We are all devastated by the terrible distress and hardship unfolding due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The current wave of covid-19 has reached a crisis point. We have been hearing heartbreaking stories from our Shalinis that their families were not having enough money to afford food, medicine or did not have to afford treatment during this second wave of pandemic. This is the time for us to reach out to our girls (Shalinis) and let them know we are there to help them to overcome this situation.
All our Shalinis belong to low-income families and are struggling whereas their family savings have been exhausted which has eventually affected the lives of our Shalinis & their education. This is a worrisome situation for all of us. We did a quick survey analysis among our Shalinis, and we observed that as the second wave wreaks havoc, early signs of distress are being witnessed. The economic and employment outlook remains bleak with State administrations extending lockdowns.
The Udayan Care Emergency Response Fund was set up in early April in the Year 2020 to support our beneficiaries. This project would ensure to provide cash assistance, ration, and digital devices and online education facilities to support the beneficiaries of the Udayan Shalini Fellowship programme and other programmes. During this second wave, we believe that over 3000 families would need support for ration (Groceries), medicines, emergency medical treatments, and wherever the need arises.
This project will bridge the digital divide required in Shalinis' education and the basic necessities of their families too. In the year 2020, over 3500 Shalinis' families have been supported, 947 families were supported two times, 411 families were supported three times, 197 families were supported four times and 100 families were supported five times. About 800 mobile phones and other digital devices were distributed to enable online studies.
