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.