Relief work, financial and logistical contributions, feeding the suffering, the migrants, the forgotten, the invisible, young and old, men and women of all creed and kind; Corporates, NGOs, individuals have been strengthening their efforts to fight against COVID-19. Let us not grow weary in doing all that we can to alleviate the sufferings faced by the poorest of the poor amongst us during this crucial time. Let us not forget to also contribute in any way possible to the police and healthcare workers who are serving our community selflessly and tirelessly. A look at some organisations who have been doing good work during this pandemic.
CAF India
As the COVID-19 outbreak ravages across the country, several corporations and NGOs are working with Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) India to mitigate the crisis. Beginning from the last week of March, the organisation has been raising over Rs 17 lakh every week and has till date raised over Rs 11 Crore. The funds raised are being used to implement a series of interventions to reach out to the vulnerable masses, which include migrant labourers, urban slum dwellers, rural populations along with police and frontline healthcare workers.
Elaborating on the need to step up efforts in helping authorities contain the COVID-19 outbreak, Meenakshi Batra, CEO, CAF India said: “The world is facing one of the biggest public health emergencies of the century. The COVID-19 pandemic will have serious socio-economic consequences. The post-pandemic world will not be the world we are used to of living. The marginalised communities will be the worst affected. It is time that we stand together, with each other and the authorities and support in every little way we can. We have initiated a series of interventions to help the most vulnerable and at-risk groups sail through the crisis.”
So far, the donations we have received from the donors have been utilised to:
- Provide 1,01,000 N-95 masks to the Health Departments of Punjab, Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala in partnership with Astrazeneca Pharma Ltd.
- Distribute essential food items to over 2,000 construction workers in Maharashtra, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
- Provide food items to families of over 900 migrant workers, and facilitated health check-ups for over 2,000 quarantined people in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
- Support over 7,800 families to receive financial help through benefits and entitlements from the government;
- Distribute dry ration to over 1,600 daily wage earners living in the JJ colonies in Delhi.
- Distribute over 785 Personal Protective Gears to sanitation workers in Gurugram and Delhi.
- Provide Personal Protective kits to over 2,000 police personnel in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
- Distribute over 3,000 PPE kits to health workers of isolation wards in Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation
- Distribute over 5,000 face shields for frontline workers of Municipal Corporation of Gurugram, Haryana.
- Contribute Rs One Crore each towards CM relief fund in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Rajasthan.
- Run awareness campaigns and NGO consultation on mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic
“We, along with our NGO partners, who play a vital role in implementing these interventions are planning several more initiatives to supplement the government’s efforts in dealing with the situation,” said Ms Batra.
During this acute crisis, the organisation has resolved to stand together with the authorities and provide support wherever required. The organisation has urged all citizens to stay safe, stay at home and support the marginalised, vulnerable communities.
Adani Foundation and Doordarshan Jharkhand
Adani Foundation’s Gyanodaya, a digital learning mission led by Adani Foundation and District Administration, Godda, has tied up with Doordarshan, Jharkhand to air its educational content of classes 6-12 starting from May 11, 2020. In a bid promote remote learning and engage children who are restricted to stay at home amidst the coronavirus outbreak, comes the decision to telecast Gyanodaya’s smart classes curriculum. Students who do not have access to the internet or smartphones can continue their studies by viewing the cable-operated channel. Addressing the need of the hour, this initiative is expected to benefit more than 50 lakh students across the State.
Dr Priti Adani, Chairperson, Adani Foundation said, “As educational institutes fight the challenges thrown up by COVID-19, the telecast of Adani Foundation run Gyanodaya project content on DD Jharkhand will benefit children in the state’s remotest areas, who may not have access to other digital learning platforms.”
