PAHAL’s partner LabourNet is supporting people affected by COVID-19 by providing them with food & essentials, cooked meal packets and sanitization kits at home and workplace
With the looming economic and health impact of COVID-19 taking a significant toll on individuals and small businesses across the globe, a large population of India, which is dependent on the unorganized sector, is facing the biggest brunt of the pandemic. Inadequate relief measures and layoffs are pushing the migrant population to head back to their native regions but not everyone can make this journey, leaving lakhs of migrant workers stranded in cities with limited access to food and livelihood.
In times like these, LabourNet, a social enterprises that is enabling sustainable livelihoods in urban and rural areas, along with a network of partners, is leveraging its distribution network across India to support migrant workers and other vulnerable groups to sustain the current crisis with a limited impact on their economic stability. LabourNet is supporting such workers by providing them food & essentials kits, cooked meals packet and sanitization kits at their homes and workplaces to build resilience in communities. Additionally, LabourNet, through its corporate partners, is creating awareness and promoting best practices around COVID-19.
Through this initiative, LabourNet has impacted people across 15 states in India
2, 31, 270 Groceries Kits Distributed
2, 64, 552 Sanitization Kits Distributed
5,072 Cooked Meals Distributed
As part of LabourNet’s COVID-19relief initiatives, it distributed grocery kits and food packets to employees of Shapoorji Paloonji and educated its employees on the best practices related to hygiene. This has immensely helped migrant workers like Ramakant and Neelkamal, who are disproportionately impacted by the current health and economic crisis.
Ramakanth, aged 34 years, construction worker from Odisha is working in Bangalore since 5 years. When the lockdown was announced he was anxious and worried but as the days passed, he is now more relaxed. He says that his company has supported him and all the employees in every way possible.
“We would get grocery kits along with some money for personal use. The officials would either visit us or call us to ask about our wellbeing. We all were humbled with their gesture and feel elated to be part of such organization where laborers are considered as family and not burden.”
The government instructions have been followed strictly at workplace including regular sanitization, maintaining social distance, washing hands and other standard procedures. “I never felt like going back to my hometown just because of the care my company showered on me and all employees.”, he said assuringly.
Like Ramakanth, another migrant labor from Jharkhand has benefited from the support provided by LabourNet. Neelkamal Kewat, 35-year-old electrician has been working in Bangalore for the past 9 years. He says that if he would not have got the support from the company, he also would have to travel back to his hometown and maybe become a farmer.
Talking about the safety preparedness at work Neelkamal says, “We are all following all the standard procedures at workplace like social distancing, wearing masks and PPE, washing hands frequently, sanitizing the area of work etc. I feel safe to work here as the company takes care of health and hygiene of every employee.”
With the looming economic and health impact of COVID-19 taking a significant toll on individuals and small businesses across the globe, relief efforts from the government and the private sector are rapidly taking shape. Organizations like LabourNet are coming forward with proposals that are set to impact the lives of 1,00,000 worker families across India.
About LabourNet
LabourNet works towards enabling sustainable livelihoods in urban and rural areas. It integrates social and business impact by bridging the gaps in education, employment, and entrepreneurship. The enterprise works to improve the socio- economic status of people associated with the unorganized value chain through skilling interventions, facilitating wage/self- employment and entrepreneurship by bringing together all the stakeholders: large, small & medium enterprises, educational institutions, corporates, government, and individuals.
About PAHAL
PAHAL (Partnerships for Affordable Healthcare Access and Longevity), is United States Agency for International Development and IPE Global’s flagship innovative financing platform to promote health financing models and provide catalytic support to social enterprises or Inclusive Business Models (IBMs) for improving access to affordable and quality healthcare solutions for the underserved.
Our IBM partners are working across the healthcare delivery, healthcare skilling and health/medical technologies sectors with significant potential to improve the health landscape and health outcomes in India.
PAHAL is provide LabourNet with technical assistance related to access to capital and strategic advisory for its business. Further, PAHAL is assisting LabourNet by galvanizing corporate partnerships and mobilizing resources for its COVID-19 related interventions, enabling LabourNet to generate transformative impact at ground level.
