Father To 350+ Abandoned Kids, Deepak Needs Your Support To Rescue Many More

"As a man, society never expected me to be a mother. But these children didn’t need a man. They needed a mother. So, I became one."- Deepak, Founder of Shantivan

A newborn malnourished baby girl, barely breathing, was found abandoned in a temple - her body frail, her stomach empty. A six-day-old baby boy now sleeps in the shelter’s cradle, unaware that his first moments in the world were spent alone. Here, every child has a heartbreaking beginning - but at Shantivan, their stories don’t end in tragedy.

Deepak and his wife Kaveri have built a home where no child is left behind 

The most heart-wrenching was a two-day-old infant wrapped in a plastic bag and dumped in a drain - left to die, until Deepak’s hands reached out and saved her.

Deepak Nagargoje remembers that moment vividly. It was not the first time he had rescued a baby abandoned in the most heartbreaking conditions, and it would not be the last. Over the last 25 years, he and his wife, Kaveri, have been the ‘Aai-Baba’ (mother and father) to more than 350 orphaned and abandoned children at Shantivan, a sanctuary of hope in the heart of Beed district, Maharashtra. 

“I don’t know who brought them into this world, but I refuse to let them leave it without love”  

Some arrive malnourished, barely breathing. Some are too young to even open their eyes. But each of them finds warmth in his embrace.

At just 18, Deepak was moved by Baba Amte’s words - ‘If you want to see change in society, be the change’ and he laid the first stone of Shantivan. And so, he became the change - for the children no one else wanted. 

The love of this ‘kaka’ is rebuilding broken childhoods of 350+ orphans

"These babies come to us weaker than you can imagine. Most of them are so fragile, their survival is a battle from day one. The first few days are the hardest. They don’t just need food, they need warmth. They need love.” 

They are parents to those who have no one - children of widows, infants discarded by parents who could not keep them, and orphans of farmers who tragically ended their own lives.

"Everyone tells me I am a blessing to these children. But the truth is, God has blessed me by giving them to me. For me I’m a ‘kaka’ to them. My biological son has never known a life apart from them, growing up as a brother to hundreds, sharing not just a home, but also my purpose."- Deepak

But love alone cannot feed a child, Shantivan needs your help to sustain

Every month, Shantivan needs nearly INR 10 lakhs to provide food, baby formula, medicines, and essential supplies for these children. With every rescued baby, the responsibility grows heavier, but Deepak does not waver. 

"All I ask is for people to come forward and help me run this shelter. I don’t need riches; I just need my children to have enough to eat, to grow, to study, and to know that they are loved."

But in a remote district like Beed, the challenges are endless, and resources are scarce so Donatekart needs your help to provide them with nutritious meals, groceries, medicines and essential supplies. They need help. Now more than ever. Please support Deepak’s purpose of giving a loving home to 350+ orphaned children.  

About the NGO:  Shantivan is a home for 350+ abandoned and orphaned children in Beed, Maharashtra. Founded by Deepak and Kaveri Nagargoje, it rescues newborns left in drains, temples, and streets—giving them love, care, and a future. With every rescued child, their need for support grows. Your help can keep their mission alive.