Meet the youngsters who adopted families of widows in this pandemic

While the coronavirus pandemic has left us grappling with health issues, we are also facing other equally grave problems such as unemployment and food insecurity. With the extended lockdown, the condition of the under-privileged is only worsening. While many good samaritans are coming forward to help the distressed, three Delhi-based girls have adopted a community in Kalindi Kunj.

Under the project Panah, the young brigade, Aliza Ali (alumna of Shri Ram College of Commerce), Mallika Goel (alumna of Lady Shri Ram College for Women) and Noyonika Gupta (alumna of Indraprastha College for Women) joined forces to contribute as proactive citizens of the country. “The community in Kalindi Kunj mainly consists of daily wage and migrant labourers. Amidst them are struggling widows with a family to feed. Faced with an unwarranted situation like this, life for these women has become a constant ordeal, since they lack traditional means of support. The lockdown, as described by many of them, is an experience “as horrid as a nightmare”, since almost all of them have lost their means of livelihood. Project Panah worked towards gathering funds and supporting this local community, struggling to make its way through a global crisis,” says 22-year-old Ali.

The girls have adopted 85 families and they carried out donation drive in two phases. Goel says, “Food packages consisting of rice, daal, salt and other essential food grains were distributed, thereby sustaining them for a period of 2 months.”

For the group, this project was the first ever experience to work with the ground realities. Ali adds, “We strongly believe that helping others in such uncertain times is a responsibility, not a favour. We are now even more enthusiastic to continue our work for the society.”