In an endeavour to support millions of migrant families during the COVID-19 outbreak, Responsenet, a CSR implementation organization, has launched the ‘SwachhGiri’ and the ‘SwachhLabs’ initiative to provide solutions to health and safety problems faced by vulnerable communities.
The initiative focuses on generating actionable schemes that can help overcome the problem of water, sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), education, health and livelihoods with a focus on migrant families.
Further, the initiative will help rehabilitate the migrant workers once the situation attains normalcy. This will be done by re-skilling and up-skilling the workers and providing basic amenities to the families. Through multiple collaborations, Responsenet is also developing a scheme to engage with non-formal school-going children who presently do not have access to education and are severely impacted by the lockdown.
Speaking on the impact of the pandemic on the livelihood of over 4o million migrants across India, Ms Angela Nar, Director of Responsenet said, “Over the past many years we have been relentlessly working with the migrant communities. However, the time calls for more stringent actions to safeguard the community especially post lockdown. We are working with our partners to reskill and upskill migrants to help find livelihoods near them. Our ongoing skill development programs assure 70% employment for those who successfully complete the training.”
Since the first phase of lockdown, Responsenet has provided over 2.5 million ration and hygiene kits to daily wage earners and migrants from the states of New Delhi, Haryana, Assam, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Telangana, West Bengal, Daman & Diu, and Punjab. The kit contains basic amenities such as atta, pulses, spices, cooking oil, masks, and soaps which will be distributed even after the lockdown period to ensure the well-being of migrants during these testing times.
These efforts are supported by various partners and individuals such as KFC India, Microsoft, AON, to name a few who have come forward for those grappling with limited or no access to essential items, including food, for their families.
Established in 2007, Responsenet has touched the lives of millions across India and maximized social return on investment in partnerships with corporations from various sectors. It is a mission-driven organization working towards the socio-economic development of the underprivileged. Through its strategic approach, the organization caters to diverse thematic areas including Poverty Alleviation, Quality Education, Livelihood Development, Skill Development, Quality Healthcare & Nutrition, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Women Empowerment, Agriculture Development, Disaster Relief & Rehabilitation and Environment Sustainability among many others.