Adani Foundation, in partnership with Eckovation Solutions Pvt. Ltd., launched the Gyanodaya project in August 2018 to promote e-learning through Smart Classes in Godda district, Jharkhand which is an aspirational district as declared by Niti Aayog. Currently, the Gyanodaya project covers 246 govt. schools of Godda spread across 201 villages, reaching out to 53,765 students studying in 6th to 12th standards. Multiple benefits of digital learning have been observed in these students including the rise in digital literacy, decision-making capabilities, cultural awareness, improved academic performance, and inventiveness.
In Godda, more than 500 teachers are associated with the project and while the content will be televised, they will be approachable via phone to answer any queries or questions that the students might have.
The visually appealing, easy-to-grasp, and retainable concepts covered in the study materials have led to a 77 per cent increase in the class-wise attendance comparing the figures of past years. A significant reduction in dependency on tuition classes has also been observed all across the blocks which will thereby increase the faith of students and parents likewise on government schools. Students who used to fall under 30-40 per cent marks bracket have shifted into 70-80 per cent marks bracket due to better understanding and retention of basic concepts and a daily quiz after every concept video.
Looking at the success of the district and the learning outcomes achieved by the students, the State Government has decided to implement the model of Gyanodaya throughout the State.
OPPO
Reinforcing its commitment to help the community fight COVID-19, OPPO, the leading global smart device brand, announced that they will distribute masks to its employees and their family. These masks will be Made in India, at their manufacturing plant in Greater Noida. With this effort, OPPO India has also become the first smartphone brand in India to produce masks locally for the community.
The manufacturing facility resumed operations on May 8, 2020, with 30 per cent workforce following the MHA directive. The workforce is also engaged in the production of masks with specially procured equipment.
OPPO India is committed to partner with the Government and the local authorities in their fight against the spread of this pandemic. Besides donating to the PM-CARES Fund, OPPO has distributed masks to the Uttar Pradesh Government and also collaborated with the authorities to provide food to the stranded migrant workers. With this latest initiative, OPPO affirms its focus on helping the community in their battle with COVID-19 as well as the safety and well-being of their employees.
Hemkunt Foundation
Hemkunt Foundation, a non-profit philanthropic organisation served over two lakh meals and distributed over 12 tonnes of dry ration to urban poor like migrant workers, homeless and people living in slums affected due to the lockdown imposed to contain the COVID-19 outbreak in the NCR region. In these extraordinary times, Hemkunt Foundation started a drive to hand out fresh fruits and vegetables to the poor Muslim communities observing a quiet Ramadan this year.
“Following the popular Sikh belief ‘Sarbat da bhala: Blessings for all’, Hemkunt Foundation is working persistently and feeding over 45,000 individuals, every day. This includes distribution of cooked meals to 10,000 individuals, dry ration for 15,000 individuals, fruits and vegetables to 15,000 individuals to follow the tradition of breaking roza and milk to 5000 individuals including pregnant women, lactating mothers, young children, old and specially-abled people. We also plan to further distribute 45 tonnes of fruits and vegetables in the coming days,” said Irinder Singh Ahluwalia, Chairman, Hemkunt Foundation.
Through the personal network, volunteers at Hemkunt Foundation started taking donation of 10 chapattis from South Delhi areas such as Defence Colony, Lajpat Nagar, South Extension and also from a few areas in Gurgaon. Delhi Golf Club and Delhi Blind School came forward, contributing a large number of chappatis every day. Currently, more than 1500 families contribute to this cause, and on an average, 18,000-20,000 chapattis are collected, repacked and distributed every day.
He further added, “Millions of people across the country have been disproportionately affected by the lockdown due to COVID-19 outbreak, we have only been able to serve a small fraction of it in Gurgaon and nearby areas. My sincere thanks go to the volunteers and donors for their collaborative effort. They have been tirelessly serving the cause. We closely work with the local government authorities here for the distribution of meals. Once we hand out the food in these affected areas, all the updates with regards to the daily distribution of food get updated in the government tracking mechanism through different web links of Defence authorities. Local policemen also stand with us to maintain the norms like social distancing and handling people standing in long queues to get a meal. The poor people and migrants in these slum areas are entirely dependent on the ration/ meals provided by us. Donations are the urgent requirement to continue and grow our efforts to serve and feed the people in need. My appeal goes to all the individuals and the corporate houses to donate and help the ones who need us the most in these testing times.”
