The Gram Vikas Covid-19 response began on 15 March 2020, with detailed advisories being issued to staff members for taking necessary precautions during work-related activities. After the Government of Odisha announced a partial lock-down in the State, Gram Vikas offices in the affected districts were closed. Soon after the nation-wide lock-down was announced, all offices were closed and work-from-home procedures were initiated.

Gram Vikas reached out to 522 partner village communities in Odisha and Jharkhand and migrant workers from these villages who were stranded in their workplaces in different parts of India. 

RESPONSE IN NUMBERS

Health awareness and screening

3000+ households in 88 villages: Community health awareness drives informed people on measures to stay healthy and safe against coronavirus.

1544 households in 49 villages: Family members received masks for personal protection against the disease. 

172 households in 3 villages: Members underwent health screening for coronavirus.  

Engaging with local governments

974 households in 29 villages: Supported the local governments in pandemic related response activities.

565 households in 78 villages: Supported in the planning and implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.  

9575 households in 120 villages: Ensured families and individuals received social entitlements by monitoring and lobbying with the government.

Survival Kits

672 households in 13 villages: Families received kits with food and groceries to stay hunger free, hygienic and clean their houses. 

Wellbeing of migrant workers

5697 households in 338 villages: Rapid assessment helped identify and reach migrant workers from these villages. 

1987 households in 287 villages: Our teams reached out with support to women and men from these households who migrated outside their villages on work. 

RESPONSE IN DETAIL

Relief Support to daily wage dependent communities: Early support from Wipro Foundation and other donations helped us reach daily wage dependent families with food and groceries kits. These families are in the outskirts of Bhubaneswar and nearby panchayats. The kits included cereals, pulses, baby food, milk powder, sugar, oil and spices;  soap and cleaning materials for a family of four for one month. 

Understanding the impact on migrant workers: The rapid assessment of 11,339 households in 172 villages helped us to quickly plan specific support mechanisms for migrant workers. A total of  1313 migrant workers are affected by the lockdown. 64% of them are stranded at their workplaces.

Helpline for migrant workers: The Bandhu Helpline, launched on 31 March 2020, has helped redress grievances of 912 workers from Odisha and Jharkhand stranded in different states. These workers were either in their places of stay or government-run camps. 75% of the calls to the Helpline were about support for food, and 21% about ways to return home. The helpline is a joint effort of the Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development (CMID), ESAF Small Finance Bank and Gram Vikas.

Prioritising emotional well being: We started the Khelo Bandhu initiative to protect the emotional wellbeing of migrant workers. It aimed to take their mind away from worrying about the overwhelming uncertainty and thoughts about their families and their lives. Competitions in photography, singing, quizzes and art with content created by a national group of volunteers helped the young migrant workers to stay meaningfully engaged.

Our team of 300+ staff, fellows, and a group of 25 volunteers, continue the work on the ground to support the communities. As we cater to the immediate needs, we have also started planning to support the medium and long term livelihood needs of the communities. 

Your support can go a long way to help us help them. Give here – https://www.gramvikas.org/crowdfunding/