COVID Tales

1) Ensuring hygiene and safety during COVID-19

Mrs. Bhandari is a Gram Panchayat Pradhan of Jakh Gyarah Village of Bhilangana Block in Terhi Garhwal district in Uttarakhand. The spread of the Coronavirus made her worried about the safety of the villagers as well those migrant workers who were returning to the village from big cities. Her concern was to accommodate the migrant workers in quarantine centers for the first 14 days of their return to curb the spread of the virus in her village.

Her efforts ensured 165 migrant workers were safely accommodated in four quarantine centers well equipped with all the basic amenities. She says, “I was determined to provide all safety gear and ration to the migrant workers living in the quarantine centers with their families and little children. I was supported by the village youth and social organizations. I am grateful to CAF India and Mount Valley Development Association for providing safety and hygiene kits to all the families living in my village thereby ensuring their safety from the deadly virus”.

2) All you need is a little hope and social consciousness

Harish Rana is a Councilor of Village Lata, Nagar Panchayat Chamiyala, Terhi Garhwal district in Uttarakhand. The spread of the Coronavirus pandemic made him realize the importance of awareness and sensitization in his village. Since he owned a mobile shop, he thought mobile could be a great tool to reach out to the villagers with awareness messages. He with the support of the Anganwadi and Asha workers started creating awareness about the prevention, symptoms, and treatment of coronavirus. He sensitized the villagers about the importance of having a healthy diet and ways to strengthen the immune system to keep the infection at bay.

In this time of need, he was immensely grateful to CAF India and its partner NGO Mount Valley Development Association’s support in providing hygiene and safety kits to each family in the village to improve their hygiene practices.

3) Masking-up against COVID-19

The government of India made it compulsory for everyone to wear a mask while stepping out leading to an exponential increase in the demand for masks. At such a time, Mount Valley Development Association (MVDA), partner NGO of CAF India took an initiative to produce fabric masks. MVDA employs local women and girls from within the community. This has led to their financial independence and also filling in the supply gap.

Sakshi, is a 22-year old resident of Khalpali village district, Tehri, Garhwal in Uttarakhand. She is a graduate however due to lack of opportunities in the village, agriculture is the main source of her family's income. Sakshi is associated with MVDA and has been making masks since April 2020 at the MVDA production unit to support her family financially during the lockdown. She is a quick learner with a positive attitude. She takes the initiative to learn new things. She also takes tuitions to help children in the village with their studies.

CAF India supported its partner NGO MVDA with the production and distribution of masks and hygiene kits to the community with a special focus on those working in the informal sector. Along the way, the initiative has helped in generating employment for many in need.

4) NGO Partner: AIM Trust

Written by: Mr Sanjay Rai, Director

After the announcement of the first phase of the lockdown in April 2020, there was panic all over India. Migrant workers from different cities of Uttar Pradesh, started their journey by foot with their family through the highways in the scorching summer heat. We, at Aim Trust witnessed their plight as our office is situated near the Gorakhpur Highway. We saw how migrants -- particularly children, women, differently abled and the aged, battled hunger and exhaustion-- many of them lost their lives.

With the help of CAF India, we provided relief to migrant workers, that helped them stay put in the cities. Many of them have resumed work as the lockdown was eased. This also helped in containing the spread of the virus to their native places. We reached out to famers in rural areas as well and provided them with crop seeds and organic fertilizers. I thank CAF India for all their support.

5) NGO Partner: Yuva Unstoppable

Written by: Mr Parth Vasavada, Vice President

The devastating impact of COVID-19 was starkly visible across the entire country soon after its outbreak. As millions of people, especially the ones from less served backgrounds, lost their jobs, they were forced into poverty and starvation. I am thankful to CAF India for providing tremendous support to Yuva Unstoppable in these times, towards providing immediate relief to these poor and needy. With the help of CAF, we were able to reach out to thousands of the neediest of needy in containment zones and other vulnerable areas of the country, and provide them with basic daily essentials like ration and hygiene kits.

