The impact of the pandemic on unskilled and semi-skilled workers and nano and micro-entrepreneurs has been devastating. Uncertainty of leading a dignified life with a minimum income has been part of the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic.

Millions of migrant workers returned home after travelling thousands of kilometre by buses, trains, cycles and even on foot. Taking the cue from its rapid research on migrants, Caritas India supported thousands of families across the country who has lost their jobs, livelihood and lives.

When we returned home in March, we had no hope and could not think of anything for our future. Debts were piling up and we had no income. God blessed us with this opportunity and we thank him for saving us when it was needed the most, said Dwmwilu Narzary, one of the returnee migrants in Assam.

Economic recovery for everyone was vital but the path for recovery is different and therefore, Caritas India extended her timely support to more than 1,155 families in North East Region (NER) of which 141 have been supported by Bongaigaon Gana Seva Society (BGSS) and thanks to Misereor, Germany for their unconditional cooperation. The support included seeds for nutritional gardens, development of nurseries of fast-growing commercial species, livestock and The families were given Seed support, saplings, nursery, agricultural processing machineries.

Eight months down the line, the situation seems to be improving in the marginal community’s lives with a tinge of hope and happiness especially for a group of 11 migrants from Salbari village in Chirang District of Assam, who returned home mostly from the Southern states of the country during the peak lockdown months. Several family members of Salbari village under the Chirang district of Assam migrate outside the state of Assam to earn whatever little they could in order to support their families back home. During the lockdown, with no money, no job and unsure when the lockdown will finally end, the migrant workers were left with no choice but to return to their villages.

BGSS, an implementing partner of Caritas India under the FARM phase III programme tried to bring smiles to these migrants along with a host of others by offering support for livelihood options.

Salbari, a small village in Chirang district of Assam, dominated by the Boro ethnic community situated at the foothills of Bhutan border. Majority of the people in the village are very poor and lack basic amenities. Most of these people are marginal farmers and they survive by farming of their small landholdings and also by selling firewood and other forest-based products.

After returning home, all the 11 migrants were jobless and without money to buy even the minimum basic needs of life and some were under debts as well. Most of these migrant worker families were desperate for food, medicine and other necessities.

In July 2020, the BGSS team visited the village and had a general meeting with the villagers and collectively tried to draw livelihood strategies of returning migrants and other households which would enable them to earn for a living. In a strong gesture of humanity, the villagers of Salbari requested the BGSS team to support the 11 migrant families with whatever resource available.

BGSS obliged to the request and helped the 11 migrants to form Salbari Jaiklong Farmers group. The migrants in turn resolved that they would never to go out to other states anymore in search of jobs and would initiate collective farming and other allied activities in their village for their sustenance.

With support for Covid response from Caritas India, BGSS came forward to this group by supporting them with goat kids and poultry. The groups have started livestock rearing that includes goat kids and poultry. They were also supported with black sesame seeds for cultivation in their fields. BGSS is expecting an income of Rs 50,000 to 60,000 for this group in the next six months or more. The supported families are putting labour of their own in the collective action that would go a long way to improve their living standards which were otherwise struck hard by the pandemic.

Caritas India has the required expertise to handhold the vulnerable communities to recover from the crisis. One of the unique but simple support mechanism promoted by Caritas India is sharing resources model. This model promotes individuals to have a moral obligation to share resources with other needy individuals in the community who could not be reached sue to limited resources. This mechanism helps the individuals to use the resource, raise income or profit or upscale. Once the group has a stable income they can extend the resource to other individuals and the cycle continues. It has a multiplying effect as it impacts more people with single support and provide a sustainable and dignified recovery and stretching the importance of every penny spent.

Every support helps in empowering the community at large and building an ownership to thrive and prosper.