Relief 2021: Pandemic Second Wave & Lockdown in India

The pandemic in its second wave has hit us much worse and much closer to home for everyone. The difference is that for families from NT-DNT, ST, SC communities, everything can get wiped out if there is a single case in the family, even 15 days of no work. Anubhuti has re-started relief work in this even darker phase than last year, but we see hope and derive strength from communities we work with:

• Phone calls and one-on-one meetings following all safety protocol at Community Centres in Kolegaon, Dombivali and Rahtoli, Badlapur to understand situation


• Online group counselling for youth on ‘COVID and Mental Health’. Youth shared about extreme distress, confusion, fear, dread – of impending starvation, the indignity of having to ask for help again and again, if anyone in the family gets the infection how can they possibly pay the bill. Shared about guilt and helplessness as young persons, yet they can do nothing as their parents slip into gloom and rage. Some families already have positive cases, leading to lot of fear, and even shame with the urge to hide the fact.

This kind of mental helplessness has very less Mental Health solutions. We can only respond trying to provide answers to their fundamental questions – financial, medical, food, shelter..

• Ration Kits distribution started, reaching 30 families of NT-DNT, SC communities – among them efforts taken to first reach women-headed households, with members with disability, survivors of violence, with positive cases, the poorest. 

Anubhuti is deeply committed to mental dignity of every person, the Kits are created with lot of effort on nutritional value, variety of items, needs of different age groups, cultural preferences, quality and of course quantity.