Tag: ACORN India

  • ACORN India Delhi: Organizers ramp up support for communities amid COVID wave

    Janpahal, RIST, ACORN India, COVID crisis in India

    As India remains gripped in the latest coronavirus upsurge, members of ACORN India have stepped in around the country to provide food supplies, resources, and quarantine support.

    In Delhi, contract workers were recently granted two months of food rations after a push from nonprofit groups like ACORN India to provide resources for informal workers and those left behind by the government during the pandemic.

    Despite these measures, communities affected by COVID are still in need. As Hawkers Joint Action Committee and ACORN ally Dharmendra Kumar points out:

    “Later generations of migrants do not have documentation in Delhi or the place of origin. Government schemes generally favour property owners, and without their cooperation you can’t get a ration card. Most people eligible for rations are tenants.”

    – Telegraph India

    ACORN India, in affiliation with Rural India Supporting Trust (RIST) and the nonprofit Janpahal, has stepped in to provide additional support.

    RIST, Janpahal, ACORN India, COVID crisis in India
    ACORN India has been providing additional food rations to families in need during the COVID crisis

    ACORN India has also been coordinating efforts and community outreach through a COVID Handbook, which details the testing centers, local hospital information, and traceable contacts for cab drivers who can be called on to transport members of the community to COVID testing sites. This handbook also shares information on a tip hotline for reporting scams related to COVID, such as fake medicine, ambulance pricing scams, and cases of oxygen hoarding.

    Despite their efforts, ACORN India cannot fight COVID alone. If you’re interested in helping out our organizers, check out the link below:

    Donate to ACORN India here

  • ACORN India: Informal workers seek support as Delhi prepares for another lockdown

    ACORN India, WPC, Working Peoples' Charter

    As New Delhi prepares for another lockdown, street vendors and informal works are often the ones who pay the highest price.

    Dharmendra Kumar, member of the Delhi chapter of Hawkers’ Joint Action Committee, an ACORN affiliate, recently spoke about the lack of adequate medical supplies:

    This shortage is across the city and predictably the marginalised groups are the most affected. As far as street vendors are concerned, with most of them being migrants, there are not many people here whom they can approach for assistance – especially in today’s time when even the well-off groups are finding themselves helpless.

    Kumar was also quoted as urging the Modi government to provide a one-time cash assistance to workers who are hardest hit by the pandemic.

    To support the Hawker’s Joint Action Committee, check out the link below to donate.

    Support the Hawker’s Join Action Committee