram, one such effort is attempting to respond to a growing but less visible challenge, elderly individuals left without care, support, or identity. Through a network of shelters and outreach, a local nonprofit is working to provide not just rescue, but sustained care until the very end of life.
Jas Kalra leads The Earth Saviours Foundation, a Gurugram-based organisation that offers residential care to abandoned elderly people and other vulnerable individuals. Operating shelters in Bhandwari and Mandhawar, the foundation provides food, accommodation, and medical support at no cost.
Many of those who arrive at these shelters are found in distress, living on streets, in unsafe public spaces, or without any form of identification. Rescue efforts are often the first step, but the organisation’s work is structured around long-term care rather than temporary relief. Residents stay on for as long as needed, sometimes indefinitely.
Tracing families, where possible
Once individuals are brought into care, efforts are made to trace their families. In some cases, relatives are located and reunification is facilitated. But for many, that possibility does not exist, either due to lack of records or because families are unable or unwilling to take them back.
For such residents, the shelters become permanent homes. This requires continuous coordination, staffing, healthcare services, and daily operations, all of which form the backbone of the foundation’s work.
Kalra took over the organisation after the death of his father, who had founded it. Since then, he has been closely involved in its day-to-day functioning, overseeing rescue operations, managing healthcare arrangements, and ensuring infrastructure support.
The role, by its nature, extends beyond compassion. It involves administrative planning, resource management, and constant engagement with unpredictable situations.
One aspect of the foundation’s work that has drawn wider attention is its commitment to conducting last rites for unclaimed individuals. For residents who pass away without family, the organisation ensures that final rituals are carried out with dignity.
Jas Kalra leads The Earth Saviours Foundation, a Gurugram-based organisation that offers residential care to abandoned elderly people and other vulnerable individuals. Operating shelters in Bhandwari and Mandhawar, the foundation provides food, accommodation, and medical support at no cost.
Many of those who arrive at these shelters are found in distress, living on streets, in unsafe public spaces, or without any form of identification. Rescue efforts are often the first step, but the organisation’s work is structured around long-term care rather than temporary relief. Residents stay on for as long as needed, sometimes indefinitely.
Tracing families, where possible
Once individuals are brought into care, efforts are made to trace their families. In some cases, relatives are located and reunification is facilitated. But for many, that possibility does not exist, either due to lack of records or because families are unable or unwilling to take them back.
For such residents, the shelters become permanent homes. This requires continuous coordination, staffing, healthcare services, and daily operations, all of which form the backbone of the foundation’s work.
Kalra took over the organisation after the death of his father, who had founded it. Since then, he has been closely involved in its day-to-day functioning, overseeing rescue operations, managing healthcare arrangements, and ensuring infrastructure support.
The role, by its nature, extends beyond compassion. It involves administrative planning, resource management, and constant engagement with unpredictable situations.
One aspect of the foundation’s work that has drawn wider attention is its commitment to conducting last rites for unclaimed individuals. For residents who pass away without family, the organisation ensures that final rituals are carried out with dignity.