The timely support enabled us to provide a ray of hope to the daily wagers and stand shoulder to shoulder with the frontline warriors, the police force of India and their families. We look forward to expand our alliance with CAF India in the coming times to empower and uplift many more people in need in these testing times.

6) Chhatrapal now works with safety and dignity

Chhatrapal, 35, lives in a small village in Sohna district, Haryana. He has been working as a sanitation worker for several years. His work entails getting down into drains, for cleaning and collecting garbage, with bare hands and no other safety gear. Manual scavenging has its share of health hazards, but the COVID-19 pandemic increased the health risks manifolds

Even during the lockdown, Chhatrapal put his life on the line and got down in drains and collected garbage from infected households. As a precaution, he covered his face with his own clothes. Every day, he used to come back home, wondering if he has contracted COVID.

He then met a social worker from Sakshi Foundation who asked him to visit the Chief Medical Officer’s (CMO) office to receive the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kit. And suddenly Chhatrapal saw light at the end of the tunnel. He rushed to the CMOs’ office. He (along with other sanitation workers) was given two PPE kits, as a part of Rio Tinto’s initiative, which was supported by CAF India and implemented by Sakshi Foundation.

“Never has any organisation or individual has thought about us. For the first time, I felt empowered as our issues and concerns were addressed. Initially, I couldn’t understand how to wear the PPE kit, but then I recalled how I saw the doctors wearing them. And as soon as I wore it the next day, it gave me a sense of freedom and safety. I could now be fearless. I had never expected to get anything more than masks, but the PPE kit included a mask, a shield, gloves, and a suit that ensured protections of the entire body. The best part is that the suit can be used multiple times after washing and disinfection,” says Chhatrapal.

7) The Sarpanch who found a way to save his ward from COVID-19

For ten years now, Baluram Saini has been serving Ward-08, of the Durga colony, Sohna, Haryana, as the sarpanch. Over the years, he has run a smooth administration in his ward. But the COVID -19 pandemic has had him stressed. “The state government provided us with masks and gloves, but they were not enough. A good chunk of people in my ward work as sanitation and health workers and I was worried about everyone’s safety as they went to work without proper safety gear,” says Baluram.

Baluram’s ward members trusted him to provide safety, but for Baluram, it was impossible to procure safety gear without any support from a third party. “People in my area work near hospitals and they were more worried about their family members. The fear of contracting the virus and not being able to pay for recovery was killing them day by day. Though they took precautions, they could not negate the fact that safety gears were scarce,” he says.

When the frontline and sanitation workers received Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits from the Rio Tinto an initiative supported by CAF India and implemented by Sakshi Foundation, Baluram and the ward members were ecstatic. “It was admirable, how they directly distributed the kits to the workers. Each worker was given two kits. The PPE kits are of high quality and the best part is that the suits can be worn multiple times,” says Baluram. He adds that the workers now feel safe. He also lauds the efforts Sakshi Foundation put in to spread awareness through their door to door awareness campaign on precautions that should be taken during the pandemic.

“The Anganwadi and ASHA workers of our area actively participated in this activity. They distributed informative pamphlets, did short plays, drew wall paintings and explained through visuals. This effort has compelled people to make some drastic lifestyle changes, which was otherwise not possible,” he adds.

Baluram’s area was sanitized as well. “I am highly thankful to Rio Tinto, CAF India and Sakshi Foundation for all the efforts they have made and the goodwill they have brought to my area. I wish they keep this good work going on in future as well,” says Baluram.

8) Naveen can now go to work without fear

This story is of a 26-year-old COVID warrior, Naveen. He is a sanitation worker in Surat Nagar, Gurugram. He supports a family of seven members, which includes his parents, wife and three children. Residing in a Gurugram slum, Naveen constantly lived with the fear of contracting COVID 19. However, things changed when he received Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kit through an initiative supported by Rio Tinto and CAF India and implemented by Sakshi.

“I am the primary bread earner for my family. My family’s survival and education of my children depends on this job. When I first heard about this virus I decided to quit my job. I thought if I go out I’ll infect myself and my family. But quitting was not an option. Hence, I decided to go to work and took all the safety measures, suggested by my boss,” says Naveen.

