Ensuring Food Security to Mothers

 

Though it seems like India is past the worst of the pandemic, the after-effects of the whole ordeal can still be felt throughout the country, especially in the poorer and rural areas. The year of 2021 saw the rate of unemployment in India soar to new highs, with some months seeing levels around 15%. Such high unemployment heavily impacted the financial capabilities of many families. However, the main victims were those who resided in rural areas and worked as labourers, often earning extremely low daily wages with little to no job security.

While the rural residents were already not earning enough to even comfortably feed themselves, the loss of employment accompanied by the pandemic resulted in total loss of any source of income. This would then lead to a lack of purchasing power to buy food grains, which ultimately resulted in the loss of a nutritious diet or malnutrition. 

It is during such times that social intervention is needed the most. NGOs like Mijwan Welfare Society and Ma Foundation have answered this cry for help and taken on the challenge of providing support to individuals who are facing social and financial struggles. Through their flagship programs, Mijwan Welfare Society have helped countless victims of poverty in the rural part of the country. Be it employment, food, education, or just skills, the NGO has continued its progress towards creating a society that is self-sufficient through self-employment and self-growth. Now, Mijwan Welfare Society along with Ma Foundation are determined to help those mothers who are struggling to support their families. With numerous success stories already, the two organization are going strength to strength to ensure that no mother is left worried.

Another mother that Ma Foundation and Mijwan Welfare Society have helped during these testing times is Usha Devi. Residing in Mahuari village of Chausa in Bihar, Usha Devi used to work as a farm labourer before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country. Although her hard work was earning her extremely low wages, Usha Devi was able to manage her household with those finances. However, she started struggling after her work stopped due to the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns. To add to her financial misery, all her family members who had migrated to different cities in search of better employment had also returned to the village, furthering the financial pressure on Usha Devi. Due to the lack of finances, the household was struggling to feed its members and the future was looking very grim for Usha Devi and her family. But right when it seemed that all hope was lost, the destressed mother was introduced to Mijwan Welfare Society who, along with Maa Foundation recognized the troubles that Usha Devi was going through. The two organizations helped Usha Devi acquire all basic necessities like food grains in a bid to ensure that no member of the family sleeps with an empty stomach.

 

Khusiyo Wala Ration Kit- खुशियो वाला राशन किट

 

While India is struggling to contain the spread of COVID-19, many of the other issues that the country is facing have largely gone unnoticed. The most frightening of these issues being the problem of malnutrition. The lack of an effective policy to feed its ever-increasing population has seen India rank a lowly 94 among 107 nations on the Global Hunger Index. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, an agency of the United Nations, about 14% of India’s total population, a figure that estimates to be 189.2 million, is currently undernourished. This is a haunting figuring considering that the primary victims of this problem have been children and women. It has been noted by experts that in India, 20% of children under the age of 5 are underweight due to a lack of a nutritious and adequate diet.  Also, 51.4% of women of reproductive age between 15 to 49 years are anaemic. Further according to the report by FAO, 34.7% of the children aged under five in India are stunted (too short for their age) meaning their weight is too low for their height. This has put malnourished children and women at higher risk of death from common illnesses such as diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria. This situation, coupled with unemployment, has only worsened the livelihood of the citizens, especially those who reside in the rural parts of the country.

However, premier NGOs like Ma Foundation and Mijwan Welfare Society have been working actively to counter these threats. Through their various welfare programs, these organizations have helped the victims of unemployment and malnutrition with all the necessary tools to pick themselves pick from the bottom.

Sukhmata is one of them. A resident of village Kalyan Bhadarsa in Ayodhya, Sukhmata was left devasted after the sudden death of her husband in an accident. As her husband was the sole earner of the family and used to work as a daily wage labourer, Sukhmata did not have the financial capacity to run the household on her own. She was left alone to take care of her two girls, both under the age of 10. Her situation got so dire that Sukhmata did not even have enough grains to feed her children, who were on verge of falling prey to malnutrition. Fortunately, Sukhmata was found by Maa Foundation and after the organization was made aware of her difficulties, they worked tirelessly to help her. Ma Foundation through its implimeting organisation Mijwan Welfare Society acquainted Sukhmata with widow pension, ration card and MNREGA job card, and all the other opportunities and schemes that would help Sukhmata to make herself financially secure and independent. Furthermore, the Foundation then provided her with ration kits, which included food grains that were enough to feed her and her children.

