On Thursday, May 6, India reported a record 414,433 new cases; on May 23rd, India reported the highest number of deaths in a day by a country since the start of the pandemic (5,015). With its indifference to borders, COVID-19 has repeatedly illustrated our shared humanity and the interdependence of our well-being. And we must act now. Time is a privilege communities in India cannot afford during this crisis. 
 

We’re listening to our trusted voices on the ground to guide us - 450 Ashoka Fellows - systems-changing social entrepreneurs - acting on challenges across India. They’re telling us what they’re seeing and what communities need right now on the ground.  
 

Normally focused on reshaping systems to work for all, on this page, we are sharing their efforts to address immediate needs. We will continue to update this page based on their changing needs as the situation evolves.

Ashoka Fellows transforming and strengthening communities on the ground

Explore how Ashoka Fellows continue create inspiring solutions that transform and strengthen communities in India amidst the current COVID-19 crisis, and how you may support them
 

      Holistic Health Care
 

     Technological and Legal Empowerment
 

     Resourcing Vulnerable Populations
 

 

Holistic Health Care

 

 

 

 

 

Ashwin and Manah Wellness are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

Provides mental health support thought a helpline (LetstalkIndia.org) in association with 20 mental health organisations from across India and 300 mental health professionals who support families and individuals in distress.

Solution – LetsTalk for Medical Professionals. This year in addition to our ongoing support for individuals, we want to create an additional initiative curated especially for medical professionals – a dedicated helpline manned by trained by qualified psychologists, covid support group for medical professionals, and facilitated peer support group for at risk professionals. We intend to provide direct and indirect support to 10,000 medical professionals in the next four months.

Support needed:

Financial support to create a dedicated helpline manned by trained/ qualified psychologists, a covid support group for medical professionals, and facilitated peer support group for at risk professionals. We intend to provide direct and indirect support to 10,000 medical professionals in the next four months.

How to Support Ashwin and Manah Wellness in their COVID relief efforts:

Contact Ashwin Naik at [email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

Biplab and Naireeta Services are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

We are working in three levels:  

  1. At the city level in Ahmedabad, we are coordinating following networks to facilitate urban needy community to access timely, adequate and affordable medical supply, food and correct information. There is a food supply network, a medical support service network and one knowledge network. We are reaching out to more than 27 hospitals ie nearly 4200 patient beds and food delivery to more than 4000 households. From 4th May 2021 it will increase warm food at door step delivery for 6000 affected families within covid protocols.
  2. At the perimeter-urban level, we are working in Gujarat and West Bengal with our partners to deliver above services. We are training women members to be center of their own families as well as peer groups. Nearly 1750 peri urban poor individuals are getting supported across Bengal and Gujarat.
  3. In rural areas we have trained our women volunteers and facilitating them for mask, vaccination, social distancing and support for home isolation extension services. In Gujarat, 341 women volunteers are looking after nearly 107000 rural poor individuals' health and hygiene improvement against COVID-19.

Support needed:

Urban medical serice system is unable to attain the surge in demand. Periurban and rural areas are staring at imminent death. In West Bengal all three are in diabolical conditions. Gujarat is also facing severe drought and Bengal is at the threshold of COIVD-19 epidemic after the nasty election process.

In this context we will be needing:

  1. Financial support for making medical supply available to the local community (as they cannot get any bed in chockablock govt hospitals and they can not afford private hospital as they do not have financial strength).
  2. Our women members will be needing PPE kits as well as medical instruments (oxymeter and oxygen concentrators for their home isolation patients).
  3. Food for our food supply. And most importantly water supply guarantee for peak summer period for all the villages

How to Support Biplab and Naireeta Services in their COVID relief efforts:

Contact by Ph: +919825506900; Email: [email protected]; or engage on Twitter

The full report on Biplab and Naireeta Services's response to COVID in India is upcoming!

 

 

 

 

 

Kallol and OFFER are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

  • Distribution of food supply, oxygen supply to those in need.
  • Networking with various hospitals in Kolkata and nearby districts to provide beds to patients in need.
  • Providing balanced nutrition, psychological support and other daily needs to 100 children living with HIV in our shelter home.
  • Taking care of more than 500 children living with HIV by providing them with nutritious meals, medications and psychological support in the community.

