Coronavirus Pandemic Relief Initiatives by Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care The entire world has been hit hard by the Coronavirus pandemic, with 204 countries and territories reporting cases of this deadly disease. The number of cases and resultant deaths continue to increase exponentially in this global outbreak. Several countries have imposed lockdowns and restrictions, ranging from a few days to a few weeks. Isolation and social distancing measures have been put in place in major parts of the world. India too has reported several cases of those infected by coronavirus, and there have been deaths as well. This unforeseen situation has thrown lives out of gear, especially of the poor, homeless and daily wage earners who survive one day at a time. With no economic activity, their existence is threatened. Also, the community workers are serving the society at a risk to themselves and healthcare professionals are braving their lives while providing treatment to the coronavirus patients. Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care responded to this grave situation by undertaking several impactful initiatives in India and abroad, aimed at providing safety and relief to individuals and communities. The norms of lockdown and social distancing were effectively adhered to in implementation of these initiatives. Following are some of the initiatives undertaken: Nutritious meals and food packets were prepared and distributed to all frontline professionals covering doctors, nurses, policemen, government officials, etc. who are relentlessly serving the nation to combat this crisis. Ration kits consisting of rice, dal, oil, spices, salt and soap were distributed to the poor and daily wage earners for a month, thus providing for over 15,00,000 meals. Khichdi, vegetables, buttermilk, biscuit packets and chikkis were distributed to daily wagers, construction workers every day. A helpline for ration and food items was put into service for villages around Dharampur. Ventilators, beds, disposables and other medical equipment were donated to the government for emergency set up and hospitals were also provided with staff support. Government doctors were trained on how to use ventilators in absence of adequate trained staff. Training was also provided to nurses and paramedics. Stray animals like cows and dogs were fed grass, rotis, biscuits etc., so they may not starve during the lockdown. Shrimad Rajchandra Mobile Veterinary Service in Dharampur and Shrimad Rajchandra Animal Helpline in Mumbai continued to treat animals, when most of the veterinary clinics and hospitals were closed. Relief initiatives were undertaken in Dharampur, Mumbai, Akola, Bengaluru, Chennai, Jaipur, Kolkata, Leicester, London, Manchester, Pune, Rajkot and Vadodara. Specific contribution schemes have been launched for this relief initiative, benefitting the front line professionals, daily wage earners, hospitals and animals. For more information and to contribute to these noble initiatives, please visit www.srloveandcare.org/coronavirus-relief. As India and the world come to grips with this pandemic, a sustained effort will be required to bring individuals and communities out of despair. Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care will continue playing its role in providing a sense of hope to those in need and shall carry on with the work of serving the community.