It is through humanitarian work like this that Ma Foundation and Mijwan Welfare Society have managed to effectively change the livelihood of hundreds of poor and unfortunate individuals. Maa Foundation is determined to promote and develop more mothers like Sukhmata, who are struggling in the current economic and social climate.

 

Solution to Poverty: Dhanvanti Story

 

Ever since its inception, Mijwan Welfare Society has been on a mission to create an inclusive society driven towards self-reliance through sustainable development.  To realize this goal, Mijwan Welfare Society has heavily invested its time and resources in empowering the most vulnerable individuals residing in underdeveloped villages through the plethora of programs it has initiated like Rozgar Dhaba and Saksham, which have seen enormous success, and are nothing but a testament to their vision. With the use of education, training, and employment, the organization has been committed to supporting these villagers, especially the girl child, to set up their own small-scale businesses and industries. Mijwan Welfare Society believes that it is through such self-reliant empowerment that the underprivileged have a chance at realizing a life of growth and fulfillment.

This vision of Mijwan Welfare Society cannot be better told than through the inspiring story of Dhanvanti Devi. A humble resident of village Krishnapuri, Dhanvanti Devi had suffered through a life of hardships. Already struggling from physical disabilities in her legs, she was widowed soon after her marriage. Dhanvanti Devi’s husband had passed away and had left behind his children in the care of his disabled wife. Even before such misery, Dhanvanti Devi was very poor and could not afford to live in a house, hence she resided in a humble hut made of hay. Still, her resilience could not be doubted. As the sole earner of her family, she managed her household on a meager salary that she earned through her work as a helper in an Anganwadi. However, an issue arose after she was unable to withdraw her salaries. As it was prescribed by the regulations, all her income from the Anganwadi was automatically credited to her bank account. As she did not have a PAN card to her name, she was not authorized to own an ATM card, without which she could not access any of the salaries she had earned throughout her time working. Dhanvanti tried her best to get any help in this regard but due to her disabilities, she could not do much. Also, any person who did agree to help would always overcharge her for their services, and as she was already struggling financially, she, unfortunately, could not afford such help.

Mijwan Welfare Society, through their Rozgar Dhaba program, eventually found Dhanvanti and committed themselves in helping her in every way possible. With Rozgar Dhaba, Mijwan Welfare Society provided her with ration for her household and, as it was the cold month of January, warm blankets so that she could keep herself and her children warm and could continue her work without any fear. After coming to know about her troubles with accessing her bank account and with acquiring a PAN Card, Mijwan Welfare Society worked tirelessly to help Dhanvanti with the same. As it was before, whenever Dhanvanti used to visit banks herself, bank employees instead of helping would always harass her by asking her to visit different branches of the bank. Realizing this, Mijwan Welfare Society decided to step in and facilitated meetings with bank managers in order to complete all the necessary documentation like KYC and, ultimately, provided Dhanvanti with her very own ATM card and access to her bank account. Even though all of her immediate problems were taken care of, Mijwan Welfare Society did not rest in ensuring a better future for her and her children. They educated Dhanvanti on the various schemes by the government, especially the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, that would help her girl and her household ensure a financially secure future. For the same, Mijwan Welfare Society visited the post office along with Dhanvanti and opened up an account for her girl child so that she could take advantage of this scheme and achieve financial stability later in life.

It is for stories like these that Mijwan Welfare Society exists. The organization and its members have devoted all their attention through their various programs to ensure that any other individual who may be in a similar position like Dhanvanti Devi, can achieve their dreams and have a life that is secure from all social and economic evils.

