With subsequent lockdowns and indefinite COVID-crisis, Ratan and her family, a resident of Sarita Vihar in Delhi once thought to go back to the native village but changing the place will not solve their problem of earning.

The prevailing pandemic and Lockdown announcement had shut down many factories and businesses which has directly impacted the earnings of many poor families. Ratan’s family was also not untouched by the effects of Lockdown. The factory in which her husband and son were working was temporarily closed due to subsequent lockdown announcements and along with many workers, her family lost their source of livelihood.

As long as the family had a flow of meagre but regular income, it was just sufficient to run the house with basic needs but after the job loss, the financial condition got worse. They were not able to meet the daily need expenses.

About 45-minute drive away from Sarita Vihar, Malti from Samta Vihar, New Delhi shares the same fate. Her husband, the only earning member of the family lost his job.

Among her 4 children, one of them is a specially-abled child and for his care, Malti had to be at home all the time. Before the lockdown, her husband worked as a driver. His earning was just enough to feed the family and fulfil essentials for the family. Hence, they could not save a penny.

Things were getting difficult for both husband and wife to take care of even the basic food needs of their children. They used to look for free food distribution so they could take it to their home.

Caritas India with the support of Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development & Caritas Internationalis initiated COVID-19 Relief Response to prepare communities to safeguard themselves and improve their nutritional intake during Covid19 community transmission.

Caritas India through Chetanalaya, a Delhi based partner conducted the survey and identified impoverished and needy families for relief. Seema and Malti were among 2300 families to receive a bag full of food and hygiene materials from the organisations. The families expressed their gratitude and acknowledged the selfless initiative and support. The happiness on their faces gives the satisfaction of the service which drives the mission of reaching out to the most marginalized in this hour of humanitarian crisis.