Here’s How You Can Help Adivasi and Tribal Communities During the Corona Crisis

This is an unprecedented time. In addition to the mental, physical, emotional and financial toll the virus has taken, the lockdown announced on 24th March, which has now extended till May, didn’t leave people any time to prepare and has had devastating effects on the marginalized communities of India. “..some of these steps have left tens of thousands of out-of-work migrant workers stranded, with rail and bus services shut down. The blanket closing of state borders has caused disruption in the supply of essential goods, leading to inflation and fear of shortages. Thousands of homeless people are in need of protection. Police actions to punish those violating orders have reportedly resulted in abuses against people in need.”, says this article on Human Rights Watch. While the move is widely criticized as being poorly planned, people and organizations have sprung into action to help the worst-affected communities get the essential resources to get through this crisis. Essential resources at this time include ration, meals, cash, toiletries, grocery, medicines, masks and a myriad of organizations are raising funds to provide them with the communities who are least likely to afford and have access to them. With over 37,000 cases confirmed in India at the time of this article being written, aid is needed now more than ever, in many spheres and communities. Here are options for you to help:

• Vanavil is providing relief kits with ration and hygiene supplies to women and children of the Irula, Narrikuravar and Boom Boom Mattakaran semi-nomadic tribal communities in the Chidambaram and Cuddalore taluks of Tamil Nadu.

Karur Vysya Bank A/C No.: 1258155000087415 | IFSC Code: KVBL0001258 | Account holder name: P.Sekar

• Ekta Parishad is working on a 3-stage intervention for migrant workers affected by COVID-19- providing critical food supplies to migrant workers, building community resources at the village level and establishing cottage/village industries to promote self reliance. They are also creating a database of migrant workers across India who are stuck in other states along with providing relief, as well as working on advocacy at the local administration level.

Canara Bank A/C No: 0295101026604 | IFSC Code: CNRB0000295 | Account holder name: Mahatma Gandhi Seva Ashram

• Chitrika is working to provide relief to farmers, artisans, and tribal families in remote areas of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Odisha.
  
• The Just Change India Producer Company along with Leap Club are selling pre-orders of 5000 jars of honey collected by the Kattunayakan honey gatherers of the Nilgiris which are lying unsold. Purchasing this honey will help the Adivasis prevent income loss and debt and safeguard their livelihood. 
• Prayatn Madait is providing ration kits to families working in tea gardens of Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal.

Bank of India Ac/No: 435710110003781 | IFSC Code:BKID0004357 | Account holder name: Sikha Oraon | Google UPI ID: sikha.oraon94@okicici | GPay Number: 9547914203

• Nazareth Foundation is raising funds to procure dry goods for Adivasi families living in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai.
• HELP Ranchi is distributing ration packets, cooked food and essentials to people in the district of Ranchi, along with conducting surveys and running a 24 x 7 helpline. For donations, the Google Pay/ PayTM/ UPI number is 8084255980. You can contact the same number to get details about bank transfer.

Please note: This is a crowdsourced list, please conduct your research and verification on the fundraisers. A few of these names have been sourced from this article by Amnesty India.  Please send us any fundraisers related to Adivasis, tribals and marginalized communities on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, or comment them down below. This is not an exhaustive list; we will keep updating new links as and when we come across them.