Initially Naveen was provided masks and hand gloves but while picking up waste, his gloves would often come off. “We stay in one room shack and use the community bathroom. My neighbours soon objected to my presence. They clearly said that I’ll end up infecting them all. They all maintained a distance from me and my family,” he says.

Naveen washed his clothes every day and frantically kept washing his hands. However, the fear of contracting the infection kept haunting him. “At night I used to think yeh bimari mujhe khatam kar degi to mere paarivaar ka kya hoga? (What’ll happen to my family if I die of this disease?). I had sleepless nights. My wife never said anything but I saw her crying sometimes,” Naveen adds.

One day, Naveen was asked to go for a meeting, where he would be given PPE Kits. “I had no idea what PPE kit meant. Then a co-worker told me that these are the costumes we see doctors wearing on TV. I understood that this was going to be our safety ‘kawach’. I was very happy. I told myself that I must be very careful while wearing it as I should not end up damaging it like those hand gloves.”

Once he collected the kit, he breathed a sigh of relief, “All my questions and concerns were addressed by the organisation distributing it. Representatives from the NGO (Sakshi) explained the importance of this suit and how to use it. They also gave us instructions on how to wash them and maintain them. “I was also surprised to find other things like masks and sanitizers in the kit. Associated healthcare workers also made us aware of the disease and the dos and don’ts. All my worries vanished and I came home with a smile. I still remember that night my wife prepared a good meal after a long time and I slept well.”

Naveen now feels more confident to go out to work. His dedication to his work has increased. “I feel that people care for me and I should care for them too. I feel included and looked after now.”

9) With a brand new, reusable PPE kit, there’s no stopping Jyoti

Jyoti, 28, is a hardworking Asha worker in Bhawani enclave, Gurugram. She is married and blessed with three daughters. While her approach and dedication towards her work is admirable, life has not been easy.

Her husband is handicapped, and her entire family relies on her for survival. However, Jyoti is a strong-willed woman who walks on, shouldering all her responsibilities with a smile. Even the COVID-19 pandemic could not stop her.

“During lockdown, the situation was pretty bad. This pandemic was new for all of us and the way it was spreading had made me fearful. The fact that there is no defined treatment or vaccine yet was more frightening. I had to go to different houses to make people aware about this pandemic and that too without any safeguards. We were not blessed enough to have masks, gloves or Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at that point of time. I used to cover my face with a dupatta and later made a mask at home too,” says Jyoti, who could not say no to work, because her entire family depended on her paltry income of Rs 4,000 a month.

Soon due to severity of the pandemic, her neighbours started avoiding her. “I was fine with them running away from me. They feared coming near me and that was just fine,” she says. Visiting neighbourhoods with high number of COVID cases and performing tests without proper safety gear had made her highly susceptible to COVID-19.

“The only safeguard I had was positive thinking, which diminished each day as the number of cases increased,” Jyoti adds.

She took all precautions to keep her family safe. “After coming back home, I did not touch or meet any of my family members. I used to sanitize myself and wash my clothes first and then only I interacted with my family. On top of it, I had to spare one hour to breastfeed my youngest daughter. I took all necessary precautions, yet the fear of contracting the infection lingered in my mind,” she says.

This routine had started taking a toll on her. “At times, I found all my hopes were shattered. But the warrior inside me just had to go on.” Jyoti adds.

Things started to look up when Jyoti was provided with a PPE kit sponsored by Rio Tinto. Over 1,300 sanitation and frontline workers, like Jyoti benefited from the initiative that was implemented by the NGO, Sakshi and supported by Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) India. “They provided us with PPE kits for free and also made us aware about its use and advantages. The PPE kit has allowed me to perform experiments with water. It can be used 20 to 22 times after proper disinfection. It makes me feel safe. I am grateful to Rio Tinto, CAF India and Sakshi for lending us a helping hand during these hard times,” says Jyoti. Jyoti’s hard work, positive outlook and determination are an inspiration to all those who have lost hope during the pandemic.

