COVID 19 has left the world in huge disarray and predicament.  Amidst this troubled environment, COVID 19 has spawned a new humanitarian crisis- an egress of migrant workers- the unorganized sector of the Indian economy, cramming in various parts of the country. Many of them are rendered homeless, jobless and losing their lives in their pursuit to be back-home.

The current situation has led us to understand “the precariousness that radically characterizes our human condition”. We are not “masters of our own fate”; on the contrary, our lives are interconnected and interrelated. This leads to an awareness “of the reciprocity that is at the basis of our life”.

It is in this backdrop, Caritas India and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) have joined hands to address the COVID-19 pandemic and bring succor to the poor and vulnerable communities who have been badly affected by this crisis. While recognizing this is a pandemic, considering the severity and size of need, Caritas and CRS have prioritized the states of Bihar, Delhi, Kerala, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh for this joint response.

This response is informed by a unified approach and common program priorities.

Through this response, Caritas-CRS shall work with organizations that have been working with the government to identify and fulfil specific gaps and complement the efforts of the government.

With specific priority on Food and nutrition security; Sanitation and hygiene kit; COVID related awareness generation and Psycho-social counselling, the focus will be on the high risk/vulnerable population particularly workers and families migrating due to lockdown, people/migrant workers in temporary camps and stranded. This response shall also focus on specific geographies where there is a high concentration of high risk/vulnerable populations, and routes which the migrant workers take to go to their homes.

This joint collaboration is a noble response in sync with the Global Strategy of Caritas Internationalis on “Be Informed, Be Trained, Be Cautioned, Be Connected and Be Compassionate”.