Ravindra, a cook in a small hotel, lives with his wife and two kids, in Bengaluru, India. Due to the Covid pandemic the hotel he was working at lost business and Ravindra was laid off. Meeting his family’s daily needs is the biggest challenge for him now, as he is a heart patient, and the only bread earner of the family. Ravindra says essential food items and necessary medicine that Sewa distributed came as a ray of hope to his family. He expects Sewa to help him get vaccinated. He also appreciates Sewa International for coming forward to help his family, in such a difficult time.

 

The Covid-19 pandemic has upended many lives. The loss of lives and the livelihood have made this disease a devastating on in recent human memory. One such example is of a family from Bengaluru, India. Sunil an auto rickshaw driver lived with his wife an employee at a private company are now worried about putting food on the table and their kids’ education. Living in Gavipuram Guttahalli the neighbourhood of Bengaluru, they managed their family needs, well in their limited earnings. Due to the pandemic, Sunil’s earnings dwindled and his wife’s salary, was cut in half. The couple felt helpless and grocery kit with essential food grains and edible oil distributed by Sewa was a timely help to feed the kids and the family for a few days. Sunil’s family is happy for the well-timed help of Sewa International at the direst stretch of Covid.

 

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, many under-privileged people, begin their day with a question- how are we going to feed our family today? From the last one and a half years repeated partial or full lockdowns have made their lives unpredictable, as they are not sure where their next day meal will come from.

The silicon city of India, Bengaluru, has been their home forRamesh, an auto driver and Rudraprasad, a street vegetable vendor. Before the pandemic, both had fairly stable income that greased the wheels of their lives. As the pandemic situation in the city worsened, from the past twenty days their income was lost, and their future turned bleak.

At this crucial moment, food kits that the volunteers of Sewa International supplied to their door steps, proved to them that every cloud has a silver lining. Becoming emotional with folded hands, they thanked Sewa volunteers for coming to their rescue, at their hour of need. They also appealed to Sewa volunteers to reach out to other needy families in their neighbourhood. They got reassurance from the volunteers that they would be back with more food kits.

The Covid19 pandemic has taught us the importance of hygiene and the value of charity, to relieve others sorrow.  We have been getting several stories about Sewa International volunteers extending their support to the people who are in need. The volunteers from Sewa’s partner organization, Sewa Bharathi offered food packets and water bottles to truck drivers, as the eateries dot the highways are closed due to lockdown. 

The Sewa volunteers have been serving all sections of the society including the people who are often overlooked. A community of transgender people, who live near Nelamangala, a town on Bengaluru-Tumkur highway, in the Indian state of Karnataka. Due to the lockdown caused by the Covid19 second wave, they are struggling hard to pay rent or to buy food. Being away from their families, and living a life of unacknowledged existence, their livelihood has been snatched away by the pandemic.

Sewa International Bangalore team drove more than 200 kms on Bengaluru-Tumkur highway & Bengaluru-Kunigal highway to distribute grocery and medicine kits to the homes of over 100 of them. The transgender community appreciated Sewa’s timely help.