Support needed:

Financial resources for the upcoming four months to:

  1. Run the shelter home where 100 children living with HIV are currently residing.
  2. Conduct community outreach program and provide daily necessities to children living with HIV in Covid affected areas.

How to Support Kallol and OFFER in their COVID relief efforts:

Contact us https://www.offerindia.org/contact-us/ or email Kallol Ghosh at [email protected]

The full report on Kallol and OFFER's response to COVID in India is upcoming!

 

 

 

 

 

Mukteshwari and Healing Fields are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

  • Training on COVID, VACCINE, Home isolation
  • Teleconsulting & medicine support
  • Telecounseling support
  • Providing cooked food and dry ration support
  • Plans for quarantine facilities.

Support needed:

  • Pulse oximeters
  • Infra red thermometers
  • Teledoctors
  • Human resources to attend to & direct calls
  • Financial resources.

How to Support Mukteshwari and Healing Fields in their COVID relief efforts:

Contact Gayathri Prashanth at [email protected]   Ph: +91 9900724114

 

 

 

 

 

Manu and SEEDS India are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

  • Augmenting critical supplies to Government COVID Hospitals
  • Stepping up vaccination drive,
  • Establish COVID Care Centres and Extend support services with set up of helpline to aid affected communities
  • Facilitating supply of critical needs such as oxygen, provision of medical services through virtual platforms.

Support needed:

  • Support for augmenting critical supplies in Covid Hospitals (Detailed list of equipment being procured is available on request)
  • Support for Vaccination Drive for mobilising volunteers, ground logistics for underprivileged people
  • Establishing Covid Care centres attached to existing public hospitals to manage non-critical patients.

How to Support Manu and SEEDS India in their COVID relief efforts:

 

 

 

 

 

Nalini and Agorya World are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

I.  In May 2021, Arogya World established a US-based “Arogya Covid Solidarity Fund” which will focus on providing immediate relief and long-term recovery to people suffering from Covid in India. The three main objectives are to-

  1. Save lives by boosting oxygen availability and supplies for patients battling Covid-19 across India
  2. Disseminate health information to communities in rural and urban areas
  3. Provide mental health support

All donors in the US will receive tax-receipts and 100% of the donations will go to the fund.

II.  In response to COVID, in 2020, we digitized our schools program and added mental health to our Healthy Workplace criteria. We advanced the dialogue on workplace health in India through a series of webinars and also explored the links between diabetes, obesity and COVID, the impact on women and on mental health. See https://arogyaworld.org/covid-19-resources/

Support needed:

  • Financially by donating to the campaign,
  • Helping us spread awareness about the severity of the situation and how Arogya’s fund can help

How to Support Nilani and Agorya World in their COVID relief efforts:

Donate. For any questions, please contact [email protected]

The full report on Nalini and Agorya World's response to COVID in India is upcoming!

 

 

 

 

 

Piyush and the SaveLife Foundation are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

Leveraging its expertise in emergency medical response, first responder training and data analytics since 2008, fund the purchase and distribution of oxygen concentrators to Delhi hospitals.

Support needed:

Addressing the acute shortage of Oxygen in public hospitals:

  • Procuring Oxygen Concentrators (10 LPM)
  • Procuring Oxygen Generation Plants (PSA)
  • Procuring Type D Oxygen Cylinders
  • Shipping in 20 MT cryogenic O2 tankers from SE Asia

How to Support Piyush and the SaveLife Foundation in their COVID relief efforts:

For Donors outside India: https://savelifefoundation.org/bank-details

For Donors inside India: https://savelifefoundation.org/donate 

Or Contact [email protected] +91 94581 75112

 

 

 

 

 

Sohini and the Kolkata Sanved are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

I.  Dance Movement Therapy (DMT)  Based Psycho-social Support in Pan India :

  • Online DMT based Psycho-social sessions for community/survivors
  • Self-Care sessions for social workers ,
  • Teaching trauma management tools to frontline social and health workers,  
  • Individual psychosocial support for community/survivors

II.  Distribution of Dry Ration & Hygiene Kits in 4 district of West Bengal along with awareness material (South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Murshidabad & Howrah) with 500 families

Support needed:

  • Need volunteers for 6 months -1 year to document the psycho-social support programme and map the impact
  • Need audio visual and graphic design volunteer to develop awareness materials  
  • Financial Resources for 100 families

How to Support Sunil and Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals in their COVID relief efforts:

The full report on Sohini and Kolkata Sanved response to COVID in India is upcoming!

