Amid a countrywide lockdown announced by the government to limit the spread of COVID-19 infections, migrant workers, families of daily wage earners, and other vulnerable sections of the community have been among the worst hit — living with hunger and on the brink of starvation.
In rapid response, Ambuja Foundation teams along with volunteers from Rabriyawas, Rajasthan came together to distribute ration kits to the families most impacted in the area. Working in collaboration with the Gram Panchayat and village functionaries, the Foundation identified financially weaker families to receive the kits.
To prepare the ration kits, a Food Ration Distribution Camp was quickly set up. Each kit included 5 kg of wheat flour, 1 kg lentils, 1 kg cooking oil, spices, biscuits, vegetables, and other items sufficient for 7 days. Valued at around Rs.500 per kit, the initiative supported about 1200 families in Rabriyawas and 400 families in Mundwa during the first 15 days of lockdown.
Additionally, Ambuja Foundation supported 10,000 families in Rabriyawas and 2000 families in Mundwa by distributing masks and conducting an awareness campaign via voice messages, SMS, and advertisements to educate people about coronavirus and lockdown regulations. SHG members also contributed by making around 20,000 masks, which were supplied to medical shops for local communities.
These activities extended to other locations as well — a total of 61,000 masks were distributed and educational campaigns reached around 5 lakh beneficiaries. Ration kits were also distributed to 6,500 families in Chandrapur, Dadri, Roorkee, Ropar, Bhatinda, M, and Ambujanagar.
The most affected and supported families included migrant workers, daily laborers, widows, daily wage earners, and small shopkeepers who suddenly lost their income and had little or no savings to rely on when the lockdown was announced.
Mr. Manoj Agarwal, Deputy General Manager at Ambuja Foundation, shared: “As the lockdown has extended until 3 May 2020, we are exploring further community needs for ration but estimate the demand may be lower as the government is taking various initiatives to support people.”
“The harvesting season has also started, so we expect laborers will get some grain from their fields,” Manoj outlined. “However, with the likelihood of the lockdown being extended, the future remains uncertain for the most vulnerable sections in Rajasthan.”
“The Ambuja Foundation team is coming forward to fight the current situation, working together with the government and local communities. The entire team in Rajasthan is joining hands to support people in every possible way,” he added.
