COVID-19: NGO Bhumi provides monetary assistance to over 14k daily wagers

Even as India grapples with the containment
of the COVID-19 pandemic, that has wrecked havoc in the lives of people and
caused job losses to millions, Bhumi, one of the country’s largest independent
and youth volunteer non-profit organization has helped over 14 thousand daily
wage workers with direct account transfers and monetary help to over 5000
children in 80 shelter hopes.

In an interview to crowdteck.com, Dr
Prahalathan KK, Co-founder and an ophthalmologist by profession, shares his
experiences while the NGO stood at the forefront in battling the menace of
Corona virus.

Q. Tell us more about NGO Bhumi..

A. Bhumi was founded in 2006 and is today
one of India’s largest youth volunteering organizations. Every year, we enable
over 25,000 volunteers across India for Sustainable Development Goals. We
believe that our approach to education and volunteerism gets stronger and
better with every stride we proactively take. We have over a decade’s
experience in education and are currently working with over 25,000 children.
Bhumi is also a leader in Volunteer Engagement, consistently contributing over 3
lakh hours of volunteering nationally. Our vision is to help build a more
influential, equal and socially-conscious society.

Q. How is your organization coming forth to
help the community during the time of lockdown?

A. In an effort to help the daily wagers,
our helpline volunteers worked day and night to verify their details and
support them with fund transfers. With consistent efforts of our COVID Support
Team, we have managed to help 14,104 daily wagers with direct fund transfers and
5,085 children in 80 shelter homes with grocery supplies. Our education program
teams were also quick to adapt and reinvent themselves with the support of
volunteers. We have managed to initiate online classes for all our projects,
thereby benefiting 1,310 children from 106 shelter homes across India, engaging
around 705 volunteers. Bhumi’s corporate volunteering engagements were also
hugely impacted ‘Work from Home’ being the new norm in this COVID situation. We
have engaged 21 corporates and are organizing close to 60 events with 1,151
corporate volunteers.

Q. What were the challenges faced by your
teams and volunteers when they were on the ground and helping people?

A. With virtual volunteering being the
dominant feature, a lot of our challenges revolved around the use of
technology. The shelter homes, where we wanted to conduct online classes, usually
had little or no access to the internet and computer systems. Even places where
they had access, we had to educate them on online tools like Zoom, Google Meet
etc extensively. Another major challenge was lack of a human touch in these
virtual volunteering initiatives while we were delivering a curriculum or an
activity. It was difficult to understand the emotions and feelings of beneficiaries.
For on-ground volunteering like grocery deliveries and support, fears of
contacting COVID, infrastructural difficulties like transport etc were also
seen.

Q. Did your NGO collaborate with any
Corporates for CSR based activities during the outbreak to help the affected?

A. Our Corporate partners Cognizant, Mckinsey and NTT DATA supported us with funds. Others like IBM, Oracle, CGI, DXC Technology, PayPal, Flex, Aspire Systems, BNP Paribas and Global Mantra Innovations helped us in effectively managing our helpline and delivering groceries to people in need through Corporate volunteering.

By: Nawal Mukadam
Email Id: M@crowdteck.com

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Ooredoo Supports Qatar Charity in Exchanging Eids’ Happiness with Orphans

Ooredoo Qatar, the leading
telecommunications service provider has provided financial encouragement to Qatar Charity (QC) in support of
Qatar’s ‘Eid Gift for Orphans’ initiative as part of the social responsibility
policies of the organization.

Ooredoo’s director of public relations, Sabah Rabiah al-Kuwari, handed over a
cheque to QC’s director of local development, Jassim al-Emadi.

Al-Emadi
thanked Ooredoo for his full support with Qatar
Charity and help in giving the comfort of the family to orphans, especially on
such happy occasions as Eid al-Adha.

He also stressed QC’s commitment to
collaborate inside and outside the country with Ooredoo and other companies for
community service and growth. Al-Kuwari, for his part, said the funding comes
to share Eid al-Adha’s joy with orphans, adding that the organization is eager
to help the underprivileged children. He also stated that over the year, QC and
Ooredoo maintain a long-running relationship spanning significant seasons such
as Ramadan. He also expressed his appreciation for the contributions of the
Qatar Charity in the combat against the Covid-19 pandemic, as he said it was
among the highly successful and involved organizations that had a huge positive
influence on restricting the spread of the country’s pandemic.

He also showed his admiration for
Qatar Charity’s efforts in the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic, as he said
that it is among the highly effective and active institutions that have had a
significant positive impact on limiting the spread of the pandemic in the
country.