10) Nothing can deter Kavita Rani, an NGO worker from carrying out her duties

“Work is worship and I am doing my duty,” says Kavita Rani, a community worker, who has been instrumental in the distribution of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits to sanitation and healthcare workers in Gurugram. “I am thankful to Rio Tinto, CAF India, and NGO Sakshi for allowing me to work for the COVID relief initiatives. I feel proud of myself that I can serve the humanity during Covid crisis.", adds Kavita.

Besides the distribution of PPE kits, Kavita has been actively participating in awareness generation programmes on precautions and preventive measures against Covid 19. “I hope to continue working like this. Earlier I thought I would not be able to handle the pressure. The nature of work was too challenging, but thankfully, I was able to manage the things well,” she says.

Her children had urged her several times not to go for field visits and risk her life. “I told them if doctors can do, why can’t we? We should also contribute our bit,” she added.Mitigating the challenges on her way to work was tough. Kavita had to work during the lockdown without proper transportation facilities. “We often walked several miles on foot, in the scorching heat, collecting data. Getting the data from hospitals was the most difficult task of all. I used to come back home reeking of medicines. However, we were determined to cater to the needs of the marginalised and vulnerable and nothing could deter us from our goal,” says Kavita.

CAF India with support of Rio Tinto sets out to provide 2,600 PPE kits to the corona warriors (healthcare and sanitation workers), as well as protecting their households by sanitizing their homes and neighborhood on a weekly basis. This programme will also support a comprehensive awareness campaign in the wider community to promote good hygiene and social distancing practices.

11) Everyday is a new learning experience for Sonu, an NGO worker

Sonu, has been working with CAF India's NGO partner, Sakshi for the past five years. An active, enthusiastic community worker, Sonu has been working on the ground, without worrying about herself. Ever since the Covid 19 crisis began, Sonu has been up on her feet helping with distribution and awareness generation programmes.

“Every day was a new learning experience for me, with lots of challenges. The biggest task was to collect the authentic data from hospitals, which took several hours of waiting outside in terrible hot and humid weather conditions,” says Sonu.

She however cautioned that people are taking Covid 19 very casually. “I have come across many people who are not following social distancing. They don’t wear masks in public places, their attitude towards the pandemic is very causal, which is very dangerous. It’s very challenging to make people understand the need to follow social distancing, hand hygiene and other preventive measures to protect themselves from Covid,” Sonu adds.

12) Lockdown due to COVID outbreak brought double whammy for Sunil

Sunil 29, a resident of West Delhi, is illiterate and differently-abled. The income from his part-time job at an office stopped, soon after the lockdown. Being the sole breadwinner, he was left with no money to buy food and other essentials for his family of three. Sunil was thus forced to rely on daily meals distributed by the government in a nearby school. However, for Sunil, who is unable to walk, reaching that school, which was just a kilometer away was an ordeal.

It took him two hours to reach there. CAF India with support of its partner NGO Sahyog took the responsibility to feed Sunil and his family for a minimum 10 days under its Meals on Wheels programme. The team is not only taking care of his meals but is also educating him about the importance of hygiene and social distancing. There are several people like Sunil, who need your support to survive the pandemic. Come forwards and help them.

13) Shivani – a frontline soldier against COVID-19 now feels her family is protected from the deadly virus

Shivani is a sanitation worker working in Dwarka sub-city, New Delhi. As a frontline soldier against COVID-19, she is dedicated to her work. More than fearing for her own safety while carrying out her duties amid the deadly virus outbreak, Shivani was concerned about exposing her young child and family to coronavirus.

She personally took all the precautionary measures when she reached home after work but dreaded for her families safety in the absence of adequate protective gears.

Now, with the Personal Protection Apparel Kit provided by CAF India with support if its NGO partner Humanitarian Aid International, Shivani feels more protected and safe especially as far as her family members are concerned.

14) Protecting our frontline soldiers against COVID-19

Krishna Kumar is a sanitation worker from Dwarka sub-city, New Delhi. He considers his work as not only his job but also his responsibility toward the society. Since the lockdown, he has been hearing about the dangers of being outside and the need to take precautions but felt there was very little he could do to protect himself.

