COVID-19 Response

CULP’s initiatives to provide humanitarian help to the worst affected communities in Tonk, Dausa, Banswara and Pratapgarh districts of Rajasthan along with awareness campaigns on the COVID-19

COVID Response 2021 by CULP 

The second wave of Covid-19 pandemic continues to stay strong in India. Every single day infection is rising exponentially and has placed a major strain on the healthcare system and also wreaked havoc on the daily lives of people especially the daily wage earners and poor villagers. In this unprecedented difficult time, it is our responsibility to help victims of this deadly disease with all our might through providing ration, medical help including equipments and correct information.

Dalyan Foundation with financial help and CULP-Centre for Unfolding Learning Potentials with field support, took initiative to extend their support in the need of the hour as a part of their COVID response. To begin with, CULP team, present in Tonk and Dausa districts, did a survey of villages and identified most vulnerable population as eligible beneficiaries in 150 villages of 58 Gram Panchayats of four blocks of both the districts and distributed ration kits to the needy families. In Dausa district 800 ration kits were distributed in 75 villages of 33 Gram Panchayats of 3 blocks whereas in Tonk district 800 ration kits were distributed in 75 villages from 25 Gram Panchayats in September 2021.  

The Desai Foundation Trust,  extended their support in the need of the hour as a part of their COVID response. The CULP team, present in Tonk and Dausa districts, did a survey of the villages and identified 1200 such beneficiary families (760 in Tonk or 440 in Dausa district) at all Gram Panchayats of Niwai Block  of Tonk district and 19 villages/areas at Dausa district (4 Blocks) to distribute Ration Kits. These 1200 Ration Kits were distributed to the needy identified families In May-June, 2021.

COVID Response 2020 by CULP 

Due to the Corona outbreak the poor especially migrant families in the project areas (Banswara and Tonk districts) of the organization are worst affected. Due to sudden lockdown the migrating communities flew from Gujarat, MP and Maharashtra to these districts in abundance and living in slum like habitations without any work to do. CULP’s team is constantly in touch with these communities as they have been working closely with them, these expressed a dire necessity to help them by providing some ration and Protection kit. CULP decided to help communities in dire need by arranging some relief in the form of dry ration and initially with cooked food as immediate relief. CULP has also decided to make people aware about the pandemic through running awareness campaigns in the villages where we work. In this effort our field workers prepared masks at their homes and distributed. We distributed around 4000 home-made masks to the people in these villages and during the awareness campaigns our field workers have demonstrated how to wash hands and keep social distancing.

CULP contacted local influential persons who were willing to help poor people especially in Tonk district, they arranged cooked food for the people which was prepared by the CULP with the help of local people and was distributed to around 500+ people. Same as the dry ration was also procured with the help of local PRIs and distributed to almost 200+ families. Same was done at Banswara where this exercise was done in close collaboration with the district administration where the ration was distributed to almost 100 families from CULP at its expenses. CULP has extended its support to the district administrations where it works in the form of providing the list of identified families for immediate relief and the material distribution. As a part of the consortium of NGOs of Rajasthan, raising the issues of vulnerability of women, adolescent girls and children who are most affected due to this lock-down, at the forum in which the government departments are also involved, to take appropriate actions in minimising the miseries of the people.

Beneficiaries of the initiatives

Poor families / daily wage labourers or migratory people and communities like Banjara, Kalandar, Madari and Gadia Luhar which are nomadic in nature and roam in different parts of country in search of minor labour jobs in factories, some of them are street vendors selling blankets, durries and cloths on cycles. Some are street magicians and acrobats. (who recently reached back to home from Maharashtra and Gujarat) in the Tonk district of Rajasthan

A large number of migrant labourers returned to their homes in the Bagidora, Gangad Talai, Sajjangarh and Kaushalgarh blocks of Banswara district from the bordering states of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. CULP field volunteers identified about 250 families which needed urgent support since their survival was difficult especially their children who are worst affected during this crisis situation.