COVID Rahat: Care for families and children who have lost their parents

 

 

Since the coronavirus pandemic hit the country in earnest, at least 3,621 children have been orphaned while over 26,000 have lost one parent -as per the information provided by National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

While India struggles to maintain its deteriorating healthcare system in the aftermath of the second CoVID-19 wave, another issue has increased to the country's woes. That issue is the crisis of the loss of breadwinners and the ability to provide a livelihood to families, something which is reflected in the country's unemployment numbers. Even before the pandemic, India was grappling with significant unemployment, with official figures indicating that the country's jobless rate was at 6% in 2017-18, the highest in 45 years. With over 12 million individuals joining the workforce every year in India, and the country struggling to create new employment opportunities, this pattern has now become more pronounced. Although these pre-pandemic unemployment numbers are distressingly high, they remain incomparable to those after the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns. In May 2021 alone, the unemployment rate had shot up to 11.9%, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).

During this time, those aged 30-39 saw a net loss of 5.9 million jobs, while those aged 40 and oversaw a net loss of 18.7 million jobs. Furthermore, the majority of the reports have suggested that, that most of the unfortunate individuals that have lost their employment were small traders and laborers, providing further insight that the low-wage workers were at the forefront of such job cuts. As most of the job losses were borne by men, through the process of stereotyping, although not authoritative, it can be conjectured that these middle-aged men were the main bread-earners of their families. Though the numbers are already disheartening, the unemployment rates do not include those who have lost their lives to the pandemic. As of June 2021, over 3.8 lakh, which according to many on-ground reports has been reduced considerably to hide the actual numbers, have lost their battles to the virus.

It requires greater data analysis to conclude that the people who lost jobs or died during the pandemic period were indeed the main breadwinners of their households. But, at the cost of some admittedly stereotyping of workers, it may be worth worrying that the economic impact of such has been severe on the households. With the loss of sole earners of the family, many households have been left stranded in the search of any relief. While the loss of a family member in itself is traumatic, when it is coupled with the realization that there might no longer be food on the table or books to learn from, it puts great pressure on the growth and development of the society and its members. These problems have a long-lasting effect on the family members and can ruin them for generations if proper help is not lent to them. Many children who already come from a poor background, run a risk of missing out on educational opportunities due to financial restrictions. This further results in a lack of well-paying employment for them, leaving them with options of low-wage work or, in the worst case, crime. While education is just one of the victims, lack of finances may also lead to the exploitation of women. Without any income, girls may be wedded off before they can complete their education to reduce the financial burden on the family. Therefore, completely ruining any chance for a shot at a better life. The implications are endless, and there is a desperate need to ease such problems through the way of employment or financial aid.

The second wave has adversely impacted low-income families that have lost their sole breadwinner. In the name of hope, they have now turned their eyes towards the government and non-government organizations (NGOs) that can provide support. While the government is doing its part, non-governmental groups have stepped forward to shoulder some of the burdens. Mijwan Welfare Society is one such name, an NGO that works tirelessly to alleviate the poor and empower women in the country. Now, they have diligently offered help to those who have been most affected by the pandemic. With many families losing their sole earners, they have come up to support these families in different regions of Uttar Pradesh. For the same, Mijwan Welfare Society has started their flagship program, Saksham, through which they aim to provide the tools for economic growth to these families.

With Saksham, families would be handed all the necessary equipment to start their own small business. This equipment ranges from carts that function as portable shops to LPG cylinders with which families can operate their food stalls. Although still in its inception period, Saksham has proven to be a remarkable initiative for the upliftment of many who have suffered financial and human loss because of the virus. Currently operational in the Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh, this program has set its aim on providing this aid in numerous other districts of the state. The foundation has committed to supporting families depending on their needs, with the goal that families will be able to begin a new chapter in their lives and be able to support themselves for years to come. At a time when everyone is fighting for survival, initiatives like Saksham are acting as the initiators of change by allowing individuals and families to come together and fight the pandemic.

