Over the last few weeks, the media has repeatedly highlighted the travails of the less privileged – migrant workers, daily wage workers, transgender persons – who are facing the worst of this lockdown. Put in place to prevent and contain the spread of COVID-19, the lockdown has left many without even basic sustenance such as ration and a roof over their heads.
Thankfully, there are some NGOs and individuals that are doing their bit to reach out to those in need. Rumman Ahmed, a Twitter user, had created a thread with several such initiatives.
If you are privileged to be indoors, safe, and without having to worry about your basic necessities, consider contributing what you can to help these campaigns reach more people.
Spacewell Foundation
A Bengaluru based organisation is running a crowdfunding campaign on Milaap for providing ration packets to daily wage workers. Link here.
Aajeevika Bureau
The non-profit is helping migrants and daily wage workers, and is running a crowdfunding campaign on Ketto that you can access here. It will use the funds to scale up capabilities in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat – both during and post the pandemic; strengthening their labour helpline that is government-recognised; for healthcare response systems.
Chitrika
The organisation is running a crowdfunding campaign to help farmers and weavers during the lockdown. At the time of writing, Chitrika had reached 1,057 families in remote areas of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Odisha with the Rs 20 lakh raised, per their campaign page. They want to support 17,389 families. Access their campaign here.
Fundraiser to support transgender persons
This Milaap fundraiser by Kanaga aims to support transgender persons in need during the COVID-19 lockdown. As of April 6, it had been able to reach 121 beneficiaries in Tamil Nadu. The stories shared by some of the beneficiaries are quite heartbreaking and highlight the vulnerable position they are in. Donate here.
COVA Network
COVA is a national network of voluntary organisations working on communal harmony. It is registered as a Society under Andhra Pradesh (Telangana Areas) Public Societies Registration Act, and an accredited charity. The organisation is presently helping igrants and refugees in Hyderabad. You can access its bank account details if you’d like to donate, here.
Jan Sahas
The organisation is aiming to support 30,000 families of migrant workers in seven Indian states - Delhi (NCR), Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Bihar - by providing safety materials like masks, sanitisers; daily utilities and ration; emergency financial protection; providing accurate information regarding basic hygiene and safety. Contribute to its Milaap fundraiser here.
Janvikas
The 30-year-old organisatioin works with children from marginalized communities, and is now providing daily wage workers with ration. Donate here.
Karwaan-e-Mohabbat
The human rights campaign is providing dry ration packs and cooked food to those in need in Delhi, Bihar, Rajasthan, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and other states. Contribute here.
Oxfam India
Oxfam India is looking for donations to provide livelihood support to those in need, and to distribute safety gear to frontline health workers, caregivers, and community members. It also aims to spread awareness on COVID-19 in vulnerable communities, engage with government over issues of providing economic assistance etc. Donate here.
Protsahan India Foundation
The foundation is reaching and providing relief to families of children they work with that live in the slums of Delhi. It aims to support 1,000 families in Delhi slums over the next few weeks for which it needs to raise Rs 11,20,000. Contribute to their Ketto campaign here.
Prayas
A project by Tata Institute of Social Sciences, it hopes to reach vulnerable families during the lockdown. It operates in Mumbai, Thane, Latur and Solapur in Maharashtra, Bharuch and Narmada in Gujarat. Donate here.
Rapid Response
A registered non-profit that provides emergency assistance and long term solutions to disaster victims, the organisation is helping people in several Indian states with food packers, relief kits, bed kits, dry ration and so on. Donate here.
Flipkart
Flipkart has launched a crowdfunding campaign in collaboration with GiveIndia to help casual labour families by providing minimum cash. GiveIndia receives the profile of a potential beneficiary from non-profit partners and networks. The campaign has raised Rs 83,00,000 out of its goal of Rs 1,48,00,000. Contribute here.
Zomato
Zomato Feeding India, the company’s non-profit arm launched ‘Feed the daily wager’ program. Having mapped around 2.5 lakh affected families across 26 cities, the initiative aims to distribute ration kits that will serve one family of five for a week. Grofers and Big Bazaar have partnered with Zomato Feeding India to provide raw grains. The aim is to raise Rs 25 crore. Instructions to donate are here.
Robin Hood Army
The organisation is known for collecting surplus food from restaurants and distributing it among the needy. In light of COVID-19, they are running a unique initiative called the Senior Patrol project, which aims to help the elderly citizens. “Have elderly parents / senior citizens who live away from you? We have Robins in different neighbourhoods across the world - share your details below and our army of 60,000+ Robins will try their best to reach out to deliver essentials like food & medicines in a safe and responsible manner during the lockdown,” the description reads.
One can fill the details of the senior person(s) in this Google form.
There are several other organisations, such as the Akshaya Patra Foundation, that are working to help the underprivileged and needy as well. This list by LiveMint features organisations like Hyderabad-based Safa and others.