World Vision India & Standard Chartered Bank Join Hands to Help People Amidst the COVID 19 crisis
Chennai: World Vision India a grass root humanitarian organization, has partnered with Standard Chartered Bank to strengthen its COVID 19 relief response to restore 6000 families from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh over the next three months.
The whole of India is reeling under the intense impact of the Pandemic COVID-19, due to which the entire country is under total lock-down. Under such circumstances, the lowest strata of the society who depend on their daily earnings have been the worst hit. Many of them have lost the only source of their income and have no means to make ends meet or provide food for their families. It is an uncertain future for this vast, invisible majority. With almost of two months-long lock-down of all economic activities, the path to recovery will be long and slow.
World Vision India along with the government- is on the ground reaching out to the most marginalized- daily labourers, migrants and the homeless who are at the lowest in the pecking order and have no access to ration or any social security schemes. World Vision India is striving to reach out to all the program implementation communities (4000 communities across the country) with Information Education Communication (IEC) materials, food, unconditional cash transfers, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits and hand wash facilities.
Speaking about the partnership, Sony Thomas, Group Director- Resource Mobilisation and Public Engagement said, “We are overwhelmed with Standard Chartered Bank’s contribution to COVID-19 response. Corporate partnerships like this will help World Vision India extend its COVID-19 relief response across many states. This partnership will help us to deliver relief to the poorest and most vulnerable. We want all children of India to enjoy good health, be well-nourished and free from all infection and diseases.
Standard Chartered Bank believes that every drop counts and every step is aimed at helping communities. Karuna Bhatia, Head – Sustainability India, Standard Chartered Bank said, “With over 160 years of presence in India, we are highly invested in the country’s economic and social growth. In these unprecedented times, we have joined forces with grass root civil society organizations across the country to collaboratively fight COVID-19. One of the ways in which we bring good brand promise to life is by effecting real change in the communities that we operate.”
Standard Chartered Bank has sanctioned INR 1.35 crore to World Vision India to provide dry rations to 6000 families residing in Agra, Kanpur, Muzaffarpur, Saharsa, Bokaro, Ranchi, Bhopal, Hoshangabad, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Khordha and Balangir districts. Beneficiaries include women headed households, long-term and seasonal migrants, families with physically challenged persons / senior citizens, pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under the age of five.