Furthermore, he praised QC for its
varied and continuing programs and ventures during the course of the year.

In addition to providing Eid clothes to 450 children from low-income families in Qatar, the Qatar Charity also intends to provide Eid gifts to 450 orphans it supports within Qatar.

By: Nawal Mukadam
Email Id:nawal-m@crowdteck.com

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Talabat Works in Cooperation with Qatar Charity For ‘Eid Gift-Giving’ Campaign

On this
auspicious occasion of Eid al-Adha, we urge you to practice kindness.

It has been confirmed that famous food and
delivery app Talabat has joined hands with Qatar Charity again for a
gift-giving campaign this Eid al-Adha. Consumers can now contribute Udhiyah via the Talabat app to Qatar’s
less fortunate citizens, the Talabat group has officially said in a tweet.

Over the year, Talabat and Qatar Charity have
partnered together on various initiatives, with a specific focus on Eid
celebrations. The two companies have signed a contract to render the site a
portal for sending contributions to a range of causes via QC.

Customers typically can opt to share a meal
during Eid with one person, a group or a family in need. Furthermore, Talabat
introduced the exclusive Udhiyah, a
word for gifts from Eid that involves a ‘sheep
of sacrifice‘ for sharing priced at QR520,
the tweet stated.

Francisco
De Sousa, CEO of Talabat Qatar, lauded local and
national funding for Talabat and the relief project work of the Qatar Charity.

“Eid al-Adha falls at the right time to
share our blessings, as we are facing the nation’s first stages of recovery
from the pandemic. We encourage those who can take part in this selfless act
as, on this special occasion, food unites everyone,” he said. “We are
grateful to Qatar Charity for initiating such major projects for the sake of
those in need.”

“Talabat wishes those who are celebrating
a prosperous and healthy Eid al-Adha Mubarak,” the group added.The Qatar Charity category on the Talabat website,
which can be installed from the App Store or Google Play, can be used for
donations.

By: Nawal Mukadam
Email Id:nawal-m@crowdteck.com

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Vocal with Advocate Sheeba Priyadharshini

Coronavirus: an outbreak and a breakthrough.

The disrupted state of the poor people is now not a secret, it’s a harrowing story about the wayward conditions of the underprivileged and destitute in India in the midst of the latest coronavirus pandemic, from individuals starving to migrant employees moving across the state to get to their homes. In short, it is a bleak sight as the national shutdown has come at a heavy charge, levied to prevent the spread of the emerging virus.

There is no escaping that the troubling nature of the country’s present situation is disturbing. Still, in the midst of such a tragedy, Chennai was fortunate enough to have a supportive community of young volunteers from the Indian Social Activist Council (ISAC) who go clockwise to make sure the poor are catered for.

Adv. Sheeba, president and founder of ISAC NGO, outlined the influence of Coronavirus on the outer environment and the participating community in a conversation with us.

How
did the government want you to help in the coronavirus fight?

“We were able to deliver essential items, soaps, clothing, and food throughout the city and in rural areas during the initial lockdown phase which is in March and April. As we were unable to provide them with sanitizers recently, we supplied soap to the people.However, there was a government directive in the first week of June that whenever the Group wishes to support citizens they have to connect with the municipality or with corporations to use them as a conduit for delivering important items.”

How
is your team overcoming the challenges of supporting the community?

“My team and I decided to go the legal way, so we recently began a helpline portal. As we have a lot of lawyers in the organization, we release videos and posters of legal awareness to inform people about their fundamental human rights.We are also working closely with the team of doctors at the Multispecialty Hospital, so if people need any medical help we direct them to the doctors for treatment.

Chennai cases are on a hike to keep you updated and people’s suffering is increasing because of the lockdown. People on the street, disadvantaged students, government universities, and in particular orphanages are left out with little to no food.So our team decided to start a group chain. Where each person is required to pay one rupee and then the entire sum is given to the orphanages for the necessities and the ration.Initiatives are also being taken by political parties and ration shops to distribute food and essentials which is truly supportive.

We are playing a role of a bridge between MLA or municipal corporations and orphanages. We are currently distributing in Chennai, Kanchipuram, and Thiruvallur and around.”

Can you tell us more about the volunteer groups?

“It was challenging to persuade volunteers to come for NGO activities until the pandemic, yet after the lockout, we have a ton of committed volunteers, not just that we also have fresh volunteers who weren’t part of our NGO and whom we’re delighted of. It is wonderful to see the community’s mutual willingness to provide support, maybe because they have the time to help what is no less valuable for the needy people.”