 

 

 

 

 

Sunil and the Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

Leveraging existing projects to deliver relief:  

  • Working with 160,000 Adolescent Girls in Jharkhand  
  • 7200 elderly in Nandurbar  
  • 250,000 faming members who are members of 300 odd FPOs with whom we are working.  
  • Facilitating vaccinations in our geographies wherever feasible, 6 Ambulances deployed for COVID related patients, providing PPE Kits, Masks, Sanitisers and other basic prevention material.

Support needed:

  • People to help out at an existing 40 person call center which we run for reproductive healthcare so that COVID related helpline could be started in addition to the existing.  
  • Need Ambulances-(Second hand also are fine) for medical as well as for transportation of bodies  
  • O2 concentrators, PPE Kits, medical supplies

How to Support Sunil and Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals in their COVID relief efforts:

Contact Sunil Khairnar by phone +91 9810259221 or email [email protected]

The full report on Sunil and Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals' response to COVID in India is upcoming!

Supporting Education & Youth

 

 

 

 

 

Gloria's organization Parisar Asha is responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

Parisar Asha, a non-profit, registered Public Trust is committed since 1982 to serve the society through a unique learning approach ‘ESAL’- ‘The Environmental Studies Approach to Learning’. Since 38 years Parisar Asha epitomizes trust and quality education. It has committed itself to serve the underprivileged children even during the Pandemic, by providing a joyful, holistic, child-centric and quality education through the environment for the environment that will empower children to be positive, creative, sensitive and successful global citizens.

Parisar Asha caters to the lower income group schools where conditions are very gloomy. We are not able to charge them even a small token as most of the parents have lost jobs in Pandemic. Children are away from schools and stuck at home.

Parisar Asha is providing a holistic system in this challenging time where children are getting the worksheets for home schooling, direct assistance on a phone and through various online sessions. Teachers are being trained by our professional team members to work on the online platform and parents are being assisted by parenting programs to tackle such tricky situation in life.

We wish to be a cause of support for each of that child's education who deserves it but is away from it.

Support needed:

Seeking financial support to help send lower income groups to school for a year:

  • Approximately 500 students Sponsorship amount – Rs.10 lacs or 15000 USD
  • Sponsor 100 students for a year – Rs. 2 lacs or 3000 USD
  • 10 children for a year – Rs. 20,000 or 300 USD
  • 1 student for a year – Rs. 2,000 or 30 USD

How to Support Parisar Asha in their COVID relief efforts:

To give, Contact CEO Aarati Savur at [email protected], Mobile No: 9819816206

Amounts :

  • Approximately 500 students Sponsorship amount – Rs.10 lacs or 15000 USD
  • Sponsor 100 students for a year – Rs. 2 lacs or 3000 USD
  • 10 children for a year – Rs. 20,000 or 300 USD
  • 1 student for a year – Rs. 2,000 or 30 USD

The full report on Parisar Asha's response to COVID in India is upcoming!

G.L. Janardhan

Ashoka Fellow since Dic 1998

 

 

 

 

 

Janardhana GL and the Environmental Study Center (KIDS(R)) are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

  • Keeping school going children that are on COVID holidays.
  • Home garden compilation organized. 
  • To understanding the importance of Traditional food organized a traditional food preparation compilation. 
  • To understanding the importance of wild greens, we did a compilation on use of wild greens in our food compilation. 
  • To know the importance of wild plants medicinal value conducted a compilation of understanding medicinal plants identification. 
  • Conducted a survey of life skills learning in the covid-19 holidays. We met 5000 children and received feedback from them. We published the out comes of the study.

Support needed:

Funding (i.e. monetary support)

How to Support Janardhana and the Environmental Study Centre (KIDS(R)) in their COVID relief efforts:

Come by the center at:

Environmental Study Centre (KIDS(R))
No 70/1, Rathnakaranagara Opposit UAHS, Post Abbalagere,
Shivamogga-577204, Karnataka, India

Or Contact Mr Janardhana GL, Director by phone: +91 9480431983 or email: [email protected] / [email protected]
 

The full report on Janardhana and the Environmental Study Centre (KIDS(R))'s response to COVID in India is upcoming!

