How you can help our country's poor and underprivileged during the coronavirus lockdown in India
Armchair activism takes on a whole new meaning during quarantine
Twenty-one days of the coronavirus lockdown in India is enough to set anybody on edge. You’re wondering why you decided to commit yourself to your spouse when he breathes so loudly. Not to mention your parents who chew your brains with as much determination as their gluten-free parathas.
Still, as our biggest problem might be running out of snacks — and patience — we can’t help but think of the millions of daily wage workers, from rickshaw and taxi drivers to construction workers, maids, street vendors and more who’re running out of resources and money.
A number of daily wage workers have been robbed of their income, and are even stranded in cities with no means to get home to their families.
Sitting on the sidelines can seem frustrating, but there’s plenty we can do to help out. These Indian NGOs and citizen groups are doing great work for those in need, and you could reach out, donate money or resources.
Zomato Feeding India
A foundation that aims to eradicate hunger, malnutrition and food wastage in India, according to its website, it has more than 20,500 volunteers and reaches more than 82 cities.
The team has initiated a ‘Feed the Daily Wager’ project to provide food support to such families and help them get access to meals in the absence of employment opportunities.
They have partnered with NGOs on ground, to get food kits across 26 cities.
The meal kit (for a family of 5) contains wheat flour, rice and two types of pulses that can be used to cook meals for the family for a week.
The minimum donation is ₹500 to support one family, and as that amount increases, so do the number of families you support.
Milaap
Crowdfunding platform Milaap is hosting two fundraisers for daily wage workers (and has waived off its fee for this cause).
One is the Coronavirus Support Initiative for Food & Medical Aid to Daily Wagers and the other, Help Daily Wage Earners hit by Coronavirus
Donations start at ₹100, and can be made via PayTM and UPI.
Uday Foundation
The Indian NGO’s Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Donate Care kit for Homeless initiative aims at collecting donations to purchase hand wash, sanitiser and one month’s food supply for the homeless.
Their target numbers are shared on their website, and you can donate online using credit, debit cards and Paytm, and other money transfer portals.
Hasiru Dala
A social impact organisation that focuses on justice for waste pickers, across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, Hasiru Dala’s Support for Vulnerable Wastepickers in a Time of Crisis initiative is urging people to donate money to the cause — via bank transfer.
The organisation has identified 1,000 families of waste pickers, and aims to provide them with care kits (worth ₹550) composed of 5kg of rice/wheat, 2kg lentils and two bars of soap.
You can also assist them in collecting and distributing kits, and can connect with them via their email address: covid19carekit@hasirudala.in
Goonj
The NGO headquartered in Delhi that undertakes disaster relief, humanitarian aid and community development in parts of 23 states across the country has gone live with the Rahat COVID-19 initiative, aimed particularly at gathering supplies and disseminating them amidst daily wage workers in need. You can choose any amount you would like to donate.
Safa India
Safa is a women-focused NGO that aims at supporting urban illiterate women by helping them with sustainable livelihoods, through vocational training programmes, counselling support and more.
In these harsh times, they’ve launched their COVID-19 relief kit initiative that aims to provide basic ration and hygiene goods to those in need, across Hyderabad, North Karnataka, Bengaluru and Chennai — with a focus on helping daily wage workers, single mothers and aged widows.
Provisions in the kit include rice, salt, sugar packets and more, and the amount of money you want to donate is up to you.
Give India
The online donation platform has two initiatives in place, amidst the Coronavirus lockdown:
The support COVID Hit Families mission aims to help daily wagers with their food needs, while Mission #IndiaAgainstCoronaVirus is focused on hygiene kits. Both are pan-India, and donations begin at ₹500.
Khushiyaan Foundation
The Thane-based NGO has extended its Roti Ghar project to aid kids and daily wage workers affected during the Coronavirus lockdown in India. Details on how you can help, are below:
The coronavirus lockdown in India has made us feel helpless, useless, and often times, even hopeless — but these organisations have proved that it’s possible for one tiny effort on your part to make a big difference in someone’s life.
As a reward, here are the few stories of hope we’re clinging to while we’re battling the coronavirus pandemic.
*These organisations and initiatives have been vetted to the best of our ability, please exercise discretion when sharing financial information online