The COVID 19 pandemic has taken a great toll on the life of all. Comparatively, the poor people have been affected on a large scale. Millions of migrant workers faced the unprecedented burden of job loss, food shortage, uncertain future. Thousands of them began walking back to their home with no means of transportation due to lockdown.

“We also thought of going back to our village but without money, this option was also not applicable to us,” says Chanda’s husband. The couple migrated to Pune four years back in search of better livelihood option. They have a small piece of land in their village in Uttar Pradesh, but it is single-crop agriculture and not enough for the whole year.

Chanda Devi and her husband works as a daily wage worker at a construction site. They get Rs. 500/- for a day labour which was sufficient for the family of three.  “We were happy in our life and managing it well,” says Chanda Devi. But then suddenly their lives came to a standstill due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Their daily income got cut off slowly, paralyzing them even to buy their daily needs.

“The field contractor gave Rs.7500/- in the beginning but money got over in two months due to buying the house and feeding food for baby,” Chanda Devi says very miserably. “The money will be deducted from the regular salary when lockdown will be lifted” added by her husband. Their pathetic condition affected their three-year child the most, the child is now deprived of the most basic needs, even food. Due to lack of proper income, the family had to curtail even their daily food to just once a day leaving what is left for the child. These measures had taken a toll on both.

HCL Foundation as part of its corporate social responsibility has joined hands with Caritas India, to support the deprived and impoverished communities with food and hygiene kits during this testing times.

During the door to door survey, Chanda met SEVA volunteers, a Caritas India partner in Pune. The situation of the family was appealing to provide necessary support considering the job loss and no other livelihood option. The family was selected for the relief and provided food and hygiene kits.

The support is extended to the underprivileged slum dwellers, marginal communities and migrant workers falling outside the purview of public provisioning systems. The aims is to improve access to health care, nutrition, in slums and vulnerable areas.

They were happy and thankful to God that at least someone came for their support at this difficult moment. SEVA got a good opportunity to continue their works in such slums and to provide them with things they are in need.

They highly appreciated the efforts and even volunteered to help the team during distribution. They were thankful to SEVA, Caritas India and HCL Foundation for understanding their need and helping them. “Your help means a lot for our family”, says Chanda with a smiling face.