SOCHARA Covid 19 Response

Community Solidarity

  • SOCHARA is involved in providing groceries to hundreds of families living in slums and the migrant communities in Bangalore city. SOCHARA in collaboration with Project Smile Foundation was able to provide food kits to 100 families in Anandapuram and Mayabazaar, Bangalore where SOCHARA is actively involved in community health activities. We are also actively participating in 'WithBengaluru' collective to provide groceries for the needy. Wherever possible, we are addressing the food security issues of migrant workers in Bangalore. We provided ration kits to 120 Assamese families in Byappannahalli. Earlier, we supported 100 migrant families in Ramamurthy Nagar with the Help of Sisters of St Joseph Tarbes from Ramamurthy Nagar and 375 migrant families in Mahadevapura.
    Food Relief Materials Ananthapuram
    SOCHARA Office Materials
    Food Relief Materials Mayabazaar
    SOCHARA Office Materials
    SOCHARA Office Materials
    Food Relief Materials Ramamurthynagar
  • One of our team members is volunteering with the Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Karnataka as ‘Corona Warrior’ and is involved in the food distribution, rising awareness, maintaining physical distance in public spaces.
    Rajeev with Department of Information and Public Relations
    Distribution of food packets at Ramamurthynagar with Department of Labour
  • SOCHARA identified the need for mental health intervention with a growing uncertainty about the COVID-19 outbreak and the resulting fear and anxiety about the spread. Therefore, a system was set up with appropriate technologies, processes and formed a resource group (trained counsellors and psychologists).
    This initiative is called SAHAY is pan India service. Currently, we are working with government departments to make it available to the COVID-19 patients.
    The team currently consists of: Dr. Mani Kaliyath, Dr. Shirdi Prasad Tekur, Akshara Damle (founder of Manosamvaada), Ashish , Abu, Michelle, Prasanna and a couple of AID Bangalore volunteers (Srini, Adithya and Vish). SAHAY is supported by Tatva, Yogakshema and other like minded organisation.
  • PPE kits and masks support: With the help of AID US, we are procuring masks and PPE kits. Supporting the local emergency needs. We are also working with Yumetta to support emergency needs of community health hospitals
  • Our team member from Chennai cluster was involved in distributing face masks and hand sanitisers in Tirupattur, Tamil Nadu with the help of CHANGE.
  • SOCHARA team members successfully fundraised with AID chapters and other individual donors through social media for COVID 19 response.
  • Chennai cluster is working towards ensuring the safety of the migrant labours in and around Chennai. The team is working at two levels - firstly through linking the workers with the government's COVID-19 response cells viz. Temporary shelter homes, linking them with the zonal authorities (at least in 4 zones of Chennai and outskirts of Chennai including few parts of Kancheepuram district), Amma canteens. These workers are mostly from Maharashtra. Secondly, direct food grain distribution at Uthukottai and Sathyavedu villages in Tiruvallur district for the Irular indigenous community members through local mobilisation.

Community Health and Wellbeing Advocacy

  • SOCHARA developed a COVID-19 science sheet to give a good understanding of COVID-19. Click Here
  • One of our team member in collaboration with Dr Gajanan Phatke from Jan Swasthya Sahyog, Chattisgarh, was involved in preparing a guideline for setting up a community-based quarantine facility for rural areas in India. This document was shared with the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Government for their perusal. It is also used by the Azim Premji University for broader usage. Click Here
  • SOCHARA is also contributing to a youth network consisting of nearly 400 volunteers from across India are involved in developing COVID-19 related IEC materials such as posters, audio and videos in 8 different languages- Kannada, English, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Urdu, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese and Punjabi. Efforts are made to make audio clips in the Adivasi languages such as Santali and Gond. Click Here
  • Bhopal cluster is coordinating with NGO partners and community health workers in Madhya Pradesh by sharing relevant resource material on COVID19.
  • SOCHARA is involved in collating status reports on the intensity of COVID-19 outbreak, community reactions, challenges in the field, space and area for intervention from Tamil Nadu through Makkal Nalvaazhvu Iyakkam, (MNI). The Chennai team is also working on producing IEC materials on COVID-19 in the Tamil language in coordination with TNSF friends.
  • SOCHARA supported the teams in CBRF (Community Based Rehabilitation Forum and the Association of Persons with Disability (APD) in responding to COVID- 19 with a focus on Persons with Disability, their carer's and families. We also provided advisory support to Dhwani Foundation in setting up shelters for migrant workers.
  • The Chennai unit is working on building awareness, clarifying misconceptions, authenticated online materials related to COVID-19. The team also extended its work on issues related to relief measures to the migrants, connecting the authorities to the civil society groups, explaining the health systems response, manifestation of disease and government response, building solidarity for front line health workers, victims of disease and discussion with other health networks in Tamil Nadu.

Community Oriented Policy and Advocacy

  • SOCHARA is actively participating with Jan Swasthya Abhiyan on the health system and community-based groups and holding virtual discussions through skype, WhatsApp and e-mail and brought out press releases. The Chennai team is involved in collecting data related to Tamil Nadu COVID responses and will be bringing a report soon.
  • SOCHARA was involved in translating the People’s Health Movement’s advisory on COVID-19 response to Kannada. Click Here
  • SOCHARA is corresponding regularly with the BBMP officials and local volunteers in Bangalore on COVID 19 situation in the SOCHARA field areas.
  • SOCHARA provided inputs to the NHM-Advisory group on community action (AGCA) on community-led approaches to COVID-19.
  • The Chennai team is raising field-level issues with health system officials including the former chief secretary, Girija Vaidhyanathan, VHN association president, key reporters from prime media channels on the issues related to lack of PPE in public hospitals, unusual transfers of medical personnel, lack of masks and lack of proper facilities for health care personnel.
  • SOCHARA undertook a Janata audit to assess the situation of 1800 migrant families in JD Mara urban slum in Bangalore. The data is analysed and will be submitted to BBMP officials.

Janata Audit

  • Click Here to download a Step by Step guide to conduct a Janata Audit
  • Click Here to download Mahadevpura Survey Report

Solidarity and Peer support to friends of SOCHARA

  • Community Health Learning and Information Centre (CLIC) is regularly communicating with SOCHARA associates about COVID-19 related resource materials.
  • SOCHARA is also providing technical support to a group in Mhow near Indore in Madhya Pradesh regarding preventive measures for COVID-19.