Update on what we are doing now (7/4/20):

Times of India front page on 5th July 2020:

More article from newspaper on 5th July 2020:

Our message on the day we went live with the campaign:

The world is trying to come to terms with the Covid19 pandemic. Major population of the world is under lockdown by respective governments. For most, this is a healthcare crisis. But poverty has also made it a humanitarian crisis in many places in India. Everyday social media and news outlets are sharing stories of human struggle and suffering. From news about people losing jobs and income to news about below-the-poverty-line migrants trying to make their way to their homes from urban cities via rail or road sometimes just walking 1000s of kms. It is disheartening to see visuals of men drinking spilled milk from the streets, or eating carcasses of animals, or group of men struggling to get a hand on bottle of water or a pack of biscuits, or a girl cycling almost 1200km from Delhi to Bihar with her old father, or people trying to go home and eventually dying in accidents. While some are struggling with basics, we - the fortunate ones, are only slightly inconvenienced by having to stay at home for our safety and enjoy all the delicious meals and baked goods that we are learning to make during this shelter-in-place. Many of us want to help the needy, but do not know where and how to help. Sometimes we don't even trust if NGOs will utilize our money most efficiently. This is a time of unprecedented crisis that is everyone's opportunity to come forward to help others.

I finished my Masters in Computer Science from University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Currently I am working as a Software Engineer in a prominent Silicon Valley Startup, led by industry leaders, and had come to India for my mother-in-law's first death anniversary rituals.  Due to the lockdown in India and in the US, for the time being, I am staying back in Mumbai with my family. Near where I live, there are many low- income migrants who are from villages around India. About 1500 of them would gather every few days at a bus depot (Dindoshi Bus Depot) in the Goregaon neighborhood (of Mumbai) hoping to get their chance to board a bus that would drive them to the railway station or to their respective villages. There are migrant families, with children and elderly, that cannot afford food and water. Everytime the authorities take 1500 of these people, a few days later, there is another batch of 1500 more such people. Realizing that not everyone has this option of leaving the city and go back to their villages, I, along with the support from my friends, have started an initiative to provide food (ration kits) to those people who have helped us build this city but are now struggling to make ends meet. We feel that we don't have a solution for all their struggles. The least we can try to do is to make sure that they don't sleep on an empty stomach. If you could donate some amount toward this cause, the little drops would add up and help many of these families. If you cannot donate, that is fine too. Please help spread the word!

We want to be able to raise money so that all these migrants/workers who have helped build this city are able to live with dignity and feel that the city had compassion for them until they can resume with their pre-covid-normal lives. Our modest goal is to be able to at least offer ration kit support to 20000 such families for up to 5 months. If we can raise enough money, then we could potentially arrange for support for much more needy families and also in cities other than Mumbai. Or we can even come up with solutions that are long-term and self-sustainable and can help the needy much beyond the timeframe of this campaign.

Please donate whatever you can! I will be posting periodic updates on how every penny has been used. Many have turned a blind eye to this issue due to its severity and magnitude. We are choosing to address it even though it is on a small scale. We need your support to succeed in our effort.

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