Telangana: Bala Vikasa doing its bit in Covid times, distributes 4,000 grocery kits to Covid patients

Warangal Urban: SOPAR Bala Vikasa has distributed as many as 4,000 grocery kits to Covid-19 patients in 216 villages of eight districts -Warangal, Karimnagar, Mahabubad, Siddipet, Hyderabad, Nagarkurnool, Medchal- where its Women Integrated Development (WDP) programme is being implemented.

According to a press note here on Wednesday, as a part of the ‘Corona Cheyutha’ initiative, Bala Vikasa with the financial support of SOPAR, Canada, distributed as many as 4000 grocery kits to rural poor families with Covid positive patients in an effort to alleviate hunger and starvation caused by plummeting incomes due to the strict quarantine/isolation protocols.

Understanding the grave financial impact of Covid care and management on families dependent on daily wages, Warangal-born Bala T Singareddy Gingras, recipient of the Meritorious Service Cross decorations from the Canadian Government and founder of SOPAR Bala Vikasa, quickly mobilised funds to the tune of Rs 25,00,000 from generous Canadian donors.

“We are really disturbed by the situation that is emerging in India due to the deadly second wave. Working with rural poor communities for nearly 40 years now, we know that they will be the worst sufferers in all of this. Many had faced hunger and starvation during the first wave and we wanted to do something about that. As families with Covid patients are confined to their homes for a few weeks, we decided to help them with grocery kits so that they don’t have to worry about their next meal at the least,” said Bala T Singareddy Gingras. She expressed her heartfelt gratitude to all the Canadian donors who pitched in.

Executive Director (ED) of Bala Vikasa, Shoury Reddy, said “Recent surveys suggest that during this second wave, COVID has spread to the rural communities and 3 out of 10 households are showing symptoms. There is a lot more that will need to be done. We are motivating the public to do their bit in supporting the poor in facing these tough times.” He further mentioned that the organisation is mobilising individual and institutional donors to help provide medical kits, oxygen concentrators and other relief activities in rural areas as a part of the Corona Cheyutha initiative.