OCTOBER 2020
smilescapes
The pandemic-enforced lockdown has caused a tremendous amount of mental distress in people. The worst hit are children and families of daily wage labour in the rural as well as migrant urban populations. The fear and anxiety of these construction labourers, farmers, domestic helps, quarry workers etc is immense and palpable.
NO CURE. NO VACCINE. NO JOBS. NO LIVELIHOOD.
At Smile Foundation, we devised a two pronged approach to mitigate the crisis as much as we could.
Target reach: 2,00,000 children and families
Reach so far: 70,000+
Medical professionals in action: 150+
Footprint: 17 states
Satnam Singh,
Head of healthcare programme at Smile:
“This is an initiative to understand what the most vulnerable populations are experiencing. And the purpose is to help. We want to ensure their health and safety, by offering real solutions. Often, we lead them to government and private service helplines that they wouldn’t know of otherwise.”
This is not just a fight with an invisible enemy but also the test of humanity. It is taking a toll on the mental state of every individual and that will have a far more long lasting impact on people than the physical distress that might come with it. The least we can do is support each other and see this through.
Smile Against Hunger: So Far – 20 million meals, 23 states
Aim: To reach 25 million meals soon
The Smile team and local volunteers on ground are working with all necessary precautions for themselves and the community. Besides giving out the survival kits, they educate the people to maintain social distance, wash hands and cover their mouths at all times.
NO CURE. NO VACCINE. NO JOBS. NO LIVELIHOOD.
