ASTHA’s response to Covid-19€¦ · ASTHA’s response to Covid-19 A brief report of work done...
Transcript of ASTHA’s response to Covid-19€¦ · ASTHA’s response to Covid-19 A brief report of work done...
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ASTHA’s response to Covid-19
A brief report of work done during first week of the lockdown
Due to the outburst of COVID19, ASTHA decided to continue its work with children with
disabilities and their families through the ‘work from home’ approach, considering the safety of
our children and staff. We had done the preparatory work with the children and families prior to
this week. It is important to not lose sight of the families, because we work with one of the most
vulnerable sections of the society. These are families living on margins of poverty, exclusion,
hunger and disability. As now clear by innumerable media reports, the effects of lockdown are
the gravest on the poor and vulnerable. We are trying to lessen the damage done to our families
in these times of crisis.
Reached out to more than 140 children with
disabilities through calls and texts
Ensured families living in urban slums are safe
and provided basic psychosocial support
Communicated the need for precautions of Covid 19 to families of children
with disabilities
Facilitated ration/nutrition to
families in need amidst the lockdown
Advocated for Right to Food for everyone
including children going to Anganwadis and
Schools
Reached out to families who have been displaced
due to the Delhi riots and provided aids and appliances and ration
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A brief snapshot of work with our children and families:
Making sure the learning does not stop
ASTHA’s work with children is through its centres and home based work. Home based work
focuses on training families of children with disabilities. This strategy was used in these times of
lockdown where every parent was given age and abilities-appropriate learning materials for their
children. After giving the material last week, the educators stayed in touch with all the families
and ensured that the learning of the child doesn’t stop. A roster was made where educators and
community workers stayed in touch with the families.
Providing the much needed ‘support’ to families
These are the times when families are in great distress. Not just families of children with
disabilities but all individuals and families are anxious, stressed and worried amidst this public
health crisis. ASTHA has always believed that families are an ecosystem and without their
support, it is impossible to bring about a change in the child. In these times, ASTHA’s
community workers reached out to every family and in communities to listen to them, provide
them whatever support required.
Children with disabilities are often on long term medication for conditions such
as seizures, or may require regular blood transfusions because of conditions such
as thalassaemia etc. Abdullah is a 15 year old young adult who attends our Batla
house center, has seizures and is on medication. He stays with his 2 younger sisters and
1 younger brother, and his mother who raised her family all by herself with little
support from her brother. She stitches clothes for her daily earning, and to take care of
her family. But due to lockdown her mother was not able to take him for the check-up,
get the medicines and hence Abdullah started having uncontrolled seizures. The team
acted immediately and worked to facilitate the provision of medications. We shared the
contact and address and the medicines were provided at her doorstep. Abdullah’s
mother was happy with the effort that was but in by the team for her child
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Advocating for rights and entitlements
During times of crisis, we are aware that it is the vulnerable who are hit the most. ASTHA during
this week consistently energized the ICDS and Education system drawing their attention
constantly to families of children in need and facilitating ration transfer. Senior members of
ASTHA are constantly in touch with MLAs of the area, government representatives and
organizations that are providing food drawing their attention to families with children and
persons with disabilities or single parent families or families where the major bread earner is
incapacitated.
Provided dry ration to 4 families
Advocated for nutrition for children with disabilities (0-8 years) from Anganwadi centres
Advocated for food for children going to schools. ASTHA along with other organizations
working for children is advocating for the provision of dry ration to children through their
schools and through energizing the school management committees
Sara and Rahil are siblings, who come to the Batla house center. Sara is 10, Rahil is 12
years old with both of them having hearing impairment. The team came to know during
the telephonic follow up that, their mother was concern for the ration and how to feed the
family during the Lockdown. Sara’s mother works in homes as a maid and was asked to
sit at home due to this she does not have enough money to feed her family of 4 children
as a single mother (recently her husband expired of Tuberculosis). The team immediately
facilitated this and started working for ways to ensure that ration is provided. We spoke
to different organisations and found out about the schemes of Government to provide her
ways to get the ration. The team now ensured that the ration would be provided in her
house in 1 or 2 days, or else the local NGO’s working in the nearby area would be
supporting.
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Children receiving food from Anganwadis
Information as power
ASTHA suspended its regular operations before the official announcement by the state
government about the lockdown. The National Disability Helpline of ASTHA, housed in Giri
Nagar was also forced to shut. In order to revive the helpline amidst this crisis, a temporary
mobile number was started for people to call and get any information. In the coming week the
helpline will proactively reach out to children and persons with disabilities and their families
with information.
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Working with Children and Persons with Disabilities and those grievously injured in the
Delhi Violence
Responding immediately in the aftermath of the violence in North East Delhi, ASTHA along
with one other disability organization and a disability expert, set up a small task force which
identified 40 children and persons with disabilities through the Eidgah camp and others who
were injured and are likely to sustain disabilities through various groups working on the ground.
In the event of the lockdown the task force has actively worked to ensure rations to these
families who have been displaced and are extremely traumatized. A group of volunteers have
constantly been in touch with families and are facilitating support. This proactive and targeted
support becomes very important for persons with disabilities as they may not be able to access
relief like others can.
There are many families like of Rubina, whom ASTHA and its partners are helping with
ration, rent, aids and appliances, medical tests etc.
ASTHA has also given its two vans for food distribution, implemented by other
organizations.
Rubina is 33 years old and lives in a rented room with her 5 children, a 14 year old boy
and 4 daughters aged 12 and 10 years and twins who are 6 years old each. She is facing
psychological distress. She used to own two sewing machines that used to sustain her
livelihood. Along with her elder daughter, the stitching used to fetch them anywhere
between 10-12k for a family of 6. When the riots broke, the mob vandalized her rented
place and stole the only source of livelihood – the sewing machines. Along with her
children, she shifted to the makeshift eidgah camp. With the lockdown taking place, the
family was displaced the second time when the government decided to do away with the
camp. However, Rubina, with the help of acquainted, shifted to a small rented place.
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Families with materials for children
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Children doing activities in their homes; as discussed with ASTHA’s educators. The material
was already given to them.
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Dilip (left): A young person with
visual impairment working at his home on a Braille slate
Dilshad (right): A young man with multiple
disabilities at his home
Chaya, a 4 year old girl and her younger
sister are both children with disabilities.
They live in Tehkhand Village in the
Okhla industrial area in New Delhi. Their
father works as a laborer in the Okhla
industrial area. Both children are severely
malnourished and have been receiving
nutrition support through ASTHA. The
continuation of that support was essential
in this time of Lockdown. By coordinating
with some of our vendors within the
community, we were able to provide suji,
daliya, sabudana, sugar, ghee to the family
for two months. This will help the family
to stay at their home and provide safety for their children.
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In the coming week, the second week of the lockdown ASTHA will expand its reach in the slum
areas of Okhla, Tughlaqabad, Batla House through its network of community workers and
through families of children with disabilities. Through the families we work with, ASTHA will
identify many more families in distress and provide support.
ASTHA along with partners will continue to reach out to children and persons with disabilities
who have been affected by violence in North- east Delhi.