Rotaractors step up emergency relief work

Just one conference call, and my presidents unanimously agreed to reach out to people in their areas with emergency relief work,” said DRR Kushagra Bansal, RID 3120. Although his hometown Satna was not greatly affected by the Covid pandemic, the DRR was there with his teammates, on the ground, coordinating the relief activities. Masks, hand sanitisers, soaps, food — the district Rotaractors pitched in with everything they could, to help people tackle the lockdown and survive the Covid-19 crisis.

RAC Ghazipur Ganga got permission and vehicle passes from the district administration to provide food material to needy families. Besides distributing masks, sanitisers and soaps to the people, the club provided food and packaged water to migrant workers who had walked for miles to get back home.

“Our district comprises eastern Uttar Pradesh and parts of Madhya Pradesh. We have some of the most populated cities and many poor people have migrated to bigger cities in search of jobs. They were among the hardest hit during the start of the initial 21-day unprecedented lockdown when all forms of transport were suspended,” said Bansal.

RAC Kashi provided cooked food packets, bottled water and groceries to the tired and hungry migrant workers reaching their homes after hours of walking.

RAC Kashi provided cooked food packets, bottled water and groceries to the tired and hungry migrant workers reaching their homes after hours of walking. The Rotaractors sporting protective gears reached out to people residing on the pavements and night shelters. “They talked to them about physical distancing and handwashing and gave them masks, hand sanitisers and food,” he said.

The members of RAC MLN Medical College arranged cooked food for the elderly people staying alone in their homes during the nationwide lockdown. “Many of them did not have anyone to go out and get them supplies and many more were dependent on their cooks who had taken off fearing the virus,” said Club President Surya Bhan Kushwaha.

The 30 members of the club pooled in  ₹90,000 to provide masks and hand sanitisers to the medical staff managing the quarantine block at the Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital in Prayagraj. They collected  ₹35,000 from corporates and provided PPEs to healthcare workers looking after Covid-19 patients. “We have pooled 20 quintals of rice and atta from our college mates, made them into smaller packets to distribute to the sanitary workers on our college campus and across the city,” said Kushwaha.

The Rotaractors of RAC Bhira helped in sanitising the streets with disinfectant sprays and RAC ­Lakhimpur Young Republicans, along with Rotary Club Lakhimpur Main, distributed dry ration packets containing potatoes, pulses, rice and oil to thousands of needy people. RACs Urja Prayagraj and United Members also pitched in with various relief activities for the lesser privileged during this difficult situation.

As Delhi saw a massive exodus of migrant labourers walking back to their villages, many with their wife and children in tow, Rotaractors of RID 3011 swung into action. RAC Ardent Youth, led by Gautam Sharma, initiated the ‘Feed India’ food distribution drive and, in collaboration with RACs Maharaja Agarsain and Visioners’ League, provided packed food and water to the weary migrants around the NCR. The Sansarita Jeevan Foundation, an NGO, and corporates such as TaxAvataar and Timesports lent support for the cause. Grocery packets and essentials were distributed to daily wage earner families in the neighbourhood.

“We posted a request for monetary help on social media and promptly we got good response. That helped us buy sufficient supplies,” said Project Chairman Anmol Verma.

In Pune, the members of RAC Pune Kalyani Nagar, RID 3131, along with Panchshil Realty, a real estate firm, distributed masks and hand sanitisers to hundreds of police personnel on curfew duty. The Rotaractors, along with the Robin Hood Army, an NGO, distributed a month’s ration for 500 underprivileged families, besides providing ready-to-eat food for thousands of roadside dwellers.