The group of young volunteers initiated to serve food to the poor and needy amid the nationwide lockdown. Throughout the entire lockdown duration, the team has delivered ample food and supplies to people around Chennai and across the state and will continue to do so until India’s lockdown ends, regardless of the constant extensions.

Remember,
great support is forthcoming from people who want to help.

To volunteer your services for the nation’s fight against
the spread of Coronavirus, Connect here https://indian-social-activist-council.business.site/

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Mental Health under the Weight of a Pandemic

Mental wellbeing matters to all if
you face a mental health problem, you’re not alone! Everyone is presently
focused on something in such tough days that may be oneself, a dream, or a
vision for the foreseeable future ahead.

This is a reminder to slow down
and take a pause to acknowledge that strength lies profoundly in trusting in
oneself, particularly in those times where the mind is full of self-doubt but
you have to channel that energy towards self-belief.

While speaking with Johnson Thomas, co-founder of AASRA Suicide
Prevention NGO, an organization aimed at providing the distressed and the
suicidal with supportive, qualified, and effective confidential care and
assistance, much is required particularly during these difficult times.

Here’s what Johnson had
to unfold in relation to the prevailing pandemic and its consequences:

What kinds of challenges or cases did your
organization come across during the lockdown period?

“Aasra is an
emotional support service over the telephone. Providing people with first aid
psychological counseling, but for this, they need to contact us, we get calls
from all facets of life, because of the recent quarantine, we have taken a
substantial number of calls from the past 3-4 months, with various issues such
as loss of family members or employment, reduced salaries or no earnings at
all, struggling to pay debts or even manage food, relationship concerns,
students with shorter attention span and experiencing study disturbances, and
also people having personal space issues too.”

What kind of support should be expected if one
gets in touch with your volunteers?

“If absolutely
required, we provide them with references to people willing to help them with
their situation, for example, the widest possible people were struggling to
obtain rations during the lockdown, so we connected them with others who aided
them with food and essentials.”

Johnson urges people to
connect with Aasar, an avenue to talk more about their situation and stress
without any fear of judgment or criticism from anywhere in the world on their
24/7 helpline number with professional emotional support volunteers.

During these stressful times, your window
of patience will be tested but with the right guidance and attitude, you can
decide what your new normal can be to maintain positivity.

Always remember two steps forward, one step
backward is still one step forward, so keep your head high and break the
silence.

Aasra has a 24/7 worldwide suicide
prevention helpline number, you can connect with them here http://www.aasra.info/helpline.html

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INJAZ Qatar provides youth with learning opportunities amid the pandemic

Never Stop Learning

During
this period of sudden educational disruption, INJAZ Qatar continues to
facilitate learning opportunities for young people. INJAZ Qatar has
successfully implemented a number of online programs under its three Pillars:
Entrepreneurship, Work Readiness, and Financial Literacy, reaching 92,000
students since its inception. By adapting to changes imposed by the COVID-19
pandemic, it has been able to prove its capabilities.

The
programs were delivered online as a new way to enhance the involvement and interaction
of the students with several companies. INJAZ Qatar was initially interested in
the creation of the first global virtual Innovation Camp “INJAZ Outside
Boundaries” which was founded by INJAZ Al Arab and funded by the Citi
Foundation.

With
the help of volunteers and INJAZ team members, around 200 students from various
countries in the Mena region worked together to find innovative solutions to
the educational and health care challenges created by the COVID-19 crisis. It
has been delivered to many other programs. The curriculum “Maharat Min
Google” has 3-4 hour sessions for more than 150 high schools and
university students; as well as the immersive system “Head Start” in
partnership with Al Khor Girls Center.

INJAZ
runs its first Citibank Online funded Digital Innovation Camp. Student teams
were provided with the opportunity to work collaboratively over three days to
tackle a specific COVID-19 pandemic business challenge. These projects aimed to
improve young people’s career prospects, provided visual features to inspire
them and train them for the workforce.

INJAZ
Qatar and INJAZ Al Arab have partnered together in collaboration with Boeing
International to introduce a virtual regional innovation camp. We addressed a
Boeing STEM-based company opportunity, designed entirely by Boeing and
delivered by the Boeing CSR department to the students.

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Azym Technologies Charters Indian Expats to their Homes

Shafeek Kabeer, founder, and CEO of Azym Technologies, a Qatar-based company, chartered a Qatar Airways flight with 175 expatriate passengers suffering from different circumstances.

