Thaindian News

Allahabad, Jan 1 (ANI): In a remarkable gesture towards humanity, an old age couple in Uttar Pradesh’s Allahabad city are providing shelter to AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) patients, who have been discarded by their family members.

Kamar Jyaz Zaidi, the owner of shelter, said that they did not get any help or charity from anywhere for running shelter home.

“Mostly, the HIV AIDS patients, who arrive here are widows with one to two children with them. From ART (anti-retroviral therapy) centre, we come to know that children too are HIV positive. They stay here and their mothers too, we arrange food and water for them. We did not get any charity, help or donation from anywhere,” said Zaidi.

Most of the children in this shelter, which is next to Allahabad University, are those abandoned by their homes because of this disease.

Vijay Devi, a HIV positive patient, said that the villagers discarded her children who are also HIV positive.

“My children got affected from HIV, so villagers did not allow them to stay there. Here Daddy sahib (the old couple) gave them shelter. They give us food, water, medicine. They also teach my children and up bring them,” she said.

AIDS is caused by human immunodeficiency virus, which transmits through HIV positive patient’s blood transfusion, unsafe sex, contaminated hypodermic needles and from HIV positive mother to her baby. (ANI)