He knows that the nature of his job exposes him to the risk of contracting Covid-19 and other infections and feels that work with safety is essential. Krishna found the initiative of Personal Protective Apparel Kit distribution by CAF India in partnership with Humanitarian Aid International as a very important and relevant one which is protecting and safeguarding him and his co-workers from the high risk of getting infected or becoming carriers of the virus.

He is grateful that the safety of sanitation workers is being looked after and now feels more confident in delivering essential services to society.

15) Personal Protective Apparel Kit – an absolute necessity for our frontline soldiers

Gultipal is a sanitation worker working in Dwarka sub-city, New Delhi. As a mother of a two-year-old daughter, the health and protection of her family is of prime importance to her.

She believes that the Personal Protective Apparel Kit provided to her by CAF India with support of Humanitarian Aid International would not just benefit her during her work at the frontline but also protect her family from the risk of contracting the infection.

16) Benefits of PM Ujjawala Yojana delivered to Chambui and many like her

Dhaboti village, in Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh is situated 15km from the district headquarters. Since the lockdown, life has come to a standstill at the Gram Panchayat Dhaboti. CAF India with support of its partner NGO Samarthan is making efforts to prevent the spread of the deadly virus in the village and is also reaching out to the poor families and helping them avail the benefits of Central Governments’ Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched in 2016 to distribute 50 million LPG connections to women of families living below poverty. Under the scheme, an amount of INR 735 is deposited in the bank account of the beneficiaries, which they could use to get LPG cylinders. Unfortunately, in remote villages like Dhaboti, residents are still unaware of the scheme.

Chambui, a resident of the village resides with husband Bhagirath, one of her sons is mentally challenged. She found herself helpless, when her gas cylinder exhausted earlier this winter. She could not get it refilled due to the lack of money. The lockdown made it worse. Even though the gas agency brought cylinders in the village, residents were unaware of the fact that they already had money in their bank accounts for purchasing/ refilling their gas cylinders. Chambui continued to struggle to get her cylinder refilled.

It was only when Samarthan intervened that Chambui saw a ray of hope. The NGO workers from Samarthan prepared a list of beneficiaries under this scheme and confirmed the deposit of the amount in the accounts of 12 families.

After confirmation of the deposit from the bank, all the 12 households were provided with a gas cylinder.

17) Small village of Halamkodo in Chhattisgarh shows how philanthropy can help overcome crises

Halamkodo village under Ambagarhchoki block of district Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh has a total number of 322 families. The remote village borders Naxal-hit Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra. After the Covid-19 pandemic, CAF India with the help of its NGO partner Samarthan came forward to support the residents of this village sail through the crisis.

With support of CAF India and Samarthan, the gram panchayat conducted health checkups for the migrant labourers who had returned from various urban areas and put them on home quarantine. To maintain social distancing, circles were made near all public places or drinking water sources.

A few weeks after the lockdown, the Gram Panchayat realized the growing need to arrange for ration for the poor families in the village. It first tried to ensure that rice was available for all the families at the local ration shop, however, it was falling short for some families.

To meet the demands of the villagers, a commodity relief fund was set-up. Several villagers donated food grains and cash as per their will and strength. So far, 42 persons from the village, voluntarily have deposited 92 kg of rice & some cash in relief fund and the process is continuing. With the help of this fund, the Gram Panchayat has provided 5 kg of rice, 1 kg pulse, 1 kg potato, chilli, salt, oil etc. In addition, 29 very poor families have been identified by the Gram Panchayat who will need cooperation in the coming time. The story of this small village shows how philanthropy can help overcome crises.

18) Persistent mass awareness drives have now finally yielded results in village Banaya, Chhattisgarh

Stay at home, stay safe — the writing is literally on the wall in village Banaya, of Sarguja District, Chhattisgarh. CAF India with support of it partner NGO Samarthan is leaving no stone unturned in teaching the concepts of social distancing and good hand hygiene to the villagers.

Wall paintings with messages on precautions to take during the pandemic have been painted all over the village. Residents have also been encouraged to wash their hands often with soap to avoid infections. They were asked to stay home and come out only if it’s very urgent, covering their mouth with towels or masks.

