Find out more
Wellington’s purpose is to provide an education that will help young people to serve and help shape a better world. Lower Sixth Former, Suveer P has been doing just that with the remarkable charity initiative that he has set in motion in New Delhi to help senior citizens suffering from Dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Inspired by the close bond he formed with his paternal grandfather, who passed in May 2021 when Suveer was just thirteen, he wanted to do something active to help. ‘I realised that for old people with dementia life could become very lonely, especially so when in many cases they had often been disowned by their families. I began to visit the SHEOWS care centre, which exists to provide shelter for the abandoned elderly, initially just to talk to them and make them feel at least someone was interested in them. After a few visits I realised that one of the major disadvantages they faced was boredom: television was their primary source of entertainment, but the problem was there was only one very small TV (about the size of a tablet) for about 80 residents. I managed to organise a crowd-funding campaign to buy them a 75’’ screen, and the look on their faces when it was installed made me want to do more. I also became aware that many of the residents had problems with their eyesight, and so I approached the AK Institute of Ophthalmology and formed a partnership with them. We organised an ‘eye-camp’ to provide free eye check-ups, consultations, glasses – and even cataract surgeries for those who required them.’
Suveer went on to say that another problem they faced was a lack of privacy and a corresponding loss of dignity. ‘Throughout my childhood an important and strong mentor for me was Mr Ratan N Tata, one of India’s leading philanthropists, who sadly passed away recently. I took the problem to him and forged a partnership with Tata Chemicals CSR dept to refurbish the existing bathroom facilities at the home, as the previous facilities posed safety hazards and compromised privacy. It was a great joy to see the new facilities installed. People often joke about the elderly descending into a second childhood, which made me think about the things we do to engage our young and help them to develop mentally. With this in mind I authored and designed Words for Elders, an activity book to engage residents cognitively and physically, with a variety of exercises and brain-teasers such as crosswords, word searches, and simple connect-the-dots puzzles. We got these books printed and donated to the Home, and I’m pleased to say they’ve gone down very well.’
Suveer went on to say ‘I know helping the residents of SHEOWS is just a drop in the ocean, but it is at least making a big difference to their daily lives. I want to do more and more for them, and make a point of visiting each time I return to Delhi in the holidays. I will definitely carry on doing this, even through university and after I graduate, as I have a few more projects and initiatives in mind.’
Suveer, you are one in a million, and a shining example to us all. We wish you the best of luck with your A Level studies (Maths, Further Maths, Economics, and Physics) and your ambition to secure a place at an Ivy League university. Your grandfather and Mr Tata would be proud of you, as indeed are all here at Wellington College.
Find out more via Suveer’s website HERE.
