SEAL Ashram Launches Mumbai Rescunite 2026 to Rescue people Living on Street

Pune: New Panvel-based SEAL Ashram, a shelter home, near Mumbai, on Tuesday launched a special pre-monsoon rescue mission to bring vulnerable persons living on the streets to safety before the onset of heavy rains across Mumbai city and its suburban districts.

"Every monsoon, we witness vulnerable men and women suffering on the streets without food, shelter, medical care, or family support,” said K. M. Philip, founder-director of SEAL Ashram in a statement.

He said on the first day, June 16, volunteers rescued nine people from various locations in Bandra suburb and brought them to the Ashram, he added.

Mumbai Rescunite 2026 aims to bring the least, the lost and last of the society to safety, and provide compassionate care, and wherever possible reunite them with their loved ones, he said, urging all stakeholders to join hands in this noble mission.

“With the onset of the monsoon, hundreds of homeless and mentally ill persons continue to remain exposed to heavy rains, illness, accidents, exploitation, and other life-threatening conditions on the streets,” Philip said.

Mumbai Rescunite 2026 aims to identify, rescue, and provide immediate assistance to these vulnerable individuals before the monsoon intensifies, he added.

Lauding SEAL Ashram’s rescue operation, Dr. Abraham Mathai, former vice chairman of Maharashtra State Minorities Commission, said the Ashram had not just rescued people from the streets but restored their dignity, hope, and given them a second chance at life.

“When others look away, the Ashram’s rescue efforts are an inspiration driving the power and message of compassion and service," he noted.

"Every life matters. Every person deserves shelter, care, and the opportunity to reunite with their loved ones,” Dr Mathai, also founder of Mumbai-based Harmony Foundation, said, urging citizens, government agencies, police departments, corporate houses, and media houses to support this noble mission.

The Mumbai Rescunite 2026 initiative builds upon the success of its 2024 edition, during which SEAL Ashram, in partnership with the Navi Mumbai and Thane Police Commissionerates, rescued 140 destitute persons before the monsoon season.

Mumbai Rescunite 2026 was inaugurated by former Justice K. K. Tated of Bombay High Court, and also former chairman of Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission, at St. Paul's Institute of Communication Education, Bandra, Mumbai in the presence of, social organizations, and volunteers.

SEAL Ashram, established in 1999, has rescued thousands of individuals from the streets over the past 26 years and has successfully reunited more than 700 persons with their families across over 25 states of India.

At present it provides shelter, medical care, psychiatric treatment, rehabilitation, and support services to more than 400 residents at its campus in New Panvel in Maharashtra.

SEAL Ashram rescues destitute, mentally ill, abandoned, and homeless individuals from streets, railway stations, and public places, and provides shelter, healthcare, rehabilitation, and family reunification services.