Circles at a distance of one meter have been marked at various public places, such as the community hand-pump, gram panchayat office, the grocery store etc. Volunteers from Samarthan have ensured that only one person stands in the circle at one point of time.

At the local grocery store, the shopkeeper was instructed to be vigilant and ensure that only one person was standing in the circle. The villagers were even asked to wash their hands with soap and water before getting the groceries.

It wasn’t easy to change the mindsets of people initially. Many a times, the volunteers found that the circles, especially outside local grocery stores had been wiped out and people were standing in crowds. In such situations, the volunteers, advised people and the shopkeepers to adhere or matter will be escalated to police.

The mass awareness drive have now finally yielded results. Residents and shop owners have now understood that Covid-19 is a dangerous communicable disease, and if social distancing is not maintained, it can spread more rapidly. Now the shopkeepers inform and educate their customers on various preventive measures to be taken to stop the spread of the disease.

19) Supported unemployed labourers in Halamkodo village in Chhattisgarh amidst lockdown

The Covid-19 pandemic took a toll on the work commissioned under central government’s MGNREGA scheme. Several villagers in village panchayat Halamkodo found themselves out of work. CAF India with support of its partner NGO Samarthan decided to intervene. They facilitated the employment of 189 labourers for two construction projects in the neighbourhood. The labourers were instructed to maintain social distancing, apart from using a mask or gamcha, which were distributed to all the workers.

20) Migrant workers in Dahej, Gujarat get some relief

Hundreds of construction workers near MRF tyres site, Dahej have migrated from northern states of India like UP, Bihar, Jharkhand to Gujarat in search of better source of income.

Due to the lockdown, these daily wage labourers are one of the worst hit groups, as their source of income is lost. With state borders sealed and discontinuation of all forms of transportation allowing inter-state movement, these labourers could not return to their hometown. This worsened their plight; they were forced to stay behind with little certainty about the future. Poor, hungry, and vulnerable, they are at great risk of falling susceptible to the deadly virus due to lack of availability of adequate prevention and personal protection equipment like food, sanitizers, etc.

This is when CAF India intervened to provide them with the family essential kits comprising of food plus preventive materials. It brought about great relief for these labourers and their families who were staying together. During the distribution, all precautions were taken to make sure appropriate norms of social distancing and personal protection are followed by the volunteers at the site who undertook distribution as well as the NGO’s representatives, who supported procurement, assembly, and timely delivery of the kits at the diverse geographies.

21) Homeless Pregnant Woman Finds Care and Shelter

While delivering the food and preventive kits to different locations in Gujarat, our volunteers came across a woman living on the streets, with little food or other essential supplies, and who had almost lost her sanity. To add to her woes, she was 8-months pregnant, clueless about the father of the child.

While on their way to benefit and impact hundreds of daily wage labourers, after having braved all odds to procurement, assembly, and delivery of the kits and putting their own lives at risk of getting infected by the Corona Virus despite taking necessary precautions, our volunteers stopped on their way, extended a helping hand to the helpless woman on street, admitted her to the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital in Ambulance, under proper medical observation, and also completed formalities of child registration in an orphanage keeping in mind the future.

Many homeless, malnourished, vulnerable women, children, are sleeping on an empty stomach every day, without a roof on their heads or shelter, increasing their risk of getting infected due to low resistance and immunity resulting from lack of adequate nutrition. A little act of kindness, in any form, goes a long way in making their lives a bit better.

22) Living Positive

An HIV centre in Ahmedabad is home to more than 400 HIV positive children, most of who are orphans or neglected. They are children of daily wage labourers whose life has come to a standstill due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and lockdown. Due to the loss of their only source of income, they often have to go without two square meals a day.

Priya & Pranjal, 8 and 10 year-olds respectively, are two girls from this centre who are HIV positive. They lost their father a year back. They stay with their mother and grandparents in a one room house. Their father, the sole bread winner of the family, was an auto rickshaw driver. After he passed away, their widowed mother had to become a daily wage labourer for survival. She works from morning to night only to make a meagre income that can neither fulfil their basic needs nor support the education of her two daughters.

