Covid-19 Relief Services & Public Health Support

The covid-19 has brought a unexpected panic situation this year globally. In the beginning of the epidemics, there was no causalities.Still due to two giant countries at north(origin of coronal virus) and south. WHO declared Nepal as high risk zone.The government rescued 35000 citizens from abroad other than India and about half a million from India. With the flow of citizens from abroad the infected people kept was increasing without any causalities. All of a sudden there is casualties which increase one in a day in average. To date there are 49 causalities. There are 19,063 corona infected people. There are many more to land from abroad.The commercial flights are not permitted yet.There is risk of rapid epidemics. Nepal government kept announcing SMS rules to be strictly followed, yet there are strikes and processions for national issues there are such as Nepal- India Boarder issue. The government announced Lockdown. During   Lockdown there over two thousands suicidal cases, many criminal cases and many more incidences due to traumatic effects, hunger and people stranded on half way home. This has affected the business and economy of the country. In the midst of this situation at middle of the pandemic, Minority FOCUS could contribute in relief services in cooperation with our an abroad partner.

We were approached by the ward leaders of three wards of Chandragiri rural municipality. The cable car has been operated on the top to bottom of the chandragiri hill. This was the village hill side from where king Prithvi Narayan Shah made grand design to attack the Kathmandu village starting from Kirtipur.

A local government approved list of 78 people in need was presented to us prepared by a team of leaders and volunteers. We travelled to the rural municipality, took about an hour from our office.The team of ward leaders and volunteers welcomed us.

  • Volunteers arranging packages ready for distribution
  • volunteers involved

The relief packages were displaced close to every chair on the ground following the distance rules of the government. The people were present and sited on the chairs. We were privileged to speak few words. We also said we work in partnership with abroad partners.We are privileged to provide the relief packages to help you at this critical pandemic situation. We highly appreciate the ward leaders and volunteers team in organizing this relief program following the hygienic rules. The Nepal government has implemented SMS rules to be followed by the citizens strictly. (SMS means Social-distancing, Mask & Sanitizer).

Every one present were provided sanitizer to rub their hands. All had masks. All present followed the rules of distancing and instead handshaking all said Namaste.

Prior to the distribution, threebeneficiaries were interviewed with a house wife namedGita, wife of a driver, who told her husband did have driving job, since the time of lockdown, stopped the job. They did not have any sources of living. She told that they were starving.She said that she was pleased to be there to receive a relief package.

Another is a man named Dipu Larkin who is a driver from distanced district Gulmi since six years. Since he has to stop driving work due to lockdown, there is no source of income. Whatever earning was left used for living. “The lockdown is increased, so we were much worried of how we could exist. Since we heard that your office has planned to provide relief package. Our hope is increased”.

Public Health Support

On the day of 27th of July 2020, based on our plan, we received our order of supplies. We the management team with some volunteers started to provide PPE (Personal Protective Devices), Masks and Sanitizer to the taxi drivers. Since they are very much vulnerable to Corona epidemics/pandemics. They carry sick people to the hospitals. At this time the taxis are frequently used since the public vehicles are in few numbers and there is no regularity. The publics are using the taxi for the urgent works.

We tried not to have long queue and crowd, we maintained the size of group and finished the program successfully.

The Lockdown started when there was no any causalities but now there are causalities every day and the infected people are in increasing state, the Lockdown has been lifted with strict rules without strict monitoring. We never know what will happen since SMS rule has not been strictly followed. In eastern Nepal, the Corona is spreading at community level, curfew has been imposed on the eastern districts. The government already rescued its thirty five thousand citizens from abroad and half a million from India. There are many more thousands yet to come from abroad. Most of our districts are in high risk including Kathmandu where we reside.

We managed to provide the public health stuffs to 65 persons surrounding our communities. Since the fund is not enough we could not provide others. We added some amount on top of your grant.Our aim was to provide public health packages to 150 drivers, short of fund we have not been able to provide other 85 Drivers of surrounding wards. This includes remaining drivers of the public vehicles (buses and micro buses). We are praying for the need.

The drivers were very pleased receiving the public health stuffs. They told us that they expected from the government such public health stuff. But there is no possibility from the government side. They are much safer than before. The community is at high risks. A number of corona cases with causalities found here.

The third one named Kehav Magar with 3 family members, a daily manual laborer living in a rented small room. Since the lockdown, he has no work. They were starving. There is no any source of earning. He said,’We want to go to our long distanced village where we can at least work for others for our living. If there is no food we can go to the forest and find natural food.Since we heard we will get a relief package, we have some hope our family can survive.”

Beside this relief distribution, we are also helping some families who are starving in our community where our office is located. One of the families from Gorkha district living in Lalitpur, this man of this family had a cooking job in a training center. This family is from Kumal Community, a backward potter making community. He has a family of 4 members. By the way he had to stop a cooking job. Just few months ago he started a cock tail hotel on the road side. Since the lockdown, the left over earnings was used for living. We found this family was starving. So we fund them in desperate situation.We provided the family a relief package with soups for a month.

The people of two wards of Lalitpur Metropolitan municipality were distributed relief packages.The team of volunteers of metro municipality and staff helped us in distribution. The beneficiaries were sited in a distance for receiving the packages of food stuffs which also includes soup as well. In ward number 14, we also included 8 single women and widows and 2 labors stranded to Lockdown from outside districts as well.

An orphanage named Himalayan Bal Griha with 35 children had a need of health and sanitary stuff, one of local NGO partners helped us to distribute the mixed packages of hygiene and sanitation. The home is located closed by Big Bus Park, a very risky place of epidemics. The package contains Lysol (phenol), Lizol, Herpic, spray, Sanitizer, soups, disinfected water filled Jar to meet the need of drinking water etc. The sufficient amount of stuff for couple of months, drinking water jars was provided to last for a month.

A slum community having 25 families were distributed at Chitwan. The people of this slum community were laborer and manual workers. Since the Lockdown they have no jobs. The families were suffering from hunger.

The final place where 16 local villagers were distributed the relief packages. The place is located at Tanhoo district.

Feeding the hunger on the Street

We cooperated with an NGO feeding hunger and people stranded due to Lockdown. Minority FOCUS managed to feed 80 such people in 2 days consecutively and few of them baggers on the street. It was very risk time still our management time managed to do it successfully.

Helping Current Students in Crisis due to LOCKDOWN

We contacted our current students and found many of them are in crisis of short of food, gas and health and sanitation materials. We transferred an amount of NPR 3000 for each of them. The students were 42 .Among them there were 2 most critical students. A girl studying Bachelor in Engineering was stranded, was short of gas, food stuffs, inability to pay the rental charges and other necessities.

There are also challenges because the epidemics has been increasing every day. It sounds the government may again implement LOCKDOWN. Now it is much restricted lockdown. No public transportation is permitted to be used, only private vehicles have been permitted. It has become so difficult for ordinary public to travel. We are allowed to work half a day. We never know when it will be stopped again. We have yet to know the situation of 100 current students.

There is also acute need of more public health packages in the areas where there are infected people. Our community where we have office, there are about 2 dozens of people have been found Corona infected 2 people died including one 45 days baby. We are seeking funds for the need of relief and public health packages.This capital Kathmandu valley includes Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur are in high risk zone for covid-19 epidemics.

We thank you on behalf of Minority FOCUS for partnership in making contribution for the activities done at this time of Covid-19. We hope more partners will join us in helping the people affected by Covid-19 epidemics.