While the entire nation was home surrounded by the comfort of their families amidst the scaring pandemic and the compelling phases of lockdown and their extreme impact on the marginal communities due to the massive second wave of the COVID-19, there were thousands of under privileged people who were facing the double whammy impact on their lives and livelihoods, creating the life threatening circumstances for the people measurably living life on the margins of our society. As the second wave of the Covid-19 is dwindling, its devastating impact has left the marginal communities on the brink of starvation, completely exhausting them physically and mentally. This emergency campaign is meant to saving and restoring thousands of lives and livelihoods before we build their capacity to create a resilient ecosystem.  

This fund raiser is for Gram Bharti (Sarvoday Ashram) which is well known for its charitable work for the marginal communities in some of the most backward tribal zones in and around the district of Jamui in Bihar is extending its hand to these communities with the spirit to serve the people in need. Gram Bharti is a Gandhian voluntary organization which is working along the vision of rural reconstruction of Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave and Jaya Prakash Narayan in the most backward and drought prone blocks of Jhajha, Chakai and Sono blocks of Jamui district and waterlogged areas of Raghopur, Basantpur, Pratapganj and Saraigarh blocks of Supoul district of BIHAR.

Like last year, this year too, our community kitchen at Gram Bharti has been providing nutritious cooked meals every day since the onset of the second wave of the COVID-19.On the emergency basis, we are catering to the frontline workers of the government hospitals, helpless people with the patients in the nearby hospitals and the homeless daily wagers in and around railway station areas.

As the second wave of the pandemic is subsiding in cities, it is spreading its tentacles in villages, leaving marginal communities at the brink of starvation. We at Gram Bharti Sarvoday Ashram, are striving to serve cooked meals and dry rations to starving orphans, elderly in need, patients, daily wagers, migrant workers in need through our community kitchens. [Emergency fund required to address food emergency to save lives from starvation]
The surging impact of the second wave of the pandemic coupled with the lockdown phases, especially in our operational areas where the daily wagers have completely lost their livelihoods. Before we engage them in any kind of livelihood activities, we felt it would not be feasible without arranging ration material at least for one month. Therefore, it's very urgent to arrange ration for these households on urgent basis before we could restore the livelihood for these daily wagers, creating the meaningful livelihood for the local youth and women. [Emergency fund required to arrange the dry ration for the daily wagers]

Due to the growing COVID impact in the rural areas, now even the children in these communities are getting malnourished as even their only source of nutritious meal from the mid-day meal too has been hampered due to the pandemic consequences. This will badly affect the young demography. Therefore, we are rushing to provide them the alternative to the mid-day meal by feeding them nutritious meal at least once in a day. [Children fund to address malnutrition among poor children]The yearlong pandemic impact has completely broken the resilience of the daily wagers, making it worse-the second wave of the pandemic has proved to be the permanent threat to their livelihood. Therefore, apart from rushing to meet the food and medical emergency, we are gearing up to restore the livelihood for these daily wagers through our ongoing livelihood projects. Because, apart from addressing the food and medical emergency, restoring the livelihood is our utmost priority as migrant workers has returned to their villages and their dependence on schemes like MGNREGA is increasing which is also hampered due to the successive lockdowns and COVID guidelines constraints.
Therefore, along with this emergency relief operation, we are engaging with these communities to involve in some feasible livelihood programs to address their urgency in this time of crisis. Complying with the COVID guidelines, we’re creating small groups of men and women to involve in our ongoing projects of handloom, handicrafts and some regenerative agriculture projects.
As per our program vision, we are somehow engaging, inducting and training these people under our projects. To make it engrossing, we are planning to engage them by paying daily stipend till they could be meaningfully absorbed under our livelihood programs. Daily stipend/incentives will not only prove to be vital for them in this hour of crisis but it will motivate them to be absorbed in the meaningful livelihood program, building rural infrastructure and creating resilient ecosystem for sustainable enterprises. [Vital Fund required to restoring livelihoods urgently]