As we reach two years since the pandemic wreaked havoc in India, financialexpress.com takes a look at a few such initiatives that have been undertaken in the country.
COVID initiatives: It has been over two years since the coronavirus pandemic knocked on India’s door and in 2020, these were the last few days when the country was functioning somewhat normally. Since then, the world as we know it has changed. Amid new variants and new vaccines, people have been trying to make sense of the hand that they have been dealt. However, during this time, many organisations and individuals have stepped up to take initiatives that help others fare better against the pandemic which has left worse for wear. As we reach two years since the pandemic wreaked havoc in India, financialexpress.com takes a look at a few such initiatives that have been undertaken in the country.
Akshaya Patra Foundation
The Akshaya Patra Foundation is well known for its benevolent efforts that it has been undertaking since the year 2000. During the pandemic, the foundation has been undertaking food assistance so that relief can be provided to vulnerable communities. As a result of this, since March 2020, the foundation has served over 21.66 crore meals, including cooked meals and dry grocery kits, along with Happiness Kits for children and families and Shakti kits for pregnant women. This initiative has been spread across four Union Territories and 19 states.
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The foundation has also been conducting incentivised vaccination drives in order to address the issue of vaccine hesitancy in people belonging to marginalised communities. Under this, it has been providing each vaccinated individual with free lunch, refreshments and Raksha Kit, which is a ration kit containing groceries for 21 meals. Under this initiative, more than 1 lakh people have been vaccinated in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
COVIDActionCollab
COVIDActionCollab, along with its partners, undertook two important initiatives – VaxNow and Call4Svasth – to help marginalised communities during the pandemic. VaxNow was a national vaccination campaign that was undertaken to aid the government in vaccinating 1 crore individuals while fighting vaccine hesitancy and building equitable distribution. It reached out to sex worker communities and conducted numerous camps to vaccinate them. “Most vulnerable communities who need COVID-19 vaccines the most, are not getting vaccinated and are falling through the cracks in current vaccination drives. Delay in vaccinating the vulnerable would allow the COVID-19 virus to evolve, create new outbreaks, and cause loss of livelihood, and therefore poverty. They are also prone to severe illness and are least likely to be able to afford life-saving medical interventions. Without accelerated vaccination, the pandemic will not be defeated and the vaccination process may keep rolling for years to come,” said Shiv Kumar, Co-Founder of COVIDActionCollab.
The Call4Swasth initiative is in response to the hardships faced by vulnerable groups (such as elders, women, children, migrant labourers, sex workers and members of the LGBTQIA+ community) in accessing healthcare during the pandemic. As a result of this gap in access to healthcare, the Swasti group, in collaboration with COVIDActionCollab, created an integrated digital platform known as Call4Swasth so that the digital divide is filled in these communities. “Call4Svasth is a community-led integrated tele-triage and community care service to address physical, emotional, and social determinants of health, with provision for COVID-19 care. This include services such as awareness about COVID-19, risk assessment, counseling services, vaccination onboarding, and registration support, facilitation of government social protection schemes along with the provision of care materials for safe home quarantine, COVID care management at home, and testing services to address the needs to vulnerable communities in a holistic manner. Community health workers connect community members to the helpline where a nurse aid caller, depending on whether there is a need for emotional support, primary care, or essential services, connects them to a counselor, nurse, or social protection services provider,” Kumar said.
Some good samaritans
According to social media platform for changemakers, UPDEED, Prabhat Saxena stepped up during the intense second wave of COVID-19 in April 2021. While many patients, hospitals and even states faced oxygen shortage, he worked with his team at Srijan Ek Soch and arranged several oxygen concentrators from Doha in Qatar. He then got these concentrators installed in some government hospitals in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
UPDEED also highlighted the work done by Mahantesh Vakkund, who, alongwith his team, saved 1,200 lives in the second wave of COVID-19 by arranging oxygen cylinders and concentrators. He and his team also provided attenders in the civil hospital with two meals a day without fail for 46 days.