The relief feeding endeavour has been initiated across different locations in Gurgaon region namely Tikri, Ghata, Ullahwas, Khadarpur, Badsahpur, Suncity Success Tower Slum, Dev Nagar near Damdama lake, and Manesar Industrial Area.
Looking at the huge number of people suffering, the Foundation started Sarbat da bhalla – Langar at Gurgaon Operations Head Office where 1800+ people fill are provided food, every day.
The Foundation firmly follows the guidelines provided by the government. They ensure that their volunteers also remain safe. Local authorities and police also support them in maintaining the norms of social distancing and crowd control while distributing food. Since day one of the lockdown, all the volunteers have been wearing PPE kits before going out in the field. Sanitisation and social distancing are also strictly being followed while carrying out all the activities.
Here’s the link to the donation page – http://www.hemkuntfoundation.com/donate-now/
Kamdhenu Paints
Kamdhenu Paints, a leading manufacturer of high-quality paints in the country, is continuing its outreach to the public during these challenging times. The Kamdhenu Team had been doing a commendable job of reaching out and distributing essential items to those in need.
The outreach is a continuous process and it will provide essential items to more people as the lockdown condition continues. In Jammu, more than 100 needy local families have been provided essential items
Talking about the initiative, Saurabh Agarwal, Director, Kamdhenu Limited said, “Kamdhenu Paints is standing strong with the nation during this tough time. We are doing our part by helping the painters who are regularly working with the Company across the country, and also in J&K by distributing essential items to more than 5000 painters and 5000 local families.”
The continuing lockdown situation in the country had forced lakhs of workers out of work. Many are leaving for their hometowns as they are unable to go back to work and earn money. It is important that we help each other out during this time. We must also take care to follow all safety guidelines issued from time to time as we are in this fight together.
Blue Dart
As part of the Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL), Blue Dart is committed to the group’s mission of “Connecting People, Improving Lives.” Keeping in line with the group’s mission, Blue Dart Express Ltd., South Asia’s premier express air and integrated transportation and distribution company, urges Indians to stay safe at home and avail its hassle-free Contact-less Delivery from their doorstep for receiving essential and non-essential shipments from India and cross-border. The Company recently rolled out the contact-less delivery process for its prominent door-to-door express pick-up and delivery service under the strictest health and safety standards and procedures designed to minimise or eliminate contact during the delivery of shipments.
Blue Dart offers secure and reliable delivery of consignments to 35000+ locations in India through its strong air and ground express network. Customers can avail Door-to-Door Pick-up and delivery service for shipments as per the Ministry of Home Affair’s permissible guidelines. As part of the DPDHL Group’s eCommerce Solutions division, Blue Dart offers the largest and most comprehensive express and logistics network worldwide to serve the shipment requirements for its customers in over 220 countries and territories globally.
Ketan Kulkarni Chief Marketing Officer & Head – Business Development, Blue Dart Express Ltd., said, “In this critical global health crisis, as an organisation that is always FIRST IN LAST OUT during any disaster our domestic express services and our worldwide network played a critical role to ensure continuity of the mission-critical pharmaceuticals & medical equipment supply chain, we partnered closely with the Government of India, several state Governments, local municipalities, hospitals and research institutions to help our nation in this war against the COVID-19 pandemic.”
He further added, “During the initial nationwide lockdown, we strengthened the nation’s medical infrastructure, in the current lockdown scenario, as the nation’s trade facilitator we are working across more industries and sectors such as banking, insurance, financial services, consumer electronics, FMCG, e-commerce among others to enable shipments for businesses & individuals’ and our contact-less delivery service is keeping the health and safety of all paramount.”
