The rampant spread of COVID19 has hit the poor really hard. With the daily wage workers and slum dwellers being left on to struggle for daily necessities when the work has been shut and all sources of income have become bleak.

While social distancing has become the norm, the poor cannot follow it given the inadequate living conditions. They still need to use the community toilet and fetch water from the community tanker. Thus making them the most vulnerable to the spread of COVID19.

Just to exemplify, in Delhi, Savda with 7000 households housing 35000 people gets only one community water tanker daily. While in Bakkarwala with 4500 households housing 25000 people gets community water tanker thrice in a week.

In this harsh time, women from Mahila Housing SEWA Trust have come forward to help those in need by providing them with food and basic necessities for sustenance.

Around 15 of their women leaders have started making masks and are regularly distributing the same in their respective localities.

Another group is helping the Jaipur Government in distributing food at Gaitor ki Chattri and a women leader named Zarinaben is helping stitch OT coats for doctors. 

Apart from the above groups, with all of their cumulative effort from varied regions, they have been able to reach almost 32000 individuals for COVID19 awareness, nearly 74000 for government scheme awareness, distributed 31 lakh meals and 6000 safety kits, and mobilized 5.9 lakh government subsidies.

You can know more about their relief work here: https://www.mahilahousingtrust.org/our-work/covid-19/