COVID-19 continues to hit the poor the most

The second wave in April - May this year devastated many families, with children bearing the brunt of it. Already, children from marginalized families have had little or no access to online classes for more than a year. Millions of families have lost their source of income, pushing them further into poverty. Also, news reports suggest many children have lost one or both parents to COVID. 

Hope Unlimited is supporting 10 families across five districts in Tamil Nadu with a small cash transfer in the months of June and July 2021. ActionAid India identified the families for Hope Unlimited. 

Below is the case story of one family.

She is just eleven years old but her childhood is over already. Since losing her mother to Covid in the devastating second wave in May this year, Saranya has had to take over the domestic chores, cleaning, washing the clothes and cooking for the family. The 11-year-old also takes care of Ammu, her nine-year-old sister. Their father, an alcoholic, offers little support or care. The family, which lives in Chetpet village in Tiruvannamalai district, Tamil Nadu, had little to start with but the pandemic has worsened their living condition. Though a kind neighbour provides some support to the two, the two get by with just one meal a day. Saranya says: “Both my sister and I have been having only one meal a day during this pandemic period as we can’t afford three meals and no one is there to help us after we lost our mother.” The girl hardly remembers the last time that they got new clothes to wear.

Saranya is in Grade 6 but with the closure of schools, she has not been able to join the online classes organized by her school. And though she dreams of becoming a doctor and helping the poor, right now, all she wants is food, clothes and better care for her sister. 

(June 2021)