 

 

 

 

 

Kavita and the Adhyayan Foundation are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

  • Ensuring that teachers can continue to reach their students and engage with them meaningfully
  • Ensuring that State governments are able to plan for the coming academic years by making changes in their curricula and delivery of education.

Support needed:

Financial support to continue engagement with leadership and governance of schools and school systems.

How to Support Kavita and the Adhyayan Foundation in their COVID relief efforts:

 

 

 

 

 

Priya and the Antarag Foundation are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

  • Ensuring secondary school  students from government schools across Mumbai, Pune, Goa and Udaipur are accessible and do not drop out of education
  • Ration and internet recharge for adolescents and their families from 12 low income communities in Mumbai and Pune
  • Therapy and counseling for staff, facilitators and students
  • Internships and jobs for youth and their families to keep incomes going
  • Increasing vaccine uptake and accessing medical care during COVID

Support needed:

  • Financial Support
  • Volunteering Support to make phone calls and create communication materials
  • Device donations

How to Support Priya and the Antarag Foundation in their COVID relief efforts:

Email [email protected] or call +91 7045802269

 

 

 

 

 

Urvashi and the Study Hall Foundation are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

  • Meals distribution;
  • Mask and sanitizer distribution;
  • Ration and food packets distribution;
  • Reusable Sanitary pads distribution;
  • Narrowing the digital divide and its embedded gender divide by connecting girls to education using smartphones (1 device connects 4 to 5 girls living in the same area);
  • Training teachers to use online mediums to continue educating children.

Support needed:

Collaborate with other organisations to provide food, masks and medical support to marginalized communities

How to Support Urvashi and the Study Hall Foundation in their COVID relief efforts:

Contact Sania Ashar by email [email protected] or by phone +91 7309648593

 

 

 

 

 

Vishal and Dream a Dream are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

Supporting children, young people, families, educators, partner schools and local governments with:

  • Healthcare and Medical Support - COVID testing, COVID care kits, home isolation support, COVID care centres, oxygen cylinders, hospitalization, arranging tele-consultation with doctors, sourcing medicines and plasma donors. Also plan to drive vaccination awareness campaigns.
     
  • Economic Support - Ration kit distribution operation, potentially reaching out to over 15000 families for the next 3 months.
     
  • Social and Emotional Support - Setting up a network of trained professionals and organizations that young people can reach out to for their psycho-social needs.
     
  • Child Protection Support - work with the local Child helpline 1098 and the Child Welfare Committee to ensure that every child is safe and protected and we can help bring children in distress to safe environments.
     
  • Supporting School Eco-systems - work with 21 Affordable Private Schools and they have been struggling with their own survival through the prolonged 15-months of school closures. Exploring food provisions support and Direct Benefit Transfers (DBTs) to support teachers and support staff for the next 3-6 months until schools can re-open.
     
  • Livelihood Support - Organizing technology devices for young people so that they can upskill themselves, explore job opportunities online, take up gig opportunities that can be done virtually and use technology to continue to have access to the right information and opportunities.
     
  • Information and Communication Support - Partnering with existing organizations to create collaterals and engage in massive advocacy campaigns within communities related to information about COVID-19, testing, vaccinations, health information, child protection challenges, etc. so that lives can be saved in a timely manner.

Support needed:

In need of financial resources in order to continue our COVID-19 relief efforts.

How to Support Vishal and Dream a Dream in their COVID relief efforts:

The full report on Vishal and Dream a Dream's response to COVID in India is upcoming!

 

 

 

 

 

Apar and the Internet Freedom Foundation are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

  • Policy representations and joint letters with public healthcare groups to ensure inclusive vaccination policies that are not excluding Indians who are not digitally connected
     
  • Ensuring the security and freedom of speech of volunteers and communities to organise emergency relief through digital modes and social media without threats of legal prosecution

Support needed:

We would like to collaborate and offer any support on lines of policy, regulatory or legal help which may be needed by others. If there are any legal threats to your work please do reach out to us.

How to Support Apar and the Internet Freedom Foundation in their COVID relief efforts:

The full report on Apar and the Internet Freedom Foundation's response to COVID in India is upcoming!

