India COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund

Dear Global Givers,

Thank you for your commitment to supporting iPartner India’s campaign for COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund. We are thrilled to have your support. As reported earlier, the campaign had met its immediate goal of providing ration and medical assistance to the families at a time when the spread of the infection was rampant. However, the COVID-19 relief fund is now focusing on bringing sustenance through various means to the resource-poor families who have been hard hit by the pandemic during 2020-2022. We would like to express our deepest gratitude for your contribution to our COVID-19 Emergency Relief Campaign. Your donations enable us to prioritise the short-term and long-term needs of some of the most marginalised communities that have been deeply impacted by the pandemic. 

The research article published in the Sage Journal in October 2021 states that the impact of COVID-19 on poverty estimates is humongous. The economic tumult caused by the pandemic over the past two years has the potential to double the nation’s (India) poverty, erasing the decade-long gains from the fight against poverty and inequality. Further disaggregation reveals that the rural population belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, casual labour and the self-employed are the most impacted groups. 

Update on the Campaign

During the reporting report the following support was extended to the marginalised communities –

• 200 most vulnerable families have been identified for the seed distribution of the kitchen gardens so that they can grow their own vegetables and ensure food security for the family. 
• 16 youths were identified and oriented on the various skill-building courses which are linked to job guarantees. 
• A follow-up meeting of all scholars was conducted to prevent dropouts from studies. 
• 9 goatry units (1 unit comprises 2 goats) provided last year to resource-poor families have contributed to an increase in income of $10-$12, per family, per month from selling goat’s milk.
• Children, women and youth who have dropped out of studies are being mobilised to enrol for the State Open School course and continue their studies. 
• More than 50 new girl scholars have been identified who are in need of education scholarships and belong to the most vulnerable section of society. 
• 182 students were enrolled into state-certified computer courses during the period. Upon completion of the course, these students will be able to explore various career opportunities in the IT (Information Technology) sector.
• iPartner India is expanding to nine new villages to assess the needs of the community and the effect of the pandemic on their overall well-being. 

Your support is extremely crucial to reach out to the families in need. Through your support, iPartner India is able to ensure the holistic growth of the communities that have been most affected by the pandemic.

We deeply appreciate each donor for their unwavering commitment to this cause. Together, we are making a tangible difference in the lives of the communities, empowering them to thrive and create a sustainable future. We look forward to continued collaboration and the positive impact we will achieve together.

Team iPartner India

Dear Global Givers,

We would like to express our deepest gratitude for your recent contribution to our COVID-19 Emergency Relief Campaign. Your donations enable us to respond to the urgent needs of some of the most marginalised communities that have been deeply impacted by the pandemic. As you are aware, this campaign was initiated at the peak of the pandemic when many families lost their livelihoods and faced extreme hardship and starvation. 

According to Sage Publications, at all India levels, around 150–199 additional million people will become poor due to the COVID-19 crisis, while those who already are poor will be pushed deeper into poverty. India’s resource-poor communities still have a long way to fully recover from rising poverty and widening inequality.

Update on the Campaign

Launched as an emergency fund, the campaign had met its immediate goal of providing ration and oxygen relief to the families at a time when the spread of the infection was rampant. However, the COVID-19 relief fund is now focusing on bringing sustenance to the resource-poor families who have been hard hit by the pandemic during 2020-2022. The sustenance is being ensured through providing educational support to children, skill building of youth, and ensuring training of entrepreneurs and creating market and bank linkages for them. During the reporting period following support was extended to the resource-poor families in Rajasthan, India –

• The 540 families who were provided support earlier to set up their kitchen gardens are taking care of the gardens on their own and consuming nutritious vegetables.
• 20 women during the quarter were supported to secure stitching orders from the market to increase their income.
• 4 goatry units (1 unit comprises 2 goats) provided earlier to resource-poor families have contributed to an increase in income of $10, per family, per month from selling goat’s milk.
• Academically weak students are being provided with additional tuition classes to pass the exams.
• 36 additional girl students have been given scholarships during the period to prevent dropouts and help them continue their education.
• Considering the impact of COVID-19 on mental health, a mental health seminar was conducted for adolescent girls and boys and many of them could speak about the mental health challenges they are facing currently.
• 50 students were enrolled into state-certified computer courses during the period. Upon completion of the course, these students will be able to explore various career opportunities in the IT (Information Technology) sector.

Your generosity and support are an encouraging reminder of how collectively we can make a difference and make this world a kinder place. We look forward to your continued support and solidarity and to helping these communities rebuild their lives.

Thank you again for championing iPartner India’s campaign.
 
With deep gratitude,
Team iPartner India

Dear Global Givers,

We are happy to share an update from our COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund campaign. Your unwavering support towards the campaign is enabling poor rural families and vulnerable women and girls to seek alternate livelihood options. The aftermath of the pandemic is still felt amongst rural poor communities.

According to World Bank, Indians account for 80% of Those Who Became Poor Globally in 2020 Due to COVID-19. With rising food and energy prices and heightened climate change, the road ahead for poor communities remains a challenge. 

At iPartner India, we are continuing to focus on helping these communities become economically self-sustained post-COVID. We are also working closely with vulnerable women and girls so that they are allowed to find alternate livelihoods.

