The second wave of COVID-19 has wreaked havoc causing unspeakable miseries for millions, including the middle-class who had so far managed to pull themselves. Many middle-class families are now facing economic hardship, waiting for subsidized or free ration. Reports suggest that millions have lost their jobs or occupation, have consumed all their savings, sold assets and properties to foot medical bills. Some reports suggest that 230 million people have been pushed back to poverty due to pandemic, wiping away of the positive impact of progress made in the earlier decades. By all counts, hunger and malnutrition has become more entrenched.
Rise Against Hunger India’s 2nd wave food relief program was started in April 2021 when cases started rising and people needed urgent support. We started a live kitchen in Mumbai with one of our partners and about 1500 to 2000 meals are being served daily for the past 3 months. Gradually, our work was expanded to other cities and rural areas. Ready to consume food packets were provided to patients, relatives/attendants or patients, medical workers, mobile van drivers, crematoria workers, volunteers and other essential workers. As most regions were put under local lockdowns extended period of time, people in rural areas and smaller towns faced shortage of ration and food supply. With our network of field partners, we expanded the relief program to additional districts. Wherever we could organize transport and logistics, packaged meal boxes (fortified nutritious uncooked packaged meals) were sent from our warehouses in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. Where logistics did not allow us to send our packaged boxes, we organized dry ration kits (provisions procured locally).
As of July 10, we have been able to serve 213,839 people from 69 Districts in 17 States with 2.7 million meals and other relief support. As many as 89 partner organizations and volunteer groups have joined hands with us to reach the impacted people. In addition, two partner organizations who are running COVID Care Centers we have mobilized masks, PPE kits, sanitizers, oxygen concentrators, medical kits, essential medicines, accessories, oximeters etc.
When we started the relief work in April 2021, our goal was to serve about 2 million meals till July end. While we are happy that we have exceeded these numbers significantly, it is indeed a matter of concern that millions continue to struggle for basic needs due to economic distress caused by the pandemic and further exacerbated by escalating food prices due to inflation. Vaccination being the only protection, it is going to take time for economic activity to fully pick up. In this situation, people will continue to need our support.
We have now set our goals to serve 6 million by September. This includes our special project SAATHI (friends) designated exclusively for crematoria workers many of whom are temp and casual workers with no major income and with no safety net or social protection. We are supporting 513 such families with our packaged meals.
