The second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in India has once again left lakhs of daily wage earners and migrant workers in the lurch. The COVID-induced lockdown in March 2020 had forced thousands of migrants to return to their home states in the absence of work. This year a lot of them have decided to stay back, but they need help. Smile Foundation has taken the initiative to donate dry ration kits to lakhs of families.
Why donate dry ration kits?
In these tough times, everyone is worried about something new unfolding each day. Some are concerned about their jobs and their children’s education. Others have to deal with different situations and problems. However, it gets really intense when the issue is – How to feed your family?
This is what lakhs of daily wagers and migrant workers are going through because they rely entirely on their daily income to get food on the table for their families. In this hour of need, can we in any way help India during this ferocious COVID surge?
Plight of daily wage earners
With businesses shut and shops closed, daily wagers and migrant labourers are struggling to survive and make ends meet during this lockdown period. Their livelihoods have been severely affected by the curbs imposed by several states in a bid to restrict the fast-spreading viral disease.
They are now being faced with the twin burden of surviving against the deadly COVID-19 as well as battling hunger on a daily basis. The children of many of these people were earlier able to avail the midday meal scheme at their schools. However, this option too has become a distant reality for them with schools being closed indefinitely. The pandemic has made hunger an ominous reality for millions of our fellow citizens.
Social distancing nearly impossible
Moreover, protection from the disease is also a far cry for them. If hunger doesn’t get them, the disease surely will. Their makeshift homes that are very close to each other make it difficult to avoid contact with others. Social distancing is an alien concept and almost impossible to follow, even if they tried. Their living conditions are deplorable as the most basic hygiene and sanitation facilities haven’t reached them yet.
In such a situation, we need to ask ourselves what we can do to help the needy during this pandemic. It is not possible or feasible for individuals to venture out on their own and distribute food and ration. Apart from the safety aspect, there are also restrictions in place that will prevent us from venturing out to aid someone in need.
Our Covid relief campaign
To help ease the situation, Smile Foundation, through their Health Cannot Wait campaign, is aiming to combat the crisis in a number of effective ways. One of these programmes is to provide three square meals a day to as many families as possible. Counting on our broad ground-level network, Smile has been distributing dry ration kits to the families that have been most affected by the pandemic.
Cost of dry ration kits
So far, we have provided 27.7 million meals to more than 2,00,000 families in 23 states of India. Our target is to provide three square meals a day to more than 2,50,000 families.
The cost of one dry ration kit is Rs 1700 which includes rice, dal, salt, oil, sugar, chilli powder, turmeric powder, suji, wheat flour, onion, potato, dalia, and biscuits (for children). The quantity provided in each kit is sufficient for 30 days for a family of five.
How you can help
While this may not seem a lot for someone who is from a different section of society, donating dry ration kits like this can go a long way for families who are doubting their very survival during the pandemic. These people and their families need your support and you can donate right now to ensure that these families don’t go hungry.
