As we all are aware that COVID 19 has left no stone unturned. It has widely and equally affected the communities worldwide irrespective of caste, class, color and creed. Though threat of life and infection is same on any human being. But this threat of COVID 19 further aggregate with financial crisis among vulnerable communities like slum dwellers, migrant laborers and unreached people in remote areas.
MSS Initiative to support most needy people:
Mamta Samajik Sanstha has identified the most needy, vulnerable and unreached families through its community leaders, volunteers, neighours, friends and concerned government officials in the rural areas of Vikasnagar & Sahaspur blocks and homeless & poor people in the city area of district Dehradun. We have reached to approximately 1000 such families with immediate relief kit for one or two month’s survival and now planning to support them with long term initiatives for their sustainable development through skill development, livelihoods promotion and linking them with various government schemes in order to help them to lead normal lives after the crisis of COVID19.
MSS Plan to support the needy and vulnerable communities in the following ways:
- Immediate Relief- Kit of essential food items for 1 or 2 months as per condition and need of the family, sanitizer, soaps, masks and education material on Do’s and Don’ts
- Long term Rehabilitation – Linking these families to govt various schemes like PDS to get ration, Aganwadi centre(Early child and pregnant woman care centre by women and child development department) to get help for women and children, Jan dhan Yojna bank account, MNREGA, old people pension, widow pension, pension for person with disability etc
- Providing them various helpline numbers to get help in case of any emergency
- Planning to conduct skill development and income generation activities for their livelihood through our NGO, Mamta Samajik Sansth, Dehradun.
- Counselling of families to combat stigma, fear and mental stress
- Follow up through community leaders and volunteers in respective villages and city slum areas
Highlights of the Activities undertaken by MSS:
In the past 4 months, Mamta team has distributed more than 1000 dry ration kits, hygiene kits and 2000 face masks to the affected people and families in different part of the city area and villages of Sahaspur and Vikasnagar blocks of district Dehradun. We reached to the old people and people with disabilities at their door steps to provide them ration kit and hygiene kit. For other needy people we organized relief camps at our Training centre, Kehrigaon, Premnagar, Dehradun and different locations and villages of Dehradun city, Sahaspur and Vikasnagar blocks.
Highlights of our Relief Camps:
Mamta team and volunteers have identified the most vulnerable, old people, widows, people with disabilities, needy, homeless and migrant workers between 1st April to 31st May,2020 and in spite of lockdown restriction reached to 350 such persons with dry ration kit, sanitizers, hygiene kit and face masks etc. Face masks were stitched through women self-help groups and volunteers and distributed to more than 1000 people during this period. During this period of corona crisis, we gave demonstration and created awareness among people to follow government and health department’s instructions like using face masks, maintaining physical distancing, washing hands with soup for more than 20 seconds and be at home as much as possible. We helped old people and sick people as well by informing about these people to the government helpline and on our request helpline team reached to these old and sick people and provided them the necessary support. We supported around 30 such people through coordination with government helpline. Through whatsApp also we informed many needy people and suggested them to call on emergency numbers and helpline numbers to get support from the government concerned departments.
In the months of June and July 2020 when lockdown was lifted or relaxed, we went out to many villages, slums and colonies with relief materials to support the disadvantaged communities.