From food to hygiene kits, here is how NGOs are helping the poor fight against COVID-19

At a time hundreds of migrant workers are 'walking back' to their homes in villages from far-away cities where work has dried up for them due to lock-down, governments and various non-governmental organisations have come out to help in providing food in places where they are stranded.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has already issued an advisory to states to utilise the services of NGOs and religious organisations to provide food and shelter for the migrant workers, who have lost their jobs and stranded in distant places. NGOs have now started crowd-funding efforts to find a way out to help those in need of help.

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A crowd-funding platform 'Milap' has opened a window for those daily wagers affected by COVID-19. "The financial impact, especially on families that survive on daily income - labourers, domestic help, taxi drivers, restaurant waiters, beauticians/hairdressers have been far-reaching. This crowdfunding initiative by Milaap is to highlight citizen initiatives carried out to mitigate the economic crisis faced by vulnerable families as well as support those who are in the frontlines with the monetary resources they deserve," Milap said in its website.

Delhi-headquartered 'Goonj' has initiated 'Rahat Covid-19' programme to ensure comprehensive family kits of essentials, including dry ration and personal care material to two lakh areas known for migration.

Another NGO Give India has started a campaign 'India fights Corona', which is raising funds to provide the poor with soaps, sanitisers and masks. "To contain the spread of the virus and flatten the curve, the crucial step is to maintain the required hygiene standards. A large section of the country, the vulnerable and downtrodden communities have little or no access to the sanitation standards and amenities required to prevent coronavirus," Give India said in its website.

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Hygiene kits are all it takes to help thousands of poor families, abandoned elderlies, urban slum dwellers, poor cancer patients and many others in need. Help India fight Coronavirus. Provide hygiene kits to thousands of underprivileged families across India.

MCKS Food for the Hungry, Akshaya Patra Foundation, Safa India and Uday Foundation are among a number of NGOs which are working to provide amenities to people in need.

Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala also praised Akshay Patra, a social organisation, during a video conference of Governors and President Ram Nath Kovind, saying the NGO is "actively involved" in distributing food packets all over the state.

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Zomato Feeding India initiative named 'Feed the Daily Wager' seeks to provide food support to such families and to help them have a reliable supply of meals in the absence of employment opportunities. "As the crisis around the COVID-19 pandemic grows, the livelihoods of a large number of families surviving on daily wages have been shaken up," it said.

Donors can opt for meal kits for families under this scheme. Each meal kit for a family of five, costing Rs 500, contains a combination of wheat flour, rice and two types of pulses that can be used to cook meals for the family for a week, it said.