Every week, HOPE Foundation receives a letter from the Government Hospital for Thoracic Medicine (GHTM), Tambaram, Chennai. It simply gives the names of the dead bodies that have been abandoned at the Hospital Morgue during the week.

The Need

The relatives (mostly from rural backgrounds) dump bodies of their near ones due to either stigma, discrimination or outright poverty. Around 2000, the growing number of abandoned dead bodies at GHTM was a cause for concern. The Hospital was running out of land for burying them.

At the hospital:
1000 in-patients with HIV/AIDS or TB stay at any time!
41 new cases of HIV/AIDS are identified daily!
30 new HIV/AIDS admitted in the hospital!
More than 1 patient dies of HIV/AIDS daily here!
40% of dead bodies are abandoned by relatives!
75% of patients are from a rural background!

The Program

Responding to this situation, HOPE Foundation, in Sept 2003, volunteered to take responsibility of disposing off these bodies. Our staff receives the dead bodies from GHTM, transports them to an Electric Crematoriums and oversees the funeral.

HOPE Foundation works with one staff, who is allocated to this program on two of his working days every week. HOPE Foundation owns an Omni Van kept only for transporting dead bodies.

The Staff, in the program since the beginning, is happy about his service - to the dead person's soul and to society. The first few days, It was a struggle in the beginning - moving the bodies in and out of the van, and riding the van with the bodies.

The Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (TANSAC) agreed to bear part of the costs – charges to the attendents at the Hospital the crematorium, shroud, wood and funeral charges – upto Rs. 500/-. In Oct 2003, the employees of the British Consulate in Chennai was kind enough to bear part of the the cost of a van exclusively for the Program.

How you can help!

Since January 2005, the cost of funeral per body has grown to Rs. 800/- per body. The difference is being bourne by HOPE Foundation from its development funds.