Covid Response

Global Program India reached out to the socially excluded with Covid-19 Relief

The COVID-19 emergency-induced lockdowns have created a major humanitarian crisis in India. To support communities who have been struggling with socio-economic challenges posed by series of lockdowns, Caritas India’s Global Program India came forward with its relief distribution drive under its Disaster Risk Reduction component.

Since our response to the pandemic, Global Program India has been with the community with our partners. So far, we have reached 8247 families with relief materials like dry ration and hygiene kits in 17 districts of Bihar, Odisha, Assam, and West Bengal.

Caritas India with the support of its implementation partners reached out to the vulnerable families who are being pushed even deeper into poverty due to loss of family income. The plight of the families aided is excruciating. These community members were more vulnerable as they belong to the marginalized and neglected section of the society and their livelihood majorly depends on daily wage labour, fishing, and farming. With the arisen pandemic situation their lives became even
harder.

As the organization initiated its relief distribution, it aimed to provide relief to the people who suffered the most during the pandemic and tried to leave an impact on the lives of the worst sufferers. Widows, persons with disabilities, single parents, and elderlies were selected for providing relief through the beneficiary selection process conducted by the village committee members.

To stand in solidarity with the frontline workers to break the chain of spread and minimize the effects of coronavirus, Global Program India COVID response directly supported 1,616 front-line workers (e.g. ASHA (health) workers, Anganwadi workers at nutrition centres) with special hygiene kits to render their services to communities in remote areas.