Azym Technologies has more than 6,000 users and is one of the main and biggest cloud service providers in the Gulf area.

The deprived passenger flight departed from Qatar on June 26 at 3:30 am Doha time and arrived at 11 am IST.

This is the first time a private airline has chartered a flight for passengers solely for free in the Middle East.

“Azym Technologies has accomplished
this CSR activity of repatriation programme by chartering a full flight for
Indian citizens and expatriates free of cost in the current situation due to
COVID-19. They have successfully sustained this unique CSR operation to ever
take place in GCC by bringing home the most deserving passengers who are
suffering from diabetics, serious illness, the elderly, pregnant women, and
those who have lost their jobs and need support,” said a statement by the
company.

All rescued passengers have expressed their
gratitude for the initiative by Azym Technologies to take them home. This is
the first time that a chartered flight has flown from the Gulf to Kerala with
non-staffed passengers.

 “We
are planning to take more passengers to the country for free,” said the Founder
and CEO, Shafeek Kabeer.

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Ikea supports Qatar Charity to deliver 4,000 meals to those afflicted by Coronavirus

In cooperation with the
Municipality and Environment Ministry (MME), Qatar Charity (QC) has distributed
4,000 ready-to-eat meals — donated by Ikea Qatar — among those infected with
the Covid-19 at quarantine centers in Umm Salal and Mekaynis.

As part of its continuing
initiatives to include nutritious and preventative supplies, the delivery of
meals is meant to help minimize the spread of coronavirus, QC said in a
statement.

“As part of the efforts
made by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment represented by Al Daayen
Municipality to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, the Awareness and Health
Department has provided full support to, and supervision of, such initiatives
that contribute to helping those affected by the virus,” said Ahmed Matar al-Shammari,
public health inspector at Al Daayen Municipality.

Alexey Sitkin, store
manager of Ikea Qatar, said: “Caring for people is one of Ikea’s values. We
strive to support the competent authorities and the local community during this
hard time in whichever way possible. As part of its corporate social
responsibility, Ikea Restaurant has played an essential role by offering over
4,000 healthy meal packages for the infected and needy ones.”

“Qatar Charity continues to
distribute meals and food baskets to families with low income and those
affected by the coronavirus pandemic,” said Abdulaziz Jassim, director of the
customer service department at QC.

He added that Qatar
Charity, as a civil society association and as part of its donation to social
services, provided food packages to poor households and staff, as well as
ready-to-eat meals for employees in various quarantine centers.

He also acknowledged that
this program initiated at the beginning of the Covid-19 epidemic received an
unprecedented response from the country’s numerous companies.

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Talabat and Qatar Charity together delivered 10,000 nutritional meals

Food brings everyone together!

As part of the QR1 donation
initiative, the region’s leading food & grocery delivery portal Talabat has
confirmed the distribution of 10,000 meals to in-serving communities in
partnership with Qatar Charity (QC).

QR1 was donated to Qatar
Charity for each food order made via the Talabat app. In order to remain home
and keep healthy during the Covid-19 pandemic, consumers were urged to buy
their food digitally. Approximately 10,000 food packages were donated.

The Qatar Charity director
of customer support, Abdulaziz Jassim Haji, asserted that the initiative has
effectively guided people to sit at home and genuinely create a difference for
local neighbourhoods.

“We would like to thank Talabat Qatar for
addressing our cause creatively. During this period, it is important for the
community to gather their efforts and support those in need.  This has been a challenging Ramadan and
Covid-19 period for a number of families and individuals and the QR1 campaign
successfully provided them with the support required,” Abdulaziz Jassim Haji
quoted.

Francisco
De Souza, Talabat Qatar’s Managing Director, is proud of the efforts of the
people of Qatar throughout the Covid-19 period.

“I’m glad to see the community pulling
together through our platform to provide the support many require during this
pandemic. For every order made by our customers, they’ve supported someone in
need. Talabat Qatar will continue to look at ways to creatively support the
local community as it did through the QR1 campaign with Qatar Charity. I would
like to thank Qatar Charity for their astounding efforts in addressing
important causes across the country, which we’re proud of playing a role in
making this happen. Talabat is always on the lookout to help the local
community and aims to make a difference – despite the distance,” De Souza said.

Throughout the Covid-19
phase, Talabat has been effective in catering to the needs of the city,
maintaining the health and well-being of customers and drivers through
protected distribution policies, empowering restaurant partners, and local
communities continuously.

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