For 43-year-old Usha Johnson, the father she had last seen as a three-year-old was little more than a fading memory. For four decades, her family searched for him, gradually losing hope and eventually believing that he had died.That changed when a phone call brought news that her father Leen Augustine was alive and had been living for years at New Malabar Punaradhivasa Kendra Charitable Trust, Malappachery, Kasaragod.The reunion, after nearly 40 years of separation, came through the sustained efforts of the trust, which traced the family after Augustine expressed desire to see his relatives and return home.“When we found out that he was alive, we could not simply leave him. Even if we had not been able to find him all these years, we could not abandon him,” Ms. Usha said.Usha, the youngest of four children, was only three when her father left the family. She said her father had been a worker at steel plants, including the Vishakapatnam Steel Plant, but had never been able to remain in one place for long.“He used to come and go. Even when we tried to make him stay, he would leave without telling us,” she said.The children were raised by their mother, who, Usha recalled, had struggled to bring them up. The eldest son later began working to support the family. He died two years ago, leaving behind Usha, her sister, and a younger brother.The family continued making enquiries about Augustine through relatives and other sources but no definite information emerged. As years passed, the possibility that he was no longer alive became increasingly difficult to avoid.“We had not received our father’s love when we were children. But when we came to know that he was alive, we could not just abandon him,” Ms. Usha said.Meanwhile, the trust had a different story about the man who had become one of its residents.According to Sushmita M. Chacko, trustee, Augustine had reached the rehabilitation centre on his own around 16 years ago, seeking shelter. He was in a vulnerable state and had mental health difficulties, making it tough for him to provide a clear account of his past.M.M. Chacko, founder of the trust, took him in. Augustine had been under the care and protection of the institution for years, she said .As Augustine grew older, he began expressing a desire to return to his native place and meet his family.“He started telling us that he wanted to go home and see everyone. We kept investigating and connecting details he had mentioned over the years. Finally, we got a phone number,” Ms. Sushmita said.The trust contacted the number and eventually reached Augustine’s children. They were initially stunned.“They were shocked because they believed their father had died,” Ms. Sushmita said. There was another small detail that helped make the connection deeply personal. When Usha spoke to him, she identified herself using the childhood name by which her father had called her — ‘Thatha.’ He recognised the name.The children eventually travelled to the centre and met their father in person for the first time in four decades. Usha said Augustine still remembered a few things about his children and recognised her.The reunion did not end at the rehabilitation centre. The children decided to take their father home.The reunion is also a reflection of the work done by New Malabar Rehabilitation Charitable Trust, which has provided shelter and care to people who have been separated from their families or have no one to look after them.The centre currently houses around 120 people, including elderly men and women, persons with disabilities, and people with mental health conditions. Sushmita said the institution has provided shelter and support to more than 2,000 people over the past 20 years.The trust was found by M.M Chacko, who himself was a differently abled man. Sushmita who was previously a teacher resigned from her job after her father’s death four years ago and began helping run the institution.