“When one door of happiness closes, another door of happiness opens” – Helen Keller
The catastrophe of COVID-19 pandemic disrupted lives and economies across India. With case numbers rising and economic activities suspended, humanitarian challenges arose every day. CBM received several requests from eight different colonies in Ernakulam district, Kerala, belonging to Scheduled Caste categories, who are holders of BPL (Below Poverty line) ration cards. The supply of dry ration from public distribution system to larger families and families including children with disabilities was not sufficient. Coming to their aid, Wipro Cares opened doors to 1000 families, of which Archa’s family was one of them. Archa’s tale in the midst of the outbreak is heart wrenching.
23-year-old Archa with mild intellectual capabilities resides in Elanji village in Ernakulam. Archa lives with her paternal and maternal grandmothers, her father, and younger brother. All of them are persons with disabilities. Archa’s mother, the sole bread winner and caretaker of the family, died of a heart attack in 2019. The father has psychosocial disability and the brother, like Archa, has intellectual disabilities. Her grandmothers too have age-related disabilities apart from dementia. As the coronavirus crisis continued to deepen, the community at large was worried for their future.
To meet the expenses of the family, her father went occasionally for labour work. CBM India’s community partner Kottayam Social Service Society and ASHA workers provided them additional support; they also trained Archa in cooking. Despite the support, the family was in financial straits. The money spent for her mother’s treatment and the difficulties during lockdown made matters worse. There were times when they had to survive only on rice that they received through the public distribution system; the money they borrowed from neighbours and relatives never seemed to last more than a week. Seeing their plight, one of the neighbours even brought them jackfruits, which got them through another week.
The support of Dry Ration Kit was indeed a boon to the family. The kit contained rice, wheat flour, grams, beans, sooji, tea leaves, oil, chilli and coriander powder, and soap for a month. When the kit was delivered to Archa’s house, her neighbour, Mrs. Sudha, said, “God has heard the voice of this voiceless family and blessed them through Wipro Cares.” She expressed her heartfelt thanks to Wipro Cares and CBM for their timely and wonderful help.
