FOOD AID FOR INDIAN FAMILIES IN CRISIS

In March 2020 COVID pushed India into an unprecedented lockdown. 1.4 billion people were told to shelter at home to prevent the spread of the disease. The lockdown took away livelihoods and India witnessed reverse migration of millions. The OSCAR Foundation has been working in Mumbai for more than a decade with the low-income families living in urban slums. Many of these families work as unskilled labourers and when the pandemic hit, their livelihoods were taken away overnight. The already disadvantaged communities were pushed into abysmal poverty. Families were unable to provide for their families but with the heart-warming support of the GlobalGiving community, OSCAR has distributed over 3,800 food aid packages, including 19,000 kilos of rice, 7,500 kgs of wheat and 7,500 kgs of pulses, lifesaving provisions for those most in need. 

As lockdown eased the next major challenge the OSCAR team faced was to encourage and facilitate take up of the vaccine by families both in Mumbai and rural Karnataka. Misconception and fear played a huge part in the initial low take up and it was the opening of an OSCAR funded Medical Centre in Mumbai and a leafleting campaign distributed with rations plus travelling from village to village in Karnataka, which encouraged thousands to get vaccinated, thus enabling adults to return to work.

So, what now? As the world tried to adjusts, online education was hailed as the panacea to ensure education access to all. Unfortunately, the decision of shifting traditional classrooms to digital platforms has not only increased learning inequality among children, but also pushed a large number of children out of school due to the digital divide. A recent OXFAM survey covering some of the northern states of India found that over 80% of children enrolled in government schools have not received any form of education since lockdown. This number is alarmingly disproportionate against girls, as primacy of education is still for boys and parents have to make the difficult choice of choosing their son over daughter when deciding on the already scare resources for education. 

In July when the second Covid wave hit India, OSCAR conducted a needs assessment of approximately 1100 children. Of these, 950 wanted to engage with OSCAR through the online mode, however many had no phone, tablet or Internet connectivity. Some were using their parents' or neighbour’s phone to attend online classes.  As the country unlocks and parents return to work, these scarce phones will no longer be available, thereby completely cutting off access to school and online engagements. OSCAR aims to distribute 500 tablets for use at home. A single tablet will have multiple users and provide so many access to online schooling and the opportunity to improve their lives. Please continue to support OSCAR’s Covid Appeal. Thank you.

Links:

• Ashok Rathod, founder of OSCAR talks about the Covid program