On the morning of 8th May 2020, Umesh* got a call from Sangeeta, a field staff working with Innovators In Health, regarding a certain sum of money (INR 1000) that had been transferred to his bank account. 28-year-old Umesh is currently undergoing treatment for TB. He quickly got up, brushed his teeth, took his bank passbook, and went to the bank, located 3kms away to withdraw the amount. Umesh had been buying essential food items on credit from the local kirana shop for the last two months. Due to his illness, he could only do some light work in the field for which he received a paltry sum. But the pandemic and eventually the nationwide lockdown made it difficult for him to find a job. This was a huge setback, as he was the sole earning member of his family of seven.
When the lockdown was announced in India during the last week of March, several people like Umesh were forced to be in a situation where they couldn’t arrange two square meals a day for themselves and their families. Moreover, he was already battling a disease that had adversely affected his health for months now. At Innovators In Health, we realized the gravity of the issue and wanted to help out the TB patients overcome these difficult times. We started an online fundraiser campaign on Milaap and reached out to the people in our network for donations. Within two months, we raised INR 4.2 lakhs, which we used to make direct cash transfers (and in some cases, nutritional support) to nearly 670 TB patients in Samastipur district of Bihar. Along with the amount fundraised, one of our current donors also supported our patients in these unforeseen times.
Our team located in different blocks helped us identify those patients who were in dire need of help. They coordinated with the patient or the ASHA to get the bank details of these patients. Initially, we had planned to provide nutritional packages to these people, but later we decided against it for a couple of reasons. Firstly, amidst the lockdown, it was a logistical nightmare to deliver food packets to people located in different villages. Secondly, and most importantly, we realized that in such times different families would have different needs. For some TB patients, who were unable to access their bank accounts, our dedicated team members delivered ration at their doorsteps. When we asked a team member Navneet on his thoughts about providing ration and the risks attached to the activity, he told us, “Our patients need our help. We can see the situation they are in. During telephonic conversations with them, they are unable to hide the distress. I think this is worth risking my life. Moreover, with proper precautions and safety measures, we can minimize the risk for ourselves and the patients.”
Last month when we spoke to some of the patients who received support in cash, we were glad that we gave them an untied fund instead of food packets. Each of them had used the money in different ways, suited to their family’s needs. While Parwati Devi* used the money to buy milk and eggs for herself and her husband, another patient Biro Das* cleared his debts with the local kirana shop and bought medicines for his unwell daughter. All the patients were glad that they received support from strangers during the pandemic. When we called Vimla Devi*, who was also undergoing TB treatment, she gave a beautiful message for the donors, and she said, “I can’t believe that strangers have helped me in such difficult times. My own family and relatives have refused to support me because I am already suffering from TB. Please tell those people that whenever they visit Bihar, they are welcome in my house.”
The pandemic has wreaked havoc in all our lives, yet some of us have been fortunate than others. Amidst the chaos and uncertainty, it’s heartening to see how the civil society has stepped up to support those less fortunate amongst us.
*Name changed to protect identity
Blogy by: Dyuti Sen
Innovators In Health 