COVID-19-Support for Elderly : Kolkata Initiatives

Project Title: Women’s Community Center – Kolkata Initiatives

Project Summary: This project has helped established 6 Women's Community Centers (WCC) which serves women in slums of Kolkata, India. These WCCs have a) Seniors Day Care b) Activity centre for Adolescent girls and provide c) Meeting space for women's groups. The growing populations of elderly women face a life of neglect and loneliness. Adolescent girls have few opportunities beyond the cycle of hardship, discrimination and violence. This project is trying to create both hope and opportunities for women of different ages.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge? Women over the age of 60 come to the Seniors’ Day Care Center and build community with other senior women. Kolkata Initiatives supports work with women and girls across different age groups – elderly women, adult women and adolescent girls.

Explain how the project has reached expected outcomes or goals with the funds raised

There are a total of 6 centers in 5 slums, namely, Shahid Smriti, Jhorobasti, Panchanantola, K.P Roy Lane (Kheyali Sangha) and Sahebmahal Mahabirtala. The centre in Mahabirtala this is new and has been opened in this quarter in the Month of February. 5 Seniors’ Day Care Centre has 30 participants, the 5^th one in Mahabirtala has a total of 28 participants as it’s a new center. There are 2 centers in Shahid Smriti.

In the past 3 months due to COVID Pandemic we have to stop our regular Centre activities as lock down declared in India. Yet we were committed to reach out to the elderly and as we know that they will be more vulnerable during the situation. On the month of April we have distributed dry food packets comprising of Puffed rice, biscuits etc to 173 elderly women. On the month of May 2020 we have distributed dry ration comprising of Rice, Pulses, Sugar, salt, Mustard Oil and spices towards 140 elderly women.

We have kept regular communication with the elderly during food distribution and also communicated with the family member of the elderly during lock down.

We have also reach out with Dry ration and Hygiene kit comprising of Rice, Pulses, Oil, Soyabean, Biscuits, Egg, Puffed rice, Detergent, Shampoo, Soap, Mosquito repellent to 30 adolescents during the month of June.

Potential Long-Term Impact: Enable elderly women to overcome feelings and situations of loneliness and isolation. The camp has also helped in bringing awareness in their household. Adolescent girls develop self – confidence and self-esteem and are able to make decisions about their future, and the Aikido sessions develop self protection skill. Women’s solidarity is strengthened, they are getting aware of their legal rights and they are able to demand their rights.

Case Study:

Padma 

Padma is 72 years old and lives with her husband who is nearly 80 years. She lives in Shahid Smriti. Her daughter and son in law lives nearby. Padma attend Shahid Smriti centre for the past two years. Their only earning is the rent they get by renting a small room. During the lockdown the tenant was unable to pay the rent and their daughter also loss her earning and Padma and her husband was living under extreme hunger and poverty. The family was relieved after getting the dry ration.

Rekha

Rekha (65 Years) is a single women lives in Shahid Smriti. She is a domestic worker and due to sudden lock down declared almost in the middle of the month she was unable to collect her dues from her employer. For this she was unable to pay her rent and the house owner was pressurizing her. She was also not being able to buy food materials as the shop owners were also not allowing materials in credit. She was relieved after getting this dry ration.