Blue Dart’s new Contact-Less Delivery service is designed to minimize and eliminate contact during the delivery of shipments. Customers availing this service need to opt for digital payment through the acceptable payment modes rolled out by the company such as – 14 digital wallets, net banking, credit & debit cards, and UPI (BHIM). Furthermore, Blue Dart has also included OTP-based delivery for a seamless and safe delivery process.
To ensure the safety of frontline staff, Blue Dart has installed temperature monitoring equipment across its operational centres in addition to encourage the wearing of safety gear and masks. The company is also extensively fumigating their facilities in metro cities, Tier II and Tier III cities. Blue Dart employees have been encouraged to download the ‘Arogya Setu’ app to keep them updated and reassured. Regular internal communication on hygiene and provision of handwashing equipment is also implemented.
MAN Industries (India) Limited
MAN Industries (India) Limited, one of the leading large-diameter pipe manufacturing company, has donated RT PCR Machine and testing kit imported from the USA for COVID-19 Testing to TATA Memorial Hospital. This machine will be used for COVID-19 testing exclusively by the patients of TATA Memorial Hospital free of cost. The Company has recently committed Rs 1.5 Crore to support various initiatives related to COVID-19.
Commenting on this, Dr R.C. Mansukhani said, “As a socially responsible Corporate, we have always been supporting the community in difficult times, and especially when it comes to Tata Memorial Hospital, we are extra energised to assist them for the noble cause. Earlier, we had undertaken the renovation of the Paediatric Oncology Department at Tata Memorial Hospital.
Innovative Financial Advisors Pvt. Ltd. (Fiinovation)
Innovative Financial Advisors Pvt. Ltd. (Fiinovation) in its fight against the pandemic, is providing technical support for a relief and awareness project in Udaipur to support the low-income section of the society struggling to survive in the midst of COVID-19. The intervention is supported by Sandvik Asia Pvt. Ltd., a renowned high-tech and global engineering group and aims at providing essential supplies to 500 underprivileged families and generating awareness by conducting sensitisation campaigns on hygiene for containment of the coronavirus. The project will be implemented in the mining town of Zawar, and other villages near Sandvik’s Udaipur plant location.
Dr Soumitro Chakraborty, CEO, Innovative Financial Advisors Pvt. Ltd. (Fiinovation) while talking about the project said, “In the wake of the national lockdown, we are working on a multilayered response and relief programmes and our commitment to serving the community continues to be our priority. The marginalised community is struggling to survive each day, lack of food and other essentials and limited access to sanitisation standards only makes it worst. The intervention aims at providing direct relief to the deprived section of the society, improving the livelihoods of families surviving on daily wages and strengthening their spirits during the global health crisis.”
Arpan Seva Sansthan, a non-profit organisation that has been serving the rural community of Rajasthan and significantly contributing towards improving the livelihood of people, will be managing the on-ground implementation of the project. The distribution of pre-packaged ration kits and hygiene essentials among the families of poor, migrant daily-wage earners, mine workers, construction labourers and others who are unemployed due to COVID-19, will be done through various temporary distribution centres and volunteers. Awareness programmes on COVID-19 will also be conducted to inform the beneficiaries about the importance of maintaining hygiene standards, social distancing and various preventive measures that can keep them safe from the coronavirus.
Nykaa
In support of the efforts of the government towards fighting this unprecedented crisis, over 1500 Nykaa employees donated one day’s salary, matched by an equal contribution by founder Falguni Nayar and family, and raised close to Rs One Crore towards the PM-CARES Fund.
Speaking on the initiative, Falguni Nayar, Founder & CEO, Nykaa said:
“This Nykaa family contribution is in solidarity with our nation and people at this time of a crisis, to support our government in their work towards relief and rehabilitation.”
Nykaa has also donated masks and hygiene products to police forces in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and Bangalore in appreciation of their dedication towards ensuring the safety of the citizens in extremely challenging conditions.