Coping & Fighting With COVID 19 Pandemic - With Care and Love for All

Whole world is affected due to COVID 19 Pandemic. COVID 19 has affected across all regions, race, religions and so on. We are also facing new challenges every day like other countries. All Institutions , Systems and People working for human Security. There is lot of pressures on doctors, medical staff, police and those are in service sector. As leaders, we all are also working for our sisters, people, marginalized communities and for those who have no support. 

I remembered the days, when I started to work in the field of HIV/AIDS before 20 years. That time there was lot of discrimination, stigma, fear, misconceptions but we all as counselors, trainers, activist, social workers, doctors, lawyers and also People Living with HIV/AIDS together fought with situation. Again time has come to fight for security of people and fight against myths regarding Corona. We need to create sensitivity, security, love, care, peace for all. We all need to work together for humanity cause.

Presently we are in Lock down period, I have started to provide telephonic counselling services specially for our previous cases from HIV /AIDS field and also for others . Due to crisis throughout world, many people faced emotional problems, depression and other such problems. Through  counselling,  I am helping and guiding them on topics such as dealing with emotions, self care,  time & work management and financial planning etc. towards coping in crisis. There is need to maintain hope, motivation and positive thoughts in mind of people. 

We have created Group of Volunteers for senior citizens, differently challenged as well as for others those who need medical or other any support in our campus.

Also I am part of CIP Advocacy work for COVID19 at Maharashtra state with other 21 fellows. Our all fellow leaders are working in the field and creating support system marginalized communities. I am proud to be part of our CIP Leadership forum as we all are working for security and justice to our people. 

With intervention of our friends & active social group members from Pune and Government officials from Talegaon, migrant workers and their families (from another state) at our city received support to sustain in this difficult situation.

Also myself and our team members are helping local groups ( Government, NGO, Political, Social) while distributing food kits and other materials for vulnerable groups.

Our Group of  Volunteers are also distributing food packs and medical materials to needy and vulnerable groups. Various NGOS, local groups and our volunteers are coming together and organizing vegetables stalls, so farmers should not suffer and also people can get essentials during this pandemic. 

By networking with other NGO and local institutions, our volunteers  are working for livelihood of rural women and also created support for service sector and for others in society. Our Volunteers and Women Group Members  are preparing masks for service sector and also for general public on their sewing machines.

We all are thankful to all our Rural Farmers Communities and our Cow Project Beneficiaries, those are providing vegetables, milk and all other essential food commodities regularly to society in this crisis.

Our volunteers, team members and community leaders all are working hard at their Own village Sites and Communities.  We are in touch with our communities, community women leaders, change makers and beneficiaries through phone calls as travel is restricted in most of the areas. 

Through DISHA NGO, as team we have reached to 100 Marginalized Families (daily wage workers, single women headed families and other vulnerable families) for providing food packages on priority basis. As relief and support work needed on urgent basis in most of the areas. For this work our Trustee Indu Gupta has taken initiative and our team members coordinated relief work from home visits, collecting list of needy, police permission, preparing food packs, documentation and so on.  

Thus we are continuously responding as per need of people and situations in our communities with our limited resources and limitations of lock down. Technology, various social media tools etc are really helping our team and communities to be in touch and support each other. We are using same tool of video calls which we are using for our world pulse leaders.

I am conducting Motivational Calls and Sessions for our team, volunteers and others, as we need to keep ourselves motivated & healthy to deal with changing situations.

Apart from our regular Office Documentation Work, especially need assessment report of 100 villages for sustainable livelihood for farmers community and women, we are Learning New Skills and Knowledge to keep ourselves updates to deal with new challenges. As we need to work lot during pandemic and even after pandemic for our communities.

I have conducted Facebook Live with TVM Page, session on Career Guidance for 10th & 12th year students and also Zoom session on Mental Health of LGBT groups. During this COVID19 lock down period,  I have participated in number of training, conferences and forums to share the issues of marginalized groups. 

I am Thankful to all my team members, volunteers and friends  (Santosh Vanjari, Pravin Bhoirkar, Akram Shaikh, Maya Vanjari, Gauri Pendse, Virendra Kelkar, Rekha Kashelkar, Varinder Singh, Jayant Tapas, Sandip Bidkar, Prasad Kulkarni,  Vaishali Jamkhedkar, Aparna Khot & Janavhi Aslekar, Nilesh Kale & Mandar Kulkarni ), community members, women leaders , my organization (DISHA) and our trustees, other NGOS -such as ( Anubhuti, Sanman Samajik Bahuudeshiya Sanstha ( SSBS), Rotary Club of Sinhgad (RCS), Rotary Club of Poona North (RCPN), Flora Society- Volunteers Forum, Shiv-Vidya Pratishthan (SVP), Sampurna Shelf Help Group, Swavalamban Foundation-Maharashta,  Inner wheel Club, Talegaon Dabhade and various other Rotary Clubs and Local Social Groups, local Government officials & leaders for coming together to fight with COVID 19. Also I am thankful to my family members for providing continuous strength to me to work in this crisis. 

We all as World Pulse Leaders, CIP Fellows & Leaders and social activist, together can support our communities to cope up and fight with present situation. I am praying for all, sharing love and care to all our world communities.