We want to ensure that "No Child is Left Behind" while state/central gov also plans to identify and include them for their safe and secure childhood, till the age of 18 years. But we at Mijwan Welfare Society wants to ensure that such children do not get in to trafficking.  Apart from Saksham, Mijwan Welfare Society is supporting families who have lost their key bread earners and to orphans’ children (after death of family members during COVID-19) in the following ways:

1. Started with immediate support of dry ration kits for 2-3 months 

2. Map all the relevant gov/ngo/csr schemes and facilitate the child/family to access that.

3. Special efforts to link them with latest child welfare schemes of government

4. Bringing all the deserving children into some kind of "child growth plan" from our side as well. 

5. Track them for considerable years through on ground fellows and constantly create feedback mechanism with respective department about the progress/issues of these children.

6. Vaccination support to all such families.

 

How we are assisting foreign migrants from rural India?

 

During India’s battle with the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers have lost their livelihood to the virus. From employees working in the biggest MNCs to the minimum wage workers, the virus has chosen its victims without a bias. In a report by International Labour Organization’s (ILO) ILOSTAT, India’s unemployment rate in 2020 had reached 7.11%, the highest in the past 30 years. This rate has shown no sign of slowing down as the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) has reported that the current monthly unemployment rate of the country stands at a humungous 12% as of 13 June 2021. The reason behind this skyrocketing unemployment is the enormous rate at which low-wage workers are getting cut from their jobs, which includes those who have migrated to other counties in search of better employment.

According to the International Labour Organization, over 30 million Indians are living abroad, with the Gulf area and Southeast Asia alone employing over 90% of that workforce, the majority of whom are poor and semi-skilled. Such a high number of migrants have also made India the top recipient of remittances in the world with nearly US$62.7 billion in 2016. However, the foreign migrants also make up the most economically vulnerable group. In more economically developed countries, foreign migrant workers enjoy only a few rights and very little job security and therefore are the most likely to have been the first to be laid off, to have had pay cuts, or to have not been paid at all for previous work. Such economic exploitation coupled with the pandemic have made foreign migrants the worst-hit workers.

While the now unemployed migrants, currently at home, would have been hoping for measures from the government to uplift them out of their misery, the new guidelines passed by the government on June 7^th have only made it significantly worse for them. As per the announcement, any individual traveling abroad for either education or jobs will have to link their passport with their vaccination certificate. While it seems reasonable to do so, the shortcomings of this rule adversely affect the most vulnerable.

Without linking the two documents, migrants will be forced to stay back in India till they complete their vaccination process. Considering that the vaccination drive is moving at a snail’s pace and the availability of vaccines is constantly under fire, the migrants will have to wait for weeks, if not months, before they get the opportunity to get their first jab of the vaccine. Such a long wait, without a source of income, might not be feasible for many migrants and will put extreme pressure on their livelihood. While migrants will be free to travel to other countries in search of jobs after their vaccine dosage, the same is not recommended as per the vaccination protocol. Takers of the first dose are advised to take their second dosage within 6 to 14 weeks, depending on their vaccine, to complete their vaccination process which will only result in a longer wait. Notably, many of these workers belong to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. This is a major cause for concern as data from Union Health Ministry has shown that the two states are the worst performers with respect to their vaccination rate, with only 1.67 % of Uttar Pradesh’s and 1.69% of Bihar’s population fully vaccinated as of May.

If the rate of vaccination is going to remain stagnant at its current speed, the chances of migrants leaving for a foreign land, anytime soon, seem grim. Regrettably, such a situation will cause long-lasting effects on not just the household, but also the society. Lack of finances will eventually cause restraints on a family’s ability to provide formal education to their children, to enjoy reliable healthcare facilities, and live a healthy lifestyle.

There is a desperate need for intervention by the government into matters specific to foreign migrants. While NGOs like Mijwan Welfare Society have tirelessly made efforts to help such communities access vaccination centers, and provided them with rations and livelihood assistance, it is important that government institutions start playing a greater role in doing the same.  Adding migrants to the priority list to ensure their early vaccination is bound to be a good first step. Otherwise, easing limitations on their travel by doing away with their vaccinations in India and providing the same in the country of their employment, with the assistance of that government, will also help relieve some pressure off India’s crumbling vaccination infrastructure, all while safeguarding the health and interest of every citizen.

