Connecting Dots And Overcoming Challenges During The Pandemic

By Author: The Akashaya Patra
Total Articles: 104
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The pandemic has had a devastating effect and has caused discomfort to mankind for the past two years. The situation led every individual to rethink existence on socio-economic lines. The advent of which led to harnessing changes in everyday life. The challenges differed in every individual’s lifestyle irrespective of the class of society they belonged to. The general population experienced change where their couches became workstations and they had some sense of control over the crisis. They engaged in donations, volunteering programmes and helped the less fortunate ones, sustain and fight for survival. The financial situation of marginalised individuals including migrant workers, daily wage labourers and individuals from challenging socio-economic backgrounds, hit rock bottom. They were deprived of jobs, food and sustainable living. It was the have’s and NGO’s that served the have-nots to pull them out of unfortunate situations.

UNFORTUNATE SITUATIONS CAUSED BY THE PANDEMIC
The pandemic became a phase that could join the dots of the social and economic stigma of life. These dots included the strive to alleviate ...
... hunger, social discrimination, diverse financial status and a widening margin between affordability and accessibility. It also led to a shutdown of places that offered food to the marginalised which affected their consumption, brought forth extreme hunger and increased their search for various sources of food. COVID regulations insisted on social distancing norms which threw light upon the diverse range of financial status among the individuals, access to medical facilities and services like ICU-beds, oxygen cylinders, masks, sanitizers and other medical services. Individuals with high influence were able to get access with the help of authorities, whereas the isolated and alienated section fought with patience, hope but ended up in pain and despair.

SUPPORT FROM NON-PROFIT ORGANISATIONS
Although situations triggered negative emotions and fear, the solidarity of solutions from corporate organisations, government and NGOs aided the deprived individuals with online donations, volunteering services, serving meals and offering financial support. Top NGOs in India, communities and volunteer groups engaged in providing medical facilities, COVID-safety kits, conducting vaccination drives and other essential offerings to the indigent class of society. Governments across the world and non-profit organisations joined hands in to overcome the challenges that the have-not’s faced during the pandemic. Organisations were able to gauge the situation at hand and provide aid. Apart from established organisations, self-help groups and top NGOs like The Akshaya Patra Foundation helped in reducing the chaos caused by the pandemic to rebuild and assist in sustaining a living. The core service of this NGO in India was to provide mid-day meals to school children studying in Government and Government-aided schools. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Foundation came up with an initiative to help affected individuals through the COVID relief services by offering freshly cooked meals and freshly packaged meals to the frontline workers and facilitating free vaccination drives to the non-affordable indigents. Although the end is far from being visible, the survival fight aids to support the people in need. Donate online to make a difference in their lives.

I'm a social volunteer, lives in Bengaluru. I do work for NGOs to make society better. Currently I'm working for The Akshaya Patra Foundation. It's an NGO in India which provides wholesome nutritious mid-day meals to government school children to end classroom hunger. https://www.akshayapatra.org/