Relief Services
- Assistance with Basic Needs We are in constant touch with communities across all service programs and regularly assess psycho-social needs. Over the last two months following the lockdown a number of people expressed the need for support for a range of the most basic requirements, we have addressed these needs.
- Referrals Services Family needs are being met by referrals to networks and partner organizations, people and places who are also are providing for basic needs surrounding a particular community, especially food and nutrition. We are additionally supporting them with health care referrals by keeping updated information of which doctor, clinic and Flu centre is available option in the area and support to clients in getting their medication and health check ups as and when required.
- Cash Transfer While most organisations have been supporting with nutrition and food, families we work with also expressed the need for support with other aspects that threatened their survival during the lockdown. We have supported many registered families who had absolutely no support for nutrition, housing support, medicine, gas and fuel through cash transfers @2000 INR per person. (please refer to table below for details)
- Telephonic Psycho-social Counselling sessions Supportive counselling sessions, family counselling sessions, nutrition and health care sessions are being conducted over phone. We have now successfully been able to conduct our regular counselling work with clients over the phone.
- Crisis intervention We are also alert towards possibility of crisis situation within communities. For those people who were in crisis during the lockdown field team have supported clients and their families to address the immediate situation, at times by going on field to conduct sessions and make arrangements for basic necessities.
- Advocacy and Right based work We are addressing the rights of persons in communities by actively looking out for vendors and stakeholders who government has appointed to distribute or provide aid for certain aspects like providing rations or active medical facilities, at times intervening where help is not being provided. We are trying to address stigma created by Covid-19 for people who have similar symptoms, which in turn creates a sense of social exclusion. We are doing this by contacting our key informants and community volunteers who are active, to reach places where we cannot.
- Awareness We have done extensive awareness activities on Covid-19 and ways to take care of oneself through a range of house hold solutions, changes in diet and nutrition and self- care practices. This is being done with help of videos, posters and write ups shared on social media platforms which are active at community level. No contact community engagement strategies were also devised to reach out to communities physically.
- Stakeholders and partners support We have worked extensively with the State mental hospital as well as with Pune Municipal Corporation to provide live psychosocial, basic needs and other support services in their work with migrants, homeless population of Pune city.
- Staff safety measures We have at all times alerted staff to take safety measures without compromised. We have provided safety kits, vitamins, etc. also providing work from home facility for most staff.
