Phase 2
Aryaloka Coronavirus Recovery Appeal
Thank you for your support of the Aryaloka Coronavirus Relief Emergency Appeal. Your generosity has enabled us to provide thousands of food parcels and basic hygiene necessities for the poorest and most disadvantaged people in our community. Throughout this crisis we have been reminded that the refrain “We are all in this together” disguises its inequitable impacts; the misery and suffering borne by the most vulnerable in society. This crisis has had devastating impacts on day labourers including migrant labourers who, overnight as a result of the lock-down, found themselves without work and therefore money to feed their families. Crowded living conditions and lack of adequate water and sanitation facilities in slum communities has also put them at increased risk of infection.
While the lock-down is slowly being lifted, the crisis is far from over. In Nagpur alone around 70-80 new cases of coronavirus are reported every day and actual cases are likely to be much higher. Economic activity has declined dramatically, again impacting most severely on unskilled workers.
Aryaloka’s mission has always been to train young men and women from the most disadvantaged communities in the hope that new skills in computing and accounting will enable them to find work in the modern sector, thereby breaking inter-generational (often caste-based) poverty resulting from unjust and exploitative manual labour. We have had significant success in this. The current crisis puts educational progress for vulnerable communities at risk. Families are struggling to survive and have no discretionary money for the educational supplies needed for children to attend school. As a result, it is likely that many children will drop out of school, causing irreversible set-backs for a generation of disadvantaged communities – communities which are not only bearing the brunt of loss of work and income but are also facing an increase in religious and caste-based discrimination and injustice.
Aryaloka is currently carrying out a survey of the slum communities in which it has worked as a trusted partner over many years. The survey will document the experiences of the poorest communities during the lock-down and will identify priority needs. We expect education and work to be foremost among these needs. Along with continued food relief, we plan to distribute educational supplies and to support families to keep their children in school. We will also use our connections and networks, developed over many years of working in the education and employment sector, to assist people back into work.
Please support us in this next phase of our coronavirus response work are as follows..
1. Providing educational materials to needy students from 1st standard to 12th standard (Marathi and English medium). Books (if needed Govt. provide books to students 1st standard to 8th standard but for students those are studying in English medium need to buy new books. Notebooks, stationary, drawing book, Pen, pencil, rubber etc. We will spend on one students 10 GBP to 30 GBP.
2. Continually providing ration kits to only needy families including Rice, Wheat flour, Dal, Edible oil, Soap, Sanitary pad, soyabean wadi, Mirchi powder, turmeric powder. Total cost goes to 10 GBP for one family.
3. Aryaloka Employment initiative : We are working with BAGAP (Babasaheb Ambedkar Global Association of Professionals) team exploring Job Portal to scrutinize for HR process for skilled and unskilled manpower those lost their jobs in lockdown. http://job.bagap.org