 

 

 

 

 

Kuldeep and Reap Benefit are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

Equip citizens with reliable and accurate information and access essential resources and commodities across the country. Over the years, Reap Benefit mobilized over 45,000 citizens to support and enable civic solutions and is now using this network and technology platforms to enable information exchange and last mile delivery of essential services - ration and healthcare among others. The technology platforms in use are:

  1. Chatbot for one-on-one communication with beneficiaries to understand and provide support as needed,
  2. National Information Dashboard: Map based information on health care centres and hunger demands.

Data on each can be verified by citizens as well as elected representatives.  https://app.solveninja.org/

Support needed:

Financial resources to strengthen technology platforms to:

  1. Add multilingual capability to our WhatsApp chatbots,
  2. Enable and support hyper local mapping of healthcare centres and hunger demands across regions.

How to Support Kuldeep and Reap Benefit in their COVID relief efforts:

Contact Kuldeep Dantewadia at [email protected]

Resourcing Vulnerable Communities

 

 

 

 

 

Anil and Carers Worldwide are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

We are committed to ensuring that the 60,000+ carers, cared for individuals and family members that we work with in India are not forgotten during this desperate time. We have been in almost daily contact with our partners and colleagues in India, working together with them to provide the most practical support we can to the carers and families that we work with to get them safely through this crisis.

Support needed:

Through this communication with our partners, we have identified the pressing needs of the most vulnerable families within our network. To meet these needs, we have launched an emergency appeal with a target of £10,000. Money raised from this appeal will support carers and their families in three critical ways:

  1. £15 will provide emergency food relief and essential vitamins for a family of 5 for a month
  2. £14 will provide medication for a person living with mental illness or epilepsy for 1 month (These are often available free from government hospitals but supplies have run out and now they need to be purchased from private pharmacies)
  3. £8 will transport 20 individuals from their rural village to a vaccination centre so they become protected against possible serious complication of the virus

How to Support Anil and Carers Worldwide in their COVID relief efforts:

Donate or contact Victoria Nicholson by emailing: [email protected] or by calling: 07940 796 105.

The full report on Anil and Carers Worldwide's response to COVID in India is upcoming!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anita and Conserve India are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

  • Helped migrants who were unable to return home
  • Production and distribution of masks to NGOs and fulfilling orders for the Indian government
  • Manage WhatsApp group with individuals, community groups, donors and political leaders to monitor the community kitchens and facilitate conversations
  • Created an Artisans Relief Fund
  • Collaboration with Made 51 and UNHCR to provide livelihoods to refugees impacted by covid-19

Support needed:

Financial resources for acquiring pulse oximeters, oxygen concentrators, cylinders, digital thermometers and N95 masks.

How to Support Anita and Conserve India in their COVID relief efforts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anshu and Goonj are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

Reached out to 380,000 families (1.5 million people) in 26 states of India and distributes comprehensive family kits of essentials, primarily consisting of dry ration, and personal care material to the affected communities.

Support needed:

Financial resources to:

  • Run and support community kitchens,
  • Reach out food and ration kits to migrant workers on the roads,
  • Production of masks and cloth sanitary napkins,
  • Leverage partner and volunteer base to verify needs and initiate online bank transfers to individuals, communities for ration/ medical and other necessary support.
  • Support the efforts of many other agencies working on the ground.

How to Support Anshu and Goonj in their COVID relief efforts:

Ashif Shaikh

Ashoka Fellow since Feb 2016

 

 

 

 

 

Ashif and Jan Sahas are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

  • Dry food distribution to migrant workers dwelling in slums and temporary arrangements across 82 districts of 11 states
  • Emergency Transportation Support to stranded workers and their families travelling back to their homelands on foot
  • Direct cash transfer to most excluded families and migrant workers
  • Helpline Support people in distress
  • Mental Health & Legal support to the individuals in need in distress.
  • Personal Protective Equipment Kits to migrant workers and frontline workers

Support needed:

Financial and material support

How to Support Ashif and Jan Sahas in their COVID relief efforts:

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Ashok and the Development Alternatives Group are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

Applying strategic foresight to new challenges, Development Alternatives Group responded by providing immediate relief to over 35,000 people in the lockdown (The expenses for these services were paid by the CSR projects):

  • Meals, ration, masks, sanitisers and other essential were distributed, and over a 1000 PPE kits were given to frontline workers.  
  • 200 panchayat leaders, migrant workers, and ASHA and Aanganawadi workers were trained in COVID-19 prevention measures.  
  • Radio Bundelkhand, the community radio was leveraged to generate COVID related awareness to 200,000 people in 150 villages of Bundelkhand.

