Yojana’s journey began in an orphanage, but her purpose in life truly took shape when she started rescuing elderly individuals who were neglected and abandoned by their children. Her Smit Old Age Home has become a refuge for those who have been discarded, giving them love, dignity, and a safe place to live.

"I remember receiving a call from an 82-year-old woman," Yojana recalls. "She told me, 'Since I peed myself, my son hit me.' He locked her up, and when we found her, she had been eating her bedsheet to survive. We brought her in, cleaned her, fed her. But after 10 months, she passed away. That day, I fell on my knees and cried. Her blessings give me the strength to keep doing this."- Yojana, founder of Smit Old Age Home & Care Foundation

In 2010, the Smit Old Age Home & Care Foundation was formally established in Thane, Maharashtra, and is now home to 126 residents, with an overwhelming 5,000 people on the waiting list. "If I leave them alone, they'll starve and die on the roads," Yojana says. Her shelter provides everything from food and clothing to medical care and funeral services. Yojana herself has conducted over 4,000 funerals, offering ceremonies for individuals from all faiths—Hindu, Muslim, and Christian alike.

“One of the most gut-wrenching rescues Yojana recalls was of an elderly woman, a rape victim, left at a railway station with worms infesting her body. "She was severely malnourished and forgotten, completely neglected. I nursed her back to health, giving her the dignity she deserved until her last breath," says Yojana. This mission is not only physically exhausting but emotionally draining.

 “Over the last 28 years, she has rescued more than 3,500 elderly individuals from unimaginable conditions—parents left on the streets, infested with worms, or locked in rooms by their children. In India, one in three elderly people face some form of neglect or abuse, and our work has been a lifeline for many of these forgotten souls, but it’s a constant struggle to keep the doors open. -Yojana

Yojana shares rescuing elderly individuals from red-light districts, where they were left in horrendous conditions, severely malnourished and neglected. "I care for them like my children. They hide when I try to bathe them, but I explain, ‘Mumma, Papa, this is important.’ Eventually, they trust me," she says.

A haven where the elderly can feel right at home

Despite her tireless efforts, Yojana's shelter is on the verge of collapse due to lack of funds. The monthly costs to run the home amount to ₹12 lakhs, and the facility is currently rented. "We urgently need permanent shelter, as well as food, clothing, and medicine for our residents, "I just want these Aais and Babas to live a good life. There are so many people on the waiting list too who want to be a part of our Smit Family. With your support, I can take them in and care for them until the end of their lives.” - Yojana


Yojana also hopes to leave behind a legacy that others can continue after her, empowering more people to take on similar social work. Your contribution can help her rescue more elders from unimaginable circumstances and give them a loving home in their final years.

Click here to contribute.

Registration Number - AAOCM6666MF20229
EIN 20-5139364