This hospice ministry began in 1997 when Leena lifted a beggar woman from the gutter while others walked around her. Her name was Sultana, and she was in rags and very frail. Leena took her to the hospital in Guntur where she was diagnosed with AIDS. While at the hospital, Leena discovered 40 other HIV/AIDS adult patients, most of whom were alone having been outcast by their families. Leena visited them all frequently bringing them food, multivitamins and clothing, and simply listening to their troubles. When Sultana and others were able to leave the hospital, Leena housed them in a small rented building. However when the owner learned who the inhabitants were, he locked them out. After several such occurrences, Leena moved them into a large, clean building erected for them at the ServeTrust Center. Much of the costs for this substantial building were provided by gifts from Leena’s supporters in the U.S.
If not for the Hospice, the residents would be ragged beggars in the gutters of the city subject to all the indignities heaped on those misunderstood and despised. The Hospice comfortably houses 12 but is consistently over capacity with around 20 men and women. Given antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) provided by the government and proper nutrition provided by ServeTrust, these residents have a far greater chance of longevity. They have love and care, and a home where they can live and die with dignity.
