In addition to the devastating sickness and the tragic loss of life, one of the major effects of the Covid-19 pandemic has been its economic effect on impoverished and indigent groups and the loss of livelihoods and life’s essentials. Interruptions in supply chains, in addition to the more obvious loss of income from a still-shrinking workforce, has created a new class of needy and worsened an already enormous segment of the population that is nothing less than poverty-stricken. In India and around the world, meals are missed and homes lost – and, even more tragically, there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight.
Which is why, through the inspiration and with the blessings of HH Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, and with the beautiful guidance of Pujya Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswatiji, Parmarth Niketan has undertaken bi-weekly visits to some of Uttarakhand’s poorest neighborhoods, including those within Rishikesh, to provide much-needed assistance to our most-deserving and most disenfranchised neighbors. A Rasan Vitran – Ration Distribution – that touches hearts and provides sustenance to the divine souls most-affected by the Coronavirus.
Implemented by Global Interfaith WASH Alliance Program Implementation Director, Ganga Nandiniji, the initiative has been a beautiful chance for members of the GIWA team to affect positive change in local communities – and, for the residents of those communities to recognize that they haven’t been – and will not be – forgotten.
