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ASTHA’s response to Covid-19

A brief report of work done during first week of the lockdown

Due to the outburst of COVID19, ASTHA decided to continue its work with children with

disabilities and their families through the ‘work from home’ approach, considering the safety of

our children and staff. We had done the preparatory work with the children and families prior to

this week. It is important to not lose sight of the families, because we work with one of the most

vulnerable sections of the society. These are families living on margins of poverty, exclusion,

hunger and disability. As now clear by innumerable media reports, the effects of lockdown are

the gravest on the poor and vulnerable. We are trying to lessen the damage done to our families

in these times of crisis.

Reached out to more than 140 children with

disabilities through calls and texts

Ensured families living in urban slums are safe

and provided basic psychosocial support

Communicated the need for precautions of Covid 19 to families of children

with disabilities

Facilitated ration/nutrition to

families in need amidst the lockdown

Advocated for Right to Food for everyone

including children going to Anganwadis and

Schools

Reached out to families who have been displaced

due to the Delhi riots and provided aids and appliances and ration

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A brief snapshot of work with our children and families:

Making sure the learning does not stop

ASTHA’s work with children is through its centres and home based work. Home based work

focuses on training families of children with disabilities. This strategy was used in these times of

lockdown where every parent was given age and abilities-appropriate learning materials for their

children. After giving the material last week, the educators stayed in touch with all the families

and ensured that the learning of the child doesn’t stop. A roster was made where educators and

community workers stayed in touch with the families.

Providing the much needed ‘support’ to families

These are the times when families are in great distress. Not just families of children with

disabilities but all individuals and families are anxious, stressed and worried amidst this public

health crisis. ASTHA has always believed that families are an ecosystem and without their

support, it is impossible to bring about a change in the child. In these times, ASTHA’s

community workers reached out to every family and in communities to listen to them, provide

them whatever support required.

Children with disabilities are often on long term medication for conditions such

as seizures, or may require regular blood transfusions because of conditions such

as thalassaemia etc. Abdullah is a 15 year old young adult who attends our Batla

house center, has seizures and is on medication. He stays with his 2 younger sisters and

1 younger brother, and his mother who raised her family all by herself with little

support from her brother. She stitches clothes for her daily earning, and to take care of

her family. But due to lockdown her mother was not able to take him for the check-up,

get the medicines and hence Abdullah started having uncontrolled seizures. The team

acted immediately and worked to facilitate the provision of medications. We shared the

contact and address and the medicines were provided at her doorstep. Abdullah’s

mother was happy with the effort that was but in by the team for her child

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Advocating for rights and entitlements

During times of crisis, we are aware that it is the vulnerable who are hit the most. ASTHA during

this week consistently energized the ICDS and Education system drawing their attention

constantly to families of children in need and facilitating ration transfer. Senior members of

ASTHA are constantly in touch with MLAs of the area, government representatives and

organizations that are providing food drawing their attention to families with children and

persons with disabilities or single parent families or families where the major bread earner is

incapacitated.

Provided dry ration to 4 families

Advocated for nutrition for children with disabilities (0-8 years) from Anganwadi centres

Advocated for food for children going to schools. ASTHA along with other organizations

working for children is advocating for the provision of dry ration to children through their

schools and through energizing the school management committees

Sara and Rahil are siblings, who come to the Batla house center. Sara is 10, Rahil is 12

years old with both of them having hearing impairment. The team came to know during

the telephonic follow up that, their mother was concern for the ration and how to feed the

family during the Lockdown. Sara’s mother works in homes as a maid and was asked to

sit at home due to this she does not have enough money to feed her family of 4 children

as a single mother (recently her husband expired of Tuberculosis). The team immediately

facilitated this and started working for ways to ensure that ration is provided. We spoke

to different organisations and found out about the schemes of Government to provide her

ways to get the ration. The team now ensured that the ration would be provided in her

house in 1 or 2 days, or else the local NGO’s working in the nearby area would be

supporting.

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Children receiving food from Anganwadis

Information as power

ASTHA suspended its regular operations before the official announcement by the state

government about the lockdown. The National Disability Helpline of ASTHA, housed in Giri

Nagar was also forced to shut. In order to revive the helpline amidst this crisis, a temporary

mobile number was started for people to call and get any information. In the coming week the

helpline will proactively reach out to children and persons with disabilities and their families

with information.

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Working with Children and Persons with Disabilities and those grievously injured in the

Delhi Violence

Responding immediately in the aftermath of the violence in North East Delhi, ASTHA along

with one other disability organization and a disability expert, set up a small task force which

identified 40 children and persons with disabilities through the Eidgah camp and others who

were injured and are likely to sustain disabilities through various groups working on the ground.

In the event of the lockdown the task force has actively worked to ensure rations to these

families who have been displaced and are extremely traumatized. A group of volunteers have

constantly been in touch with families and are facilitating support. This proactive and targeted

support becomes very important for persons with disabilities as they may not be able to access

relief like others can.

There are many families like of Rubina, whom ASTHA and its partners are helping with

ration, rent, aids and appliances, medical tests etc.

ASTHA has also given its two vans for food distribution, implemented by other

organizations.

Rubina is 33 years old and lives in a rented room with her 5 children, a 14 year old boy

and 4 daughters aged 12 and 10 years and twins who are 6 years old each. She is facing

psychological distress. She used to own two sewing machines that used to sustain her

livelihood. Along with her elder daughter, the stitching used to fetch them anywhere

between 10-12k for a family of 6. When the riots broke, the mob vandalized her rented

place and stole the only source of livelihood – the sewing machines. Along with her

children, she shifted to the makeshift eidgah camp. With the lockdown taking place, the

family was displaced the second time when the government decided to do away with the

camp. However, Rubina, with the help of acquainted, shifted to a small rented place.

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Families with materials for children

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Children doing activities in their homes; as discussed with ASTHA’s educators. The material

was already given to them.

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Dilip (left): A young person with

visual impairment working at his home on a Braille slate

Dilshad (right): A young man with multiple

disabilities at his home

Chaya, a 4 year old girl and her younger

sister are both children with disabilities.

They live in Tehkhand Village in the

Okhla industrial area in New Delhi. Their

father works as a laborer in the Okhla

industrial area. Both children are severely

malnourished and have been receiving

nutrition support through ASTHA. The

continuation of that support was essential

in this time of Lockdown. By coordinating

with some of our vendors within the

community, we were able to provide suji,

daliya, sabudana, sugar, ghee to the family

for two months. This will help the family

to stay at their home and provide safety for their children.

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In the coming week, the second week of the lockdown ASTHA will expand its reach in the slum

areas of Okhla, Tughlaqabad, Batla House through its network of community workers and

through families of children with disabilities. Through the families we work with, ASTHA will

identify many more families in distress and provide support.

ASTHA along with partners will continue to reach out to children and persons with disabilities

who have been affected by violence in North- east Delhi.