Support needed:

We need financial support to continue engagement with communities in rural India. Especially adult women who are imparted with functional, financial and health literacy through the TARA Akshar+ programme. Your contribution will ensure women have pathways to agency, authority and new opportunities for growth

How to Support Ashok and the Development Alternatives Group in their COVID relief efforts:

Donate or Contact Maj Gen Rahul Bhardwaj, VSM (Retd) by email ([email protected]) or phone (+91 8376973844; +91 9958871718)

The full report on Dr. Ashok and the Development Alternatives Group's response to COVID in India is upcoming!

Ashraf Patel

Ashoka Fellow since Nov 1994

 

 

 

 

 

Ashraf and the ComMunity – The Youth Collective are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

In the past year, we collectively impacted 50,000+ households, 250,000+ people with relief responses through critical care, medical aid, and food security across various districts in Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, New Delhi, Gujarat, Nagaland, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh. During the second wave, our community leaders have begun their outreach and will impact 100,000 + families and 1,000,000+ people (numbers increasing everyday) in the most marginalized and vulnerable communities in 64 locations in 17 states.

A. Relief Measures:

  1. Medical services and supplies – oxygen support, oximeters, ambulance services, medicines, isolation facilities and more
  2. Distribution of COVID Care Kits, PPE kits
  3. Ration Kits - Food security for COVID infected families and ones facing loss of livelihoods

B. Recovery through Self and Social Wellbeing:

  1. Online Group intervention: Support in neutralising feelings by switching them into positive energy through group engagements, interactions, and intergenerational dialogues.
  2. Wellbeing Together: A national campaign to celebrate the leadership of young people in responding to the COVID-19 crisis and their efforts to build collective wellbeing by bringing together stories of hope and gratitude.

Learn more on our efforts

Support needed:

We are need of financial resources / support (In cash/ kind) so we may be able to provide the following to the community:

  • COVID Care Kits
  • Ration Kits
  • PPE Kits
  • Oximeters
  • Oxygen Cylinders
  • Oxygen Concentrators
  • Supporting the execution of the wellbeing intervention across the country
  • Verifying needs, managing and disseminating the support to communities for ration/ medical and other necessary support

How to Support Ashraf and ComMunity in their COVID relief efforts:

 

For individual donations:

For institutional/ corporate donations, write to:

The full report on Ashraf and ComMunity's response to COVID in India is upcoming!

 

 

 

 

 

Bharath and Fields of View are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

Fields of View has been engaged in working with Government of Karnataka and civil society organisations in the State to improve coordination for both relief operations and COVID-19 response efforts. FoV has been mapping the gaps in social security provided by Government and other institutions for different vulnerable groups in order to provide a more secure net. We wish to create processes that allow the urban poor to have access to the services as required at the urban level.

Support needed:

Funds to support mapping vulnerabilities and gaps in social security and ensuring the process is sustainable.

How to Support Bharath and Fields of View in their COVID relief efforts:

Contact Sruthi Krishnan at [email protected]

The full report on Bharath and Fields of View's response to COVID in India is upcoming!

 

 

 

 

 

Deep Jyoti and Farm2Food are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

  • Distribute ration, medicine, sanitizer and masks
  • Ambulance and home isolation support at the village level
  • Information collation and dissemination
  • Setting up homestead nutrition gardens
  • Setting up IT kiosks in villages with LAN system for children to access online education
  • Flood preparation: setting up infrastructure at highlands, upgradation of tubewell for drinking water, fortification of village level dams, Animal fodder bank etc.

Support needed:

The state of Assam is in unique situation with the 2nd wave of Covid-19 crisis as it is also expecting severe floods from 2/3rd week of May. 

Needs:

  • Financial support
  • Resource materials like first aid medicines, IT equipment
  • Network support for social and phycological wellbeing.

How to Support Deep Jyoti and Farm2Food in their COVID relief efforts:

Donate or contact: [email protected]     Ph: +91 9873401469

 

 

 

 

 

Jessica and Video Volunteers are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

We work with some of the most disadvantaged communities in hard to reach areas. Our strong network of 200+ community activists live and work in these areas and are uniquely poised to carry out the relief work as well as monitor it. Given that our primary work is 'community media' we are also able to create evocative videos of ground realities as well as about our relief work which enables us to get the stories out.

