The pandemic has exposed the ruthless inequities in our society on one end, but has also displayed the underlying human spirit. Even as we witnessed the heartbreaking tragedies around us, there were people who rose above their grief to contribute to society, including farmer groups. They have to deal with hardship, climate uncertainty, water scarcity, seed availability etc on a regular basis and now the pandemic has made things that much more difficult. In the middle of this, few farmers using sustainable practises in Delhi NCR and Karnataka have tirelessly worked to pack food ration kits for vulnerable communities in urban areas who have lost their means of livelihood to the pandemic.
Through Circles of Solidarity 2.0, 170 ration kits were supplied in Bengaluru to garment factory workers and the domestic workers community. Many of these workers are migrant labourers from Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and other districts in Karnataka. Several of these workers are women, sole breadwinners of their families, who have been reeling under the impact of the pandemic. A recent report by the Azim Premji University said that nearly 230 million Indians were pushed to poverty in the first year of the pandemic.
Everybody deserves clean air, water, and food, and this can only be achieved when we don’t have a growing population that is overwhelmingly vulnerable to external extremities like the pandemic, floods, drought etc. Sustainability builds resilience and that is the only way forward. Ask the sustainable farmers helping us get the ration kits, they will tell you.
The ration kits were distributed at three different locations with utmost adherence of COVID-19 protocols and social distancing norms. Sahaja Organics, with it’s wide network of sustainable farmers, supplied the organic fruits and vegetables. Joining hands with our allies, farmers, labourers, donors and supporters we have formed a Circle of Solidarity, Resilience and Sustainability. A circle where no one feels alone.
Watch this space for more updates.