The COVID-19 pandemic has infected approximately 7 million people and the death toll has surpassed 400, 000 across the world. India too has borne the brunt with cases increasing each day. The first case of COVID-19 in India was reported on January 30, 2020, and as of June 19, 2020, India continued to record new highs in reporting coronavirus cases in a single day since 13,856 new infections were reported in the last 24 hours. The impact of the pandemic is visible across the sectors globally, but its impact on marginalized sections, women and children has been immense in India. This crisis is going to affect the economy as never before leading to massive psycho-social impacts as well.

Focus has mostly been on testing, treatment and prevention of COVID-19 but people and communities are going through various social problems which also includes adjusting to the current lifestyles and fear of the disease across the country. Conditions have all the more affected the marginalized as the abrupt lockdown has brought millions below the poverty line struggling for basic needs like food and shelter. Regardless, this chaotic situation, the pandemic has shown the spirit of oneness/unity where nonprofits, corporate and government stakeholders have come together to help those in need. The need of the hour called for immediate relief to serve the urgent needs. In response to this, Caritas India also partook with other partners and extended immediate relief for the needy through different means and continue to do so till date.

Current Scenario: Considering the struggling and challenging situation, Caritas India immediately initiated an intervention in response to COVID 19 with its 187 partners. The intervention aimed at fighting against the starvation and awareness creation to prevent the spread of the virus. The partners have been assisted with Solidarity Project funds to support the needy & the vulnerable community, the migrants with Ration kit, Hygiene kits, cooked food, mask distribution, transportation facilities, psychosocial support through Helpline service and campaign for awareness to fight against Pandemic Covid19.

The partners are distributing cooked food packets to the migrants travelling back home. Families have been identified and are fed through either cooked food or dry ration kits. Most of the partners have almost completed their relief support to the people. Some of them are trying to continue the support as much as possible.

The scenario in the rural areas have changed and the new lifestyle changes are here to stay. The pandemic has now people wearing masks, using sanitizers and maintaining social distance. During the early days, many people were dealing with the fear psychosis. Due to the constant efforts of the partners, who reached out to the affected people with awareness and psychosocial support, the fear of many has been reduced. The virus, as they say, is here to stay and people are expected to live with it while making efforts to make a livelihood. People in the region are trying to slowly limp back to what they had been doing for a generation. Farmers are hitting their fields.

The population of concern: The COVID-19 outbreak has thrown most countries, including ours, into unprecedented and massive health and humanitarian crisis. The most marginalized, migrants and daily wage earners are main victims who have been worst hit by this pandemic. The prolonged lockdown and travel bans added miseries to them losing their employment and creating anxiety and fear for the future. As a result, many of them were compelled to take up unexpected leads due to starvation and unemployment. Many of them moved out on foot to their homes with minimum belongings in order to find solace unaware of the struggles and painful life ahead.

The issue of migrant workers was one of the cruellest and highlighted one in this pandemic where millions were rendered unemployed and stranded without money, food and shelter crossing the country’s highways to return to their villages which resulted in several accidents and deaths on their way. Unemployment has rendered a large section as directionless, leaving the social health as well as the economy in shambles.

Another hard-hit community is that of the tribals, nomads and gypsies who live in remote and hilly areas and depend completely on farming and daily wages for the survival. Due to shutting down of all sorts of employment and resources for livelihood, people are into ‘Reverse-Migration’. They have lost their jobs and have nothing to feed their stomach. Though they are provided rations by the government that does not suffice their needs. Thus, this situation has led to starvation and mental distress in people.

Impacts of COVID19: COVID 19 response created a considerable impact in the minds and lives of the target people. Caritas India in association with a large number of partners across the country could curtail to some extent the rapid infection rate among the target people through the awareness programs and other concerted efforts of both Government and Non-Government Organizations. Distribution of food grains such as rice, pulses, oil and other grocery items enabled the people to sustain their lives during lockdown without hunger. Support to the patients infected by chronic diseases helped them to overcome the ill-effects of both the chronic disease as well as a lockdown. Above all, COVID 19 response infused the solidarity and positive attitude towards life in the minds of the target stakeholders. It has changed the way we live life and has increased our dependency on technology.

COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world in many ways. Of the several implications on humanity, the issues of health, the rapid decline of the economy, shortage of medicines, sanitizers, masks, and other essentials, poverty, unemployment has undoubtedly taken centre-stage, and each has left a mark on the lives of people.

Livelihood Support: People affected by COVID 19 directly or indirectly could be given preference in the list of target people in various livelihood programs. Caritas India could think of inclusive development approach in all our livelihood and development programs and plan and execute the programs with the involvement and participation of the target stakeholders. Extension of livelihood support for the neediest people should be our priority and people-centred need assessment programs could be initiated and accomplished before any livelihood intervention.

The FARM Northeast III has been initiated which involve extending agriculture-based livelihood to the communities in distress. In this project, the support would be given to the women in distress. The support would include livestock, fast-growing commercial plants and strengthening of existing kitchen gardens. In Maharashtra, one of the partners has initiated the process of setting up a small scale industry for cloth bags and soaps, with the help of SHGs. In Telangana, 388 people supported through dry ration and hygiene kits under Caritas India-HCL project, out of which 88 people were migrants. In Kerala, the major areas of interventions by the partners lied on livelihood support in the last stages of COVID 19. These interventions included a supply of seeds and plants for the cultivation at the premises of the farmers, financial support to needy people who wanted to do farming and more than 10000 people were reached out with immediate assistance in sustainable livelihood programs like promotion of organic farming and non-farming areas.

Silver Lining: In the year 2020 when Abdul Kalam had wished for a vision, no one knew that we would be emphasizing on washing hands and basic hygiene methods to protect ourselves from a massive pandemic across the world. One of the major lessons that we should be able to take away from all this suffering is, it is the simplest things that we ignore which can create the greatest chaos. We need to unlearn and relearn our priorities as a collective human family to respect life and the resources around us that are required in the best of its quality for our survival.

Prevention could be the best strategy during the onslaught of pandemic and this strategy is a most rewarding one in the thickly populated country like India. We have to think of the most vulnerable population and frame plans and strategies to protect the most vulnerable sections from the repercussions of any pandemic. Well-off people have the capacity and knowledge to protect them from any pandemic. Hence, our development interventions should enable and empower the target poor and other vulnerable sections to be self-reliant, self-sustainable and knowledgeable to achieve greater heights in all spheres of life.