Ramanagar: A mentally challenged pregnant woman living on the leftovers and food provided by schools after mid-day meals finally found shelter at Swadhar Centre in Ramanagar.

Vijayamma, an original resident of Sathanur, was staying with her mother who had some ancestral property. During her stay, she eloped with a man and married him. Unfortunately, her husband was killed and Vijayamma was sent to a remand home since she was a minor at that time.

Vijayamma, released on attaining 18 years of age from remand home joined a garment unit in Bengaluru for work. There she got married again and had two children. Again in difficult circumstances, she kept in touch with her roots and used to visit her mother in Sathanur occasionally. However, none cared for her this time and Vijayamma started living in open spaces. Troubled emotionally, she gradually became mentally ill and survived at others mercy on most occasions.

Considering her plight, Women and Child department official Surendra admitted Vijayamma, now pregnant and languishing in a government school premises to a Swadhar centre in Ramanagar.

Swadhar

Swadhar is a central scheme for providing holistic and integrated services to women in difficult circumstances such as destitute widows, women prisoners released from jail and without family support, women survivors of natural disasters, trafficked women/girls rescued from brothels or other places or victims of sexual crime, mentally challenged women who are without any support etc. The package of services made available include food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, counselling and legal support, social and economic rehabilitation through education, awareness generation, skill upgradation. The scheme is implemented by voluntary organisations and department of women and child welfare in states.