Thousands of tribal families living at the edge of the forest are among the worst sufferers in this Corona lockdown. Around 30 such Korku families from Memna village in Amravati District of Maharashtra were stranded in this sudden lockdown. They live hand to mouth and after the lockdown as their landlords restricted them to come for the work, their life came to a standstill.

Unfortunately, Maharashtra detected the highest number of Corona confirmed cases and Amravati records 4 coronavirus positive cases in the state. With no one to help, the community leader, local parish priest and the Jeevan Vikas Sanstha, the local partner of Caritas India shared this concern with the political leaders, social workers, and shopkeepers of the area. Caritas India and Jeevan Vikas Sanstha (JVS) dialogued with the stakeholder to support this impoverished community with dry food items. The Police Department and Tahasildar (Revenue department) of Paratwada welcomed this approach and gave their permission for food kit distribution.

JVS, Amravati, mobilized the food grains from political leaders, social workers, shopkeepers, etc. in Paratwada town and collected rice, dal, sugar, oil, salt, chili powder, and tea powder. The community leaders, Mr. Ramlal and Mrs. Sheela took the initiative to identify the needy families in the village and inform the community to maintain social distancing during the food kit distribution. Each kit consisted of 5 kg Rice, 2 kg Pigeon Pea, 3 kg Sugar, 250gm Tea Powder, 1 kg Salt and 1 liter Oil. In total, 350 food kits have been distributed to different parts of Paratwada town and nearby villages, including Memna village. These food items will help them to tide over the crisis for the next three weeks.

During the distribution, all the safety and preventive measures were followed, such as maintaining distance from each other, covering one’s face, etc. The process was facilitated by the DSSS volunteers and the Caritas India staff. Around 10-15 volunteers were engaged in the identification and distribution of relief materials without any hassle and maintaining social distancing.

Apart from the distribution of the food kits, awareness of Corona Virus and its preventive measures were shared with the community. Emphasis was laid on staying at home, avoiding going out unnecessarily, using a mask or covering the face with a cloth, washing the hands often with soap and avoiding social gathering.

Caritas India facilitated the process and supported in identifying the need of the community, approaching the Govt. departments for the support and orienting the community regarding safety measures and giving the partner financial support. The community has also been informed about the various schemes by the Govt. and have been asked to avail the benefits. During these dark hours, Caritas India and JVS Amravati are trying to bring some hope and cheer in their lives.