Hill of Hope COVID-19 lockdown relief update 3
It is now just over two months since the Lockdown began, and although there has been a little easing of restrictions, millions of people in the lowest economic stratas are struggling to meet their daily needs. Over the two weeks since our last Update, Hill of Hope has continued to try and meet the needs of families within reach of our programmes. Another thousand families have been helped in the Hyderabad region, several hundred in coastal Andhra, and a number of villages in West Bengal. There the daily provision of a hot meal to destitute widows has been a particular focus.
Closer to home, there has been particular focus on the needs of families in a Leprosy Colony in Nalgonda. Being cut off from their daily begging routine since late March, they have been struggling to survive. They have the added burden of their children at home. These children are normally resident in the Shunem Hostels, but are home because of the Lockdown and school holidays.
Several visits to this area over the past two weeks have provided them with hot meals, ration packs, health and hygiene supplies, books for the children, as well as providing an opportunity for assessment of their housing needs. Although there has been a suggestion of providing them apartments in a new area, this would take them too far from areas to which they need access for their daily routines, and also create difficulties as their disabilities require them to have ground floor accommodation. Hill of Hope Foundation is hoping to fund roofing and wall repairs to provide improvements to their housing.
Visits have also been made, and assistance given, to some Hyderabad city areas where migrant workers are still stuck. In one such area the large Factory where they work has been closed since March 22nd. They are given very basic accommodation, and since the closure of the Factory the power has been switched off so they have no electricity at all for fans, lighting, etc. There are 230 families here, many with small children, so their suffering in this summer heat is quite extreme. They have no money to allow them to leave. We have given some assistance but there are many similar situations, it would seem, around the city.
Another distribution event was reported in the Deccan Chronicle.
Other news sources have reported on distributions as well, such as AH News:
A home at Ibrahipatnam for blind adults and children was also a needy beneficiary of our programme, receiving rations, nutrition, drink powders and snacks.
PHOTO GALLERY:
Today, Monday May 25th was a busy one with distribution of cooked meals to over a hundred in need in different areas and distribution of Nutrition materials to the children living in very poor conditions making them vulnerable to disease and deficiencies.
Help for Madrassi school students from North India, unable to return home during lockdown.
Once again a big thanks to our volunteers, and to Govt Depts who have given their ready support.
Tim Galbraith
Hill of Hope Foundation,
May 25th 2020