UPDATE FROM THE FIELD

• During this reporting period, 540 families have received support to set up kitchen gardens in their backyards. Various winter season seeds have been distributed. The kitchen garden is helping these families to increase their savings and nutrition intake. 
• 20 families have also set up their nurseries and one training has been organized for them on sustainable farming techniques to build their resilience for future challenges related to the climate.
• Through the education scholarship program, 160 unique scholars have been enrolled in regular and boarding schools. Without the scholarships, these children would have dropped out of school.
• 109 children and women who were not able to continue their studies due to various reasons including the pandemic were enrolled in distance learning/open schooling and are continuing their education.
• More than 100 women and youth have been trained during the pandemic in marketing, entrepreneurship, and skill building. These women and youth are now involved in the marketing of sanitary napkins, in poultry, goats, and spice-making units. They are now earning and contributing to their family income.
• After the pandemic, many female sex workers lost their livelihood. With no income, these women faced the great risk of hunger and poverty. Our team on the ground responded to the situation by providing alternate livelihood options to 25 women and rigorous follow-up is being done to help them prepare a marketing plan which continuously generates profit for them.
• A woman from a marginalized community in Rajasthan had to shut her shop due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her children also dropped out of school. Through this campaign and the support provided to her through the Self Help Group (SHG), she has been able to open a grocery store in her village to sustain her family. Her children have also started going to school again.
• 15 women from the resource-poor community attended 3 days of training at Central Sheep Wool Research Institute (CSWRI) in Rajasthan on maintenance of the goat units. Participants received guidance improvising breeding and caring for the goats. The women need funds to establish their goat unit. This activity has been helpful during the pandemic to make families financially self-sufficient.

Despite all the challenges, we are grateful for your support. We still have a long way to achieve our campaign target and help these communities live a life without the fear of hunger and safety for their children.

We will continue to raise funds both online and offline so that these families can support themselves. Do continue to champion our cause and give them a ray of hope to live a life with dignity.

With deep gratitude,
Team iPartner India

Dear Global Givers, 

Thank you for your continued support towards iPartner India’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund. Through your support in the past year, we were able to focus on providing support for healthcare, food and shelter. 

The devastating effect of the pandemic, especially on the poor and vulnerable communities continues to impact lives. The gap in social and economic inequities has made adolescent girls and women even more vulnerable. Many resource-poor families continue to face extreme financial crunch and are slowly beginning to rebuild their lives. iPartner India is mapping such vulnerable families in the intervention villages and providing the required support to them. So far the needs of 1,000 families have been mapped.

UPDATE FROM THE FIELD 

We are currently working with those families who have lost their source of livelihood and children who have dropped out of school due to financial constraints through various initiatives. One such initiative is ensuring food security by supporting more than 600 families to start kitchen gardens in their backyards.

Those children who were not able to pay their fees during the pandemic have been provided scholarships with additional teaching support to help them cover up the study loss during the pandemic.

In addition, we are also working with more than 50 sex workers who could not find work during the pandemic. The loss of livelihood left them with severe debts. Through our initiative, we are supporting these women with seed money to start alternate micro businesses by selling tea, grocery and cosmetic products. The support has been provided after various rounds of counselling to them and helping them prepare a business plan to sustain their efforts.

We need to focus on how to rebuild and restore these vulnerable families. It is only through your sustained support that these children who have dropped out of school can go back to school, families can feed their children and the former sex workers can find alternative livelihoods. 

We remain committed to supporting remaining vulnerable women and children and we hope you will continue to lend us your support and solidarity.

With deep gratitude, 
Team iPartner India

Dear Global Givers,

Thank you for your sustained support towards iPartner India COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund. Through this update, we are happy to present the impact of your donation and how far we have been able to support vulnerable communities through your support.

Besides the loss of human lives, unemployment and loss of livelihood continue to affect the poor. We are continuing to monitor the situation on the ground and help those families that have very little to survive on.

Here’s one such story where iPartner India has reached out to and continues to engage with Meena’s family and provide support whenever they need it.

Meena (name changed) is from the Nat community, a community that practices inter-generational sex work. She has two children, a daughter and a son. Her husband is an alcoholic and does not contribute to support his family.

Meena used to work as a domestic help in her village. Her son is 20 years old and was not doing anything. Through iPartner India’s project Rakshan, he was supported to complete his 10th grade exam. Meena’s daughter is also studying in 10th grade. She is bright and intelligent and is keen to complete her studies. When her daughter passed her 8th grade, Meena wanted to send her daughter to Mumbai to enter sex work so that she could earn and support her family. With continued counselling and support from the field team, Meena attended a gender training where she finally decided not to send her daughter to Mumbai.

Today her daughter is one of iPartner India’s Rakshan scholars. Meena earned a meagre INR 2,000 per month through domestic work. But when the nationwide lockdown took place, many of the girls came back from Mumbai and they started doing all the household work themselves. Hence Meena lost her only source of income. The responsibility of taking care of her family rested on her. Buying rations for the family became very difficult. She had to borrow money to buy food but could barely last for ten days. She was in a crisis and there was nobody to help her. Meena’s husband lives with his mother and although he has a Public Distribution System card, which gives them access to Government aid, he refuses to share it with his family. Through iPartner India’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund
campaign, Meena received food and medical supplies to help her family sustain themselves during the second lockdown.

Thank you, Global Givers, for walking this journey with us.

With deep gratitude,
Team iPartner India