  • PPE kits for frontline health workers, sanitation workers, community volunteers, family of patients and other, essential service providers.
  • Dry food supplies for migrant workers stranded without job, homeless people, nomadic groups and other underprivileged communities who fall through the cracks.
  • Covid Care Centre in Walhe village, Purandar block, Pune. One of the worst affected places in the country. Centre will have covid care facility for 50 patients at a time. Building already acquired with permission from the local government body.
  • Care support service - keeping a data of private and govt hospital beds with oxygen, ICUs with ventilators, oxygen refill centres, plasma donors etc and connecting services with patients and their family members.
  • Local Health Infrastructure Improvement [lobbying with district administration, Counsellors, MLAs, MPs for investing in isolation centres and upgrading rural/municipal health facilities, ensuring adequate supply of vaccines, testing camp, ensuring tracing and treatment.
  • Awareness generation [countering vaccine hesitancy, importance of physical distancing and personal protection.

Support needed:

Media, storytelling and distribution work is funded by our diverting existing funds to enable staff and Correspondents to focus exclsively on Covid.

We need:

  • PPE and funds for rations for our Correspondents to distribute in their villages.
  • Volunteers to help build a database (excel is fine) to analyze the messages coming through from all of our community level whatsapp groups where extensive conversations are happening about both the illness and the relief response.

How to Support Janardhana and the Environmental Study Centre (KIDS(R)) in their COVID relief efforts:

Donate or Contact Jessica Mayberry, Founding Director, via WhatsApp: +91-9923594636

Mathew Jose

Ashoka Fellow since Jun 2015

 

 

 

 

 

Mathew and the Paperman Foundation are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

Supporting rag picking families in the state of Tamil Nadu to meet their requirements for face masks, rations. This helps them to go every day to work with safety.

Support needed:

Financial support to create a sustainable intervention using technology to Karnataka, Andhra, Pondicherry and Andaman & Nicobar islands.

How to Support Mathew and the Paperman Foundation in their COVID relief efforts:

Contact Vardhaman Sakhlecha at [email protected] and cc: [email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

Mohammad and the Koshish are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

Koshish has been running its relief intervention since April last year.

We have been providing dry ration, counselling services and medicines including psychiatric medications to homeless communities in Delhi, Mumbai, Nagpur and Jaipur.  We have also been running education program for children in Delhi and Mumbai. Apart from dry ration and medicines, we have been assisting the communities that we work with, in registering for various schemes/ provisions from the government and avail the benefits. Additionally, we are facilitating supply of cooked meals in coordination with municipal authorities in selected areas in Mumbai.

Over the past couple of months, we are also facilitating vaccination for destitute and abandoned persons living in institutions. A significant part of our regular work involves government run custodial institutions and during Covid pandemic, we have worked closely with these institutions in ensuring covid protocols, supply of sanitation material, masks, gloves, contactless thermometer, oximeter etc. This has helped the institutions to monitor the health conditions of the residents and control the spread.

There are large number of persons that Koshish reintegrated with their families in the past. Many of them were found to be struggling especially for medicines as families are not able to support them adequately due to loss of work. Koshish is maintaining a close follow up with such clients rehabilitated in the past and supporting their families with medicines and ration or any other requirement. There are many witnessing relapse due to high stress and anxiety levels. Koshish is extending counseling services to such clients.

Support needed:

We are in need of people willing to contribute funds for ration and medicines that we provide to others, or to provide us with rations themselves.

They may also provide ration and required medicines directly to the needy persons and Koshish can connect the interested person with people requiring support for direct support.

People may also volunteer, especially to support our counseling service and education program.

Lastly, like everybody else, we too need support for our own emotional well being. We'll really appreciate people volunteering to just listen to us and our stories. That will help us in helping ourselves and enable us to continue with small efforts that we are making to support the poor.

How to Support Mohammad and Koshish in their COVID relief efforts:

To provide us support, contact Mohd Tarique via email ([email protected], [email protected])  or Phone (+91 9313309555)

The full report on Mohammad and Koshish's response to COVID in India is upcoming!

