Nikhil Taneja, co-founder and CEO of Yuvaa (a youth empowerment organization), initiated the Yuvaa Volunteer groups programme to expand the organization’s ability to help those who are in need as a social responsibility.
Since about early May, the group has brought smiles to the faces of over 800 families, recruited 750 volunteers from various age groups, backgrounds,and cities in just under 12 hours, and now has over 15 nationwide WhatsApp groups with over 30 volunteers each to assist with SOSes by making calls and verifying leads.
Taneja was recently inspired by a bereaved family’s outburst. They blamed the volunteers for their inability to help, to bring to light the enormous mental health cost that ordinary people are bearing in these challenging circumstances.
“Other than managing their own personal lives and looking out for their loved ones, it is the youth of India who have taken up the responsibility to help their fellow citizens in need,” he says. It is a never-ending and selfless task that can also be highly traumatic.
We should recollect the compassion, fortitude, and bravery of such volunteers, who work around the clock for weeks at a time simply because they think it matters.” says Taneja.
Danish Manzoor, Editorial Director (Asia), International Business Times, has been helping the needy by amplifying requests on his Twitter account, whether it’s for Remdesivir or pulse oximeters.
“Since oxygen saturation threshold (SpO2 per cent) is an essential criterion which must be monitored daily in COVID-19 patients, humans have been sensitizing the people we come into contact with, explaining its importance to them,” he says of his initiative.
We realized that many people do not have access to a rudimentary oximeter; as such, we created a small project in Bengaluru with the help of friends to distribute free oximeters to those in need.
The only stipulation we own is that even if people are finished, they must pass the above oximeters on to those who require them the most, thus continuing the chain.
We can’t possibly have enough oximeters in a country with a population of 1.35 billion people. The one and the only method to prevent this issue is to ensure that they are rotated.” Manzoor also points out that a significant problem has been a lack of effective communication down the line.
“Often these individuals do not attempt to prepare for what to do ‘when COVID strikes; they begin clamouring whenever it hit,” he continues. That’s from which we can help: by educating the public on the fundamentals.
Whether we like it or not, this is now a basic life skill. Keeping an eye on COVID-19-related misconceptions, on the other hand, is a key focus area for us.”
Sheroes
Maggie Inbamuthiah has extensive experience in the fields of welfare programs, diversification, and acceptance. She works with Puppetica India to help put Indian dreams to reality, but she also runs Mandram, a non-profit that promotes regional language discourse in India,
as well as Happifeet, an outdoor endeavor that links individuals with the environment. She led a group of volunteer staff in South Bangalore during COVID-19, dealing with over 40 SOS demands each day.
Her squad has been able to assist find a BBMP bed for a crematorium worker, offer additional access to an EMCO equipment for a patient from Gujarat only with the help of two other NGOs, and help a pregnant woman with COVID-19 find appropriate medical help after discovering these requests and SOS calls via Twitter.
Mithila Naik Satam is an information and communication consultant from Mumbai who works on a UNICEF India project with the Charkha Development Communication Network in Delhi. She also works as a volunteer with the Khaana Chahiye Foundation, where she is responsible for partnering and virtual community engagement.
Mithila was able to raise awareness about the Foundation’s work and increase the customer base by using Tweets. She used her digital expertise and the Khaana Chahiye society just on the system to help people get beds, emergency aid, and oxygen during this pandemic.
Sabita Chanda is a former career trainer and Human resource counsellor who now devotes her hours to assisting those who are in need. She founded the Migrant Workers Movement, which brought food and supplies, including over 8000 migrants who had also been displaced by the pandemic and were often starving.
She furthermore assisted kids from low-income families in gaining access to digital classrooms via desktops and tablets. Her efforts to help people in need of medical assistance, particularly her fulfilment of over 1200 requests for blood plasma, earned her the title of Plasma Queen.
She also collaborated with individual states within the northeast and Himachal Pradesh to help people access medical assistance. Sabita, who is committed to social wellbeing, likewise assist individuals in obtaining rations and arranging funds for students applying to schools.
Sanjeevani Vaccination Drive
Sanjeevani: A Shot of Life, a vaccination campaign organized by Network18 and Federal Bank, set out to educate the public about the benefits of vaccines and to dispel misinformation and misconceptions about COVID-19 immunization.
The campaign, which debunked myths and raised awareness, became the driving force behind vaccination in the Indian hinterland, which was hard hit by the pandemic.
Sanjeevani Champions became the initiative’s backbone by voluntarily risking their lives and stepping forward to help nearby communities. These extraordinary people came forward to offer financial assistance, caregiving, and persuade others to get the vaccine.
Taking on the responsibility of assisting those in need, the volunteers have been working tirelessly to ensure that those in their immediate vicinity are looked after and have decided to step towards encouraging them to get jabbed and maintain COVID-19 appropriate behaviour.
Madhukar Shelar, a social worker from Nashik, went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that patients received food, water and even paid their hospital bills. Nashik has been one of Maharashtra’s most severely affected districts by COVID-19.
Madhukar realized the pain of the helpless after surviving the COVID-19 infection and jumped on the ground with a helping hand. During these trying times, he responded to pleas for assistance from residents and communities nearby.
Sona Yadav, an Anganwadi worker in Indore, is yet another advocate who guaranteed that Adivasis in her neighbourhood were vaccinated despite numerous rumours that caused vaccine hesitancy. Against all odds, this extraordinary healthcare worker persuaded people to get COVID-19 vaccines.
