Kozhikode: Moved by their heartbreaking plight, Malabar Gold Executive Director A K Faisal has come forward to build a new home for a sick couple and their two young daughters, who were left with no roof over their heads and forced to live inside an autorickshaw.

Faisal said the amount for the house will be handed over to the couple during the wedding of differently-abled individuals, being organised in connection with his housewarming ceremony at Mountana Hills, Kuttikkattoor, on the 12th.

The touching story of V Anilkumar and Ramya, who had been living in an autorickshaw with their daughters, was featured in Malayala Manorama on Friday. The report moved readers across the state, prompting an outpouring of support from individuals and organisations alike.

“After reading the news, I was devastated to learn about the children’s condition. I immediately decided to build a house for them,” Faisal said.

The Humanity Charitable Trust, led by Faisal, will take care of the family’s immediate rehabilitation. “We will cover the expenses for a rented house and provide all necessary assistance until the new home is built,” said Akbar Ali Khan, CEO of the Trust.

Meanwhile, help is also pouring in from others moved by the family’s struggle. K Anoop, headmaster of Mayanad AUP School, has pledged to meet the full educational expenses of both children up to the tenth standard. The elder daughter is already studying at the school.

Social activists Nargees Begum and Naushad Thekkayil have arranged a rented house for the family at Paigottupurma near Kunnamangalam, and the family has since moved in.

For Anilkumar and Ramya, life had been a relentless battle. Once living in rented homes, the couple was eventually forced onto the streets after debts and illness consumed their stability. When they could no longer afford rent, a friend lent them an autorickshaw, which eventually became their only refuge.

“There were days we fed our daughters powdered rice mixed with tamarind and chilli,” Anilkumar recalled. “When our younger one began bleeding from the stomach, we had to stop,” he added.

Anilkumar, a native of Govindapuram, once worked as a driver in Ettumanoor until a serious accident in Thalayolaparambu left him unable to do physical labour. His wife Ramya suffers from chronic breathlessness and partial vision loss.

Their elder daughter, a third-standard student, has been out of school for two months due to homelessness, while their younger daughter, just four, has yet to be enrolled in an anganwadi.

Having lost their home to debts 11 years ago, Anilkumar applied for housing under the LIFE Mission in Kunnamangalam panchayat, but his name never appeared on the list. A separate application submitted by Ramya’s mother in Ettumanoor was approved but never funded, as the family owns no land.

Desperate, the couple wrote to the District Collector: “Sir, I cannot live on the streets with my two daughters. If I have to continue this life, I may be driven to something extreme.” Thanks to the kindness of strangers, that desperate letter may now mark a turning point in the family's plight.