 

 

 

 

 

Pranjal and the Mushroom Foundation are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

Just before 24th of March 2020 MDF have sensitized and trained about 1500 people from 45 villages in Meghalaya which has resulted in production of almost 1 ton of fresh mushrooms worth about INR 10 lakhs. MDF reached out in making the Spawn(seed) from our labs to these villages so that the population can have nutrition even when cut off from food coming from the outside. We had also organised collection of funds and food materials and distributed to 700 families during Juky 2020.

Support needed:

  1. Need help at our transport facility to reach out to all our farmers clusters in Assam, Meghalaya and North Bengal with Mushroom Spawn, food and medicine. (One Pickup).
  2. Funds to operate the collection and distribution of the materials.

How to Support Piyush and the SaveLife Foundation in their COVID relief efforts:

Contact Pranjal Baruah by email: [email protected], phone: +919854003003, or Facebook

The full report on Pranjal and the Mushroom Foundation's response to COVID in India is upcoming!

 

 

 

 

 

Pravin and DISHA are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

Distribution of dry Ration Kit to the most vulnerable families of victims (murder, sexual assault and domestic violence), Providing psycho-social, legal support over phone and physcially where required on request, Livelihood for victim & family, Responding to children in distress

Support needed:

  • Dry Ration Kits for families
  • Seed money victim or families to start income generation activities at their own villages

How to Support Pravin and DISHA in their COVID relief efforts:

Contact Pravin Khandpasole at +91 09766698496 or [email protected]

The full report on Pravin and DISHA's response to COVID in India is upcoming!

 

 

 

 

 

Sachin and the Vikas Samvad are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

  • Connecting covid suspected/infected persons with health facilities
  • Arranging/Sharing Medicine Kits in 5 Districts on Madhya Pradesh
  • In the cases of death of grassroots workers/activists, arranging/collecting financial resources for their families
  • Creating IEC Material and Building capacities of Grassroots Workers on Mental Wellbeing, Vaccination, Correct information etc.
  • Creating work opportunities for rural youths by initiating water, forest and horticulture works

Support needed:

  • Financial Support.
  • Oxymeters, thermometers, masks;
  • Material for rural isolation centers.

How to Support Sachin and Vikas Samvad in their COVID relief efforts:

Email [email protected], or call +91 9977704847

The full report on Sachin and Vikas Samvad's response to COVID in India is upcoming!

 

 

 

 

 

Sanjeev and the Goat Trust are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

  • Gift a glass of milk program for immunity/Nutrition to malnourished children
  • Food to ultra-poor families/Old/disabled
  • COVID helpline for rural areas to suggest basic home remedies in consultation with doctor
  • Restoration of livelihoods by providing "Gift a goat" program and Feed for goats
  • Distribution of pamphlets and posters to reduce fear psycho by providing correct information on vaccine and home remedies /protection from COVID.

Support needed:

  • Ensure a glass of milk to malnourished children to enhanced their immunity and chances of survival
  • Food packets or fund for distribution of food to ultra poor families
  • Equipment for improving COVID call center and registration of qualified doctors for counselling of patients, Oxymeter, Oxygen concentrator, vehicle for mobile health services.

How to Support Sanjeev and the Goat Trust in their COVID relief efforts:

Contact the Goat Trust at [email protected], or by Phone: +91 8601873055

 

 

 

 

 

Seema and the Spandan Samaj Seva Samiti are responding to the pandemic in India

Covid-19 response:

  • Food Baskets to 2000 malnourished and High Risk pregnant women 
  • Provided Dry ration to 100 wage earnesr in reverse migration 
  • 1300 families supported to grow homestead nutrition gardens 
  • Masks distributed to Anganwadi workers, ASHA 
  • 100 tribal women and girls assisted to set up micro economic enterprises 
  • Sanitary Napkins to women and girls 
  • Food for work to develop neighborhood land & water resources

Support needed:

  • Nutrition & Food support to malnourished children
  • Equipmets oxymeters, thermal guns
  • Soaps and sanitizers and Masks
  • Safety kits to frontline staff
  • Financial support to manage COVID 19 relief campaign

How to Support Seema and Spandan Samaj Seva Samiti in their COVID relief efforts:

Contact Prakash Michael by email [email protected] or phone +91 9691964626

The full report on Seema and Spandan Samaj Seva Samiti's response to COVID in India is upcoming!