COVID-19 in India:
The infectious disease caused by the recently discovered novel Coronavirus has created a huge impact in the lives of people all around the world and equally much in India. It played a disastrous role in the lives of poor and marginalised people in this nation. The manufacturing industry was badly hit everywhere. The trade impact of the pandemic on India causes losses of billions of US Dollars.
In the country of India 40% of its people are living in below the poverty line and another 30% are depending on daily wages. They are going through the toughest time of their lives and millions lost their jobs
Chennai, the southern megacity where IIDA is located is next to Mumbai the worst hit city in India with 75000 coronavirus cases alone when writing this article, and still rising. The restrictions that are mandated by the Tamil Nadu Government paralysed the lives of millions and causes untold misery to the poorest of the poor.
As the need of the relief work is immense in India, we in IIDA, according to our capacity, stepped out to help in all possible ways. Although unable to move freely due to lockdown restrictions, our staff is able to do relief work in certain areas that are described below
Providing Shelter & Food to Migrant workers at Pallavaram, Chennai. 
Provided Groceries Kit to 25 Poor & Needy families at Pallavaram, Chennai.
Providing Midday meal to Slum Children & Jobless Parents at Besant Nagar, Chennai Provided Groceries Kit to 25 Poor & Needy families at Pallavaram, Chennai.
COVID-19 RELIEF WORK IN GENERAL:
OUR GREATEST CHALLENGE: OUR TRAINEES AND THEIR FAMILIES
IIDA is known for its work among underprivileged students in India for the past 46 years. 80% of the students studying in our Skill Centres and Community Colleges are from poor background and below poverty line. This Covid-19 situation made their life still worse, it turned it upside down as most of the parents lost their jobs as daily labourers and house maids due to the nationwide lockdown. To get back to normal life it may take a year or two for them. We IIDA want to help them by sharing their burden as much as we can.
1.“Food for the Family” Scheme:
We have identified families of more than 100 trainees and students out of 450 enrolled with us who badly need our immediate help in this situation. We would like to provide assistance for food for at least 3 months to them so that they are relieved and encouraged. (INR 2500 x 3 x 100 families)
2. Stipends to poor Trainees:
The greatest challenge in IIDA through the coronavirus is that many of trainees are from disadvantaged families that have no means to pay even our subsidized fees. We wish to help at least 100 students (hopefully even more) and appeal to sponsors to donate stipends for a 6-months training courseof INR 14,400 each. Theseseverely affected youths will then be able to overcome their hopelessness through getting skills, a job and a bright future. With INR 14400 per student we in IIDA believe thattogether we can bring back their lost smile backon their faces.
SOME OF OUR TRAINEES’ LIVES DURING COVID-19 LOCKDOWN:
EASWARI
She is the best student in our Community College, living in Poonjeri Village, Mamallapuram in a rented house. She is studying “Health Care Assistant” course and doing well in her studies. But her family is very poor and we are arising some local donations to help her paying her subsidised fee.
The family depends on the father who earns from his daily labour work. Her elder brother also helps the family by doing small jobs in spite his studies. Her mother is a house wife.
Now due to the lockdown situation, the family is affected very much financially as her father and brother couldn’t go to any work for the past three months. They have to look for a job after the relaxation of lockdown.
GOWTHAM
Trade: Carpentry, at IIDA Training School, Pallavaram, Chennai.
Gowtham, a mentally disadvantaged student aged about17 years. He lives with his parent and an elder brother who is doing his undergraduate in BA. His father is a cook in a small hotel. His mother used to work in an export company as a helper. The family finding it difficult to educate the elder son & to manage the younger son who is not mentally fit to be educated.
Gowtham, is an enthusiastic student with a smiling face. Though his learning capacity is very low, in IIDA we help him to learn some practical work in Carpentry & teaching him to handle some hand tools so that he can be trained to be a helper to the carpenter.
This Covid-19 situation has made the life harder to his family as both his father and mother couldn’t go to work. For the past 3 months they are managing with some available money and the government provided rations. They are in need of help badly.
ILANGO
Doing his Fitter trade at IIDA Training Centre at Pallavaram, Chennai. His Father is an auto rickshaw driver and has some severe health issues.
He has a sister who is younger to him. His mother had left the family and ran away with another man about 3 years ago.
The sickly father was always finding it difficult to run the family even in the normal days. Now due to Covid-19 lockdown, he is suffering a lot to feed his children and finding it difficult to get treatment as he couldn’t able to ride his auto rickshaw. Ilango, was helping the family by distributing milk pockets in the mornings.
Considering his poor condition IIDA has provided him food & accommodation in the hostel and charges very minimal fee to his training. Ilango’s family is in need of our help and financial support in this crucial situation.
PAVITHRA
Pavithra’s is one of our “Health Care Assistant” course student at our Mamallapuram Community College. She lives with her parent and an elder sister in a rented house in a village near Mamallapuram. The financial condition of the family is very poor. The only breadwinner to the family is her father. Since he is an uneducated man, he does some daily labour work at wherever & whatever he gets. Sometimes her mother also goes to work in order to support the family. Her sister is sickly and she can’t go to work.
Pavithra is very much interested in her studiers. Due to her poor family condition she couldn’t continue her school studies. So she is getting skill training with IIDA. Due to the Covid-19 lockdown her father hasn’t got any job for the past 3 months. Also he did not get his 2 month wages from the owner prior to the lockdown too. They are managing with government provided groceries & some cash support.
APPROXIMATE OVERALL COVID-19 RELIEF COSTS:
Whether it is large or small, every contribution will be greatly appreciated!
| Links for donations to our own accounts and our longstanding international partner accounts that allow tax concessions | Write comment when filling the formats: | |
| Directly to our IIDA accounts | Click here for donating to our Indian accounts | COVID-19 Relief |
| United Kingdom: | https://www. linksinternational.org.uk/ donate/donate-to-an-act4you-account/5/credit-card | COVID-19 Relief to IIDA |
| Eurozone (It is a German language site, but you could do a Google translation): | https://www.inter-mission.de/ | COVID-19 Relief to IIDA |
| USA: | https://give.christianaid.org/Donate/Donate.aspx | ITM 610 COVID-19 Relief |