CAF India provided family essential kits to 50 such children from this centre, of which 22 are orphans. These kits were distributed taking all due precautions avoiding close contact, keeping safe distance.

23) There's Hope for these Elderly Widows

Nagora is a socio-economically backward slum area in the old city area of Ahmedabad. It is one of the most at-risk areas in the city where people still live under thatched roofs or in sheds. It is home to hundreds of migrants and daily wage labourers, who have left their villages in search for better work and pay. The geographical distance between each slum is too less to maintain social distancing and the families are facing dire situations.

Many of the inhabitants in the slum area are widows, socially ostracised and economically disadvantaged for years. These elderly, widowed women from such under-served areas not only lack a stable source of income but also face discrimination on social grounds due to orthodox thinking of the fellow slum dwellers. This further obstructs access to opportunities and commodities for their survival. CAF India, distributed food kits to 15 such elderly widows to help them in this fight against COVID-19. It not only gave them the hope to navigate these testing times, but also great happiness, emotional courage, and willingness to survive as they felt ‘included’ and ‘cared for’.

24) Salute to Saina’s determination amidst the coronavirus crisis

Saina, 25, is a mother of two little girls and a 10-year old boy. A domestic help in Sangam Vihar, Delhi, she is the sole breadwinner in her household as her husband suffers from permanent paralysis. Five years ago, Saina and her family migrated from Hajipur, Bihar to Delhi in search of work as well better medical treatment for her husband.

The lock down in the wake of the pandemic has left the family in a lurch. Her income has stopped. She has exhausted all her savings. While she was able to pay off her rent for the last month, she is unsure if she will be able to pay the rent for the next month. As more ‘galis’ of Sangam Vihar are being designated as containment zones, it will be more difficult for people in her area to have access to food. But Saina will not give up, she will continue to strive, all she needs is a bit of help.

25) There is light at the end of the tunnel but no one knows how long this tunnel is

Kumar Singh, 23, is a resident of JJ Camp, Tigri in Delhi. Prior to the lockdown, he used to work as hawker, selling foot mats in Khanpur and Dakshinpuri, supporting his family of seven members. Depending on the sales, he used to earn INR 400-500 per day.

Kumar's father suffers from a heart ailment that has drained the family of all their savings. The lock down in the aftermath of the COVID -19 outbreak has left him at the mercy of others. He and his family are now entirely dependent on government or NGOs for rations or cooked food. The ration provided to him by CAF India with support of NGO Prayas would help him sustain his family for the coming week. He needs your support to battle, if not COVID-19, hunger.

26) Daily wage earners like Virendra are among the most affected and vulnerable during the COVID-19 outbreak

Virendra from Sangam Vihar in Delhi is amongst millions of daily wage earners, who are finding it hard to survive during the lockdown. He is disabled and the only bread winner of his family of four. He used to work with a tailor in a local shop, but since March 22, Virendra is out of work, like the rest of daily wage workers.

He does not get any regular income and his daily earnings were entirely dependent on the daily business of the shop. He has exhausted his savings and cannot support his family. The dry rations he got through CAF India with support of NGO Praras, would help him sustain his family for the coming week. Virendra needs your support.

27) #CoronaWarrior, Ashok Kumar- A ray of hope for the needy

Right from the beginning of the lockdown, Constable Ashok Kumar has been tirelessly working for the wellbeing of the vulnerable communities living in Sangam Vihar, Delhi. Helping them receive cooked food and dry rations, Kumar has been constantly working with the team of NGO Prayas supported by CAF India, identifying the neediest people. Several daily wage workers, local street vendors, helpers in shops, have been provided cooked food and dry ration, thanks to his efforts.

Every day, he takes a note of 20-30 people in his area, who haven’t been able to arrange food for themselves. He collects rations for them from the NGO Centre and delivers it to their homes in the evening. With the support from CAF India, Prayas has been able to help him feed those families. We salute the spirit of Shri Ashok Kumar. He is truly a warrior.