 

COVID Vaccination Challenges in Villages

 

Since the arrival of the second wave in the country, the number of COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh has shot up. While the metropolitan and urban areas of the state have walked a rather easy path towards vaccinating their dwellers, a major battle is being fought on the rural grounds. This situation, more than that of inoculating, is about the apprehensions of the uneducated villagers towards the vaccines. Such fears are reflected in the number of vaccinated individuals in these rural areas, where only 12-15% of the population has received a dose of the vaccine while accounting for more than 60% of the total cases in India.    

Similar is the condition in rural Azamgarh. In the villages of Miyapur, Budhapur Kutub Ali, and Bhadsar, false narratives about the vaccines have gathered enough momentum to deter people from visiting vaccination centers. WhatsApp and social media forwards about vaccines causing side-effects like impotency, erectile dysfunction, and, in many cases, even death has brought about a sense of hesitancy among the villagers. These hindrances have acted as an obstacle to medical authorities as well as NGOs who are willing to set up camps and work towards a smooth vaccination drive.

However, this is just one aspect of the overall issue that has delayed the vaccination process in rural areas. The existence of a prominent financial and digital divide has further aggravated this problem. The vaccination guidelines mandate individuals younger than 45 years of age to register themselves on an online government platform, CoWIN. While this seems like a reasonable method of collecting relevant data and ensuring documentation, it becomes another hurdle to those with limited digital literacy and no internet access. This has limited the inoculation drive to the tech-savvy middle class residing mostly in the urban areas.

While efforts have been made to control this distressful situation, results have not been very fruitful. In a recent vaccination drive in Azamgarh by the Mijwan Welfare Society, only a single individual showed up to the vaccination center out of a potential thousand. Similarly, the middle-aged groups refuse to register themselves, even though healthcare authorities and NGOs are willingly helping them with the same. The organized camps with internet and technical facilities are seeing minimum traffic as well. Imparting with truthful results of the vaccines and providing an honest insight about its side effects, therefore, has become just as necessary are the process of vaccination itself. Without the participation of the majority rural population of the country in the inoculation drive, the whole country might face another wave. Currently, the rural areas account for a higher percentage of cases than their urban counterparts. Considering that these areas lack proper healthcare and policing infrastructure to help the battling patients and maintain a safe environment to counter the spread of the virus, the inability of vaccinating these individuals would result in another increase of cases.

Unless the population is ensured about the safety of the vaccines, persuading them into getting a shot of the vaccine would be tough. To counter this hesitancy, only education and information campaigns targeting villages might bear fruit. Going door to door to educate the masses, who flee at the sight of a hazmat suit, has the potential of changing their mind. Reminding them of vaccinations against diseases like Polio and how those did not cause any adverse effects, setting up their expectations, and providing them with details of how to cure post vaccinations illness, all may dispel the fears. Reciting tales of villages like Janefal in Maharashtra and how it managed to achieve 100% vaccination by discarding their similar fears may help all the other districts like Azamgarh achieve their goal.

Ma Ki Roti -a support system for mothers in villages

 

Indu Devi, 48, from Tarka village of Ghazipur district (Uttar Pradesh) , currently cooks food at Ma Ki Roti and is a member of the women Self-Help Group (SHG) which manages Ma Ki Roti operations.  At ‘MA Ki Roti’, Indu earns INR 1750/- per month apart from having everyday food for her and her family members.

Before joining Ma Ki Roti, Indu had a difficult life. Her husband had an accident and fractured his leg. Suddenly all the responsibilities came to Indu for the survival of herself and her family. She started working as a housemaid and cleaning utensils. But earnings were limited and was difficult to feed her, her husband, and her four kids.

 

Indu has skills in cooking and the 'Ma Ki Roti' initiative has become a ray of hope for her. Here she does not just use her proper cooking skills, she also earns and has food for herself and family members. This has solved her survival issue. On the other hand, she received some initial training on hygiene practices and she is happy that she makes food for other community members who cannot afford it.

 

Indu is also happy that she is learning management of a small start-up at village level and her job gives her respect.

 

Ma Ki Roti is a project supported by Ma Foundation and implemented by the Mijwan Welfare Society. It’s a community kitchen model (especially for mothers) at the village level to get cooked meals at subsidized rates.