The pandemic has forced most of us to stay put at homes and adapt to new ways of getting things done. While many of us have adjusted to this new life, several people across the country have been hit hard. With no food, water, shelter, access to public health and awareness, this vulnerable population, which includes daily wage workers, homeless, migrants, and senior citizens, is at risk of contracting the coronavirus. In most cases, this is after they have lost their jobs or have no way of earning.
However, there are several individuals and groups who have come out to offer help to this vulnerable population . We have put together a list of some initiatives that you may wish to join in whatever way possible. You can donate an amount online, deliver groceries in your neighbourhood and city to those in need, prepare cooked meals, and more. These initiatives are no less than a ray of hope in these difficult times.
Here’s a list of COVID-19 initiatives that you can be a part of:
Initiative |
Details |
| Hasiru Dala | Hasiru Dala has identified ~1000 vulnerable waste-pickers’ families (no BPL/ration card, no public housing, no predictable income) in 6 cities/towns in Karnataka (Bengaluru, Mysuru, Tumakuru, Davanagere, Hubli/Dharawad) who need immediate support. You can support by providing care kits consisting of 5 kg of rice/wheat, 2 kg lentils and 2 bars of soap, with each kit costing Rs.550/- including transportation to their homes.
The bank details for transfer are: |
| Give India | Immediate cash to labourers to compensate for their loss of wages and help them provide basic provisions for their families. The unemployed individuals have been duly verified by GiveIndia. |
| Milaap | There are several individuals and organisations that are helping different sections of society be raising funds. Milaap has collated all these initiatives under one site for you to go through and select for donating. |
| PharmEasy | Doctors, nurses and hospital staff are relentlessly working round the clock on the frontline against the COVID-19 outbreak, risking their lives to safeguard ours! Gift them an N95 mask or as many as you like and PharmEasy shall pledge one for every N95 mask you gift! |
| Help India | Daily wage workers are without work or government relief and therefore unable to be providers for their homes. The situation will get worse as the lockdown is not going to end any time soon.
The bank details for transfer are: |
| An individual initiative by Sangitha and Shankar |
Sangitha and Shankar have started this campaign to raise funds to equip the newly created COVID-19 ward at St. John’s Hospital, Bengaluru with ventilator beds, masks, and other necessary medical supplies. If 2,000 people contribute Rs. 250 each, the hospital can have one ventilator and enough masks to help the medical professionals stay protected. |
| Caremongers India
Join the group on Facebook: They have dedicated city WhatsApp groups; the list can be found on Caremongers India Facebook page. |
This is a citizen-led initiative to help people in need. Know somebody that needs assistance? Know somebody that can offer assistance? Perhaps you can shop for an elderly member in your community. Or perhaps you have extra face masks that you can distribute. Whatever the need, whatever you can offer, here is where they rally together for each other. |
| Sattva Consulting | Sattva Consulting has been working on scalable and sustainable social impact solutions for a decade. They are using their network to find an effective strategy to support each other in combating the challenges posed on multiple fronts by the current coronavirus epidemic. You need to provide your details and they will get in touch with you. |
| Gubbachi Government School Community |
During the current lockdown situation, they are trying to support 125 migrant daily wage-earning families with a basic supply of rice, oil, dal, soaps, etc. These are families of children who learn with Gubbachi at their our various centres. They need approximately Rs. 2,000 per family of 4 members for a month.
The bank details for NEFT transfer are: Request you to share the following once you have made the contribution on info@gubbachi.org.in |
| Rapid Response | Rapid Response is helping the poor in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh by providing relief supplies. The Safety & Hygiene Kits Costs Rs 600 which includes handwash liquid, soap, Dettol, phenol, bleaching powder, masks, kerchiefs and awareness pamphlets. The Dry Ration Relief Kits Costs Rs 1000 which includes rice, wheat, dal, cooking oil, sugar, salt and biscuit packets. |
| Feeding India | They have initiated the ‘Feed the Daily Wager’ project to provide food support to such families and to help them have a reliable supply of meals in the absence of employment opportunities.
Each meal kit (for a family of 5) contains a combination of wheat flour, rice and two types of pulses that can be used to cook meals for the family for a week. Each kit for a family costs Rs. 500. |
Note: Many of these donations are tax exempted under 80G & 501(c)(3). Please check details before making a direct bank transfer.
While these are only some initiatives, we encourage readers to share information about more initiatives that they may know of, in the comments below.