78-year-old in government care after viral Facebook post

A 78-year-old with special needs has been transferred to government care after a Facebook post seeking a guardian for him went viral.

Ali Anwar, the assistant director of the Hulhudhoo ward office, posted photos of Ali Thakuru after several unsuccessful attempts to get him into government special care. The post, which has more than 1,220 shares on Facebook, revealed that Ali Thakuru had no legal guardian or family.

“Ali Thakuru is mute. He has no wife or child. He doesn’t seem to have any living siblings. He is now 78 years old. He has no legal guardian and he’s living in impoverished conditions. I’ve tried to get him into the government special care programme numerous times over the past 18 years,” read the original post.

Ali Thakuru has been living alone in an abandoned house in Seenu Hulhudhoo, a ward of Addu City, for the past 40 years.

He suffers from high blood pressure, according to local newspaper Mihaaru, and neighbours have found him passed out in his home.

“Ali Thakuru, the man with special needs who was living in S. Hulhudhoo, Hirundhaymaage, has been transferred under the care of Ministry of Gender,” Ali Anwar posted on Facebook Saturday.

The island of Guraidhoo has a government-run centre for the elderly and mentally ill.