South Asian Forum for Environment

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SAFE crisis response in COVID Pandemic

SAFE formed its crisis-relief work team in the year 2009, during the Aila cyclone that had divested Sundarbans. Since then, the organization has gained significant experience in helping people during such an unprecedented crisis, with help of partners and trained volunteers. Since end week of March 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak was racing across the planet. The unprecedented situation pushed the world into a crisis most severe in its recent history and the impact was unseen. As the world witnessed the pandemic situation to intensify and spread, with almost half of humanity under lockdown by April and easing from mid-June, the global death toll passed over 2.6 million. On 7th April, World Health Day, 2020, SAFE launched COVID relief with community health services, and since then it has been fortified by a collective effort with esteemed partners to continue to reach out to vulnerable communities with telemedicine facilities and Community Health Centres to conduct free health consultations. SAFE acknowledges the partners for support in helping us reach out to over 12000 ultra-poor families with essential groceries, medicines, sanitizer, masks, and continued health care services through the COVID pandemic time.

Priority COVID-relief for Local Communities in Crisis: SAFE with partners

Areas covered      Mollarbheri, Chainavi, Saltlake (Dhapa), Ghuni, Rajarhat, Moylapota, Rajpur Sonarpur,Garia, Gochoron, (South 24 pgns) Leprosy patients, Domjur Howrah, Basirhat, Hooghly, Dumdum, Barasat for HIV patients, communities in Sunderbans, in West Bengal.

Objectives:

(1)       To provide food and basic amenities as relief during the COVID crisis to vulnerable communities.
(2)      To deliver emergency services for sustaining basic minimum amenities for health and hygiene as well.
(3)      To campaign for better health awareness in a pandemic situation and help with priority for women.
(4)      Supporting the disabled poor, leprosy patients, and HIV patients.

Since the end week of March 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak was racing across the planet. The unprecedented situation pushed the world into a crisis most severe in its recent history and the impact unseen. As the world witnessed the pandemic situation to intensify and spread, with almost half of the humanity under lockdown by April and easing from mid-June, the global death toll passed one million till date, and in India totals death counts over one lakh by now.

South Asian Forum for Environment, SAFE (Estb: 2004) a registered, non-profit civil society organization working towards sustainable environment development and poverty alleviation, under a partnership program with Cognizant and allied organizations, have reached out to over 5000 poor families with relief support in Kolkata and parts of West Bengal. The rapid response support came from Cognizant to address to immediate and urgent needs of marginal communities, women, senior citizens and those living with disabilities and social ostracism in conditions of diseases like leprosy and HIV.

The SAFE relief team along with essential relief distribution also considered for local health awareness and campaigned around hygiene, social distancing, providing basic guidelines to protect marginal communities from COVID-19. On 7th April, World Health Day, SAFE launched the COVID relief program, and since then it has been fortified by a collective effort with esteemed partners to continue to reach out to vulnerable communities. The devastating impact of the current pandemic in grassroots is unimaginable, the tragedy multiplies with real issues of ration shops food distribution-in terms of broken supply chains, as well supply limits for ration cardholders only. In urban cities, the migrant poor families remain left out.

Unprecedented Challenges; Covid-19 situation and Leprosy patients.

Due to the COVID situation, the government distribution system of MDT (essential medicine for Leprosy patients) is thoroughly disrupted. As local trains not operating due to lockdown, hundreds of patients are unable to come for their routine check-ups and treatment to Kolkata. SAFE reached essential relief to the Leprosy Mission Hospital, and this collaborative effort helped reach thousands of leprosy patients in Pandemic time.

For Leprosy and HIV+ patients, COVID spawns an unending trauma

Due to the COVID situation, the essential medicine supply, and distribution is thoroughly disrupted. It is necessary for HIV+ patients to consume nutritious food for keeping their immunity levels, only medication is not enough. Due, to the COVID situation and subsequent lockdown, poor HIV+ patients’ struggle is worse than ever.

Since March 2020, SAFE, through its civil society network, could reach out to the helplessly struggling communities, with basic help needs, and we gratefully thank Cognizant, and PwC for their generous support with essential food grocery items with a hygiene kit-comprising soaps, sanitizers, and three-layered masks. SAFE acknowledges the collaboration of the Leprosy Mission and BNP (HIV), NGO’s for the partnership.