Video Editor: Rahul Sanpui
Video Producer: Aastha Gulati
Text: Arshi Qureshi
I am the vice president of an investment bank in Bengaluru and a trained paramedic. During the 21-day coronavirus lockdown from 25 March to 14 April directly impacted marginalised and daily wage migrant workers. To help those in need, I, along with a few like minded others, decided to provide them with any help necessary.
We conducted a survey around my locality to check how many families might be affected by this COVID-19 pandemic. We found out that close to 3,500 families that needed immediate assistance.
We decided to do two things for them. First, to provide them with relief funds, one, and second, to provide them with cooked food immediately.
I got in touch with IRCTC catering who agreed to provide cooked meals for the underprivileged. We have provided more than 3,000 cooked meal packs to the needy.
We have also been working to distribute dry ration to the marginalised daily wage workers with help of Bengaluru Police. So far we have served close to 2,000 families.
A few daily wage workers were also need of medical help and could not continue their treatment due to the lockdown. Some had exhausted their funds. We were thankfully able to find a few hospitals and doctors who were able to help them.
We were also successful towards making and providing PPE kits, N95 masks and face shields for frontline workers in COVID-19 hospitals. We provided the first batch to the staff at Bowring Hospital they were received well. We are now on to providing the same to BBMP workers and Bangalore Police.
Apart from this we have also provided hygiene products for women and contraceptives to men in the slums as we felt that's important too.
Last but not the least, we are continously working towards the Million Mask Challenge so that we get masks for everyone in the country for free.
I had been provided with the curfew pass during the lockdown so I also delivered food and a few essentials for elders which are sent by their own kids who are unable to go out due to the coronavirus lockdown.
This operation hasn’t been easy. I work from 6 am to 2 pm and log back in the evening if required but rest of the time I have dedicated for relief work and any other help that I can be of. I hope to continue during the extended lockdown.
We make sure we wear hazmat suits and take all precautions to ensure we are ‘corona warriors’ and not ‘corona carriers’. I hope we win the fight against coronavirus and lives return to normal.
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