Help Alex feed villages during Covid-19 crisis

When the lockdown hit and the borders around the town of Pondicherry (Southern India) became restricted to outside commerce, food prices shot up. With most families (who used to rely on day-to-day income in the form of cash) going without work, and with food prices now far too high for them to afford, many are going hungry.

Hoping to do his part in providing relief to those in need, Alex — a long time friend who I met whilst working in a home outside Pondicherry for HIV-positive children in 2013 — took it upon himself to partner up with some people he knew and prepare food every day to start feeding Pondicherry’s homeless community. This was initially done without permission from the government, as he didn’t have an “accredited” NGO attached to his name. There are only a few accredited NGOs in Pondicherry that can still operate, but their combined efforts are still not enough to provide relief to all those in need. The local government heard about what Alex was doing, and is now helping him with basic supplies so he can keep delivering food to those most affected by the lockdown. 

Since then, his initiative has expanded to feed families in nearby villages, who share a similar plight but unlike the homeless, are out of public sight. He is currently feeding up to 2000 people a day. And still it isn’t enough: one village he went to a couple of days ago —comprised of 40 families, each with between 4-5 children— hadn’t received food in 2 days; the leader of the village broke down in tears when Alex arrived.

I’ve set up this campaign to help Alex carry on doing what he does.

Although he has already come a long way, there are still thousands more that could stand to benefit from his initiative.


Some relevant figures:

40 cents covers the cost of one meal per person per day.
That’s 800 euros per day needed to give 2000 people one meal.
The lockdown in India is announced to last until at least May 3rd.
So 12,000 euros covers the costs of feeding 2000 people until May 3rd. 

Every little helps, but to put things in context:

Donating 6 euros could feed one person every day until May 3rd.
However, donating 30 euros or more could feed a family during this period.

These are hard times for everyone, but even the smallest of your contributions would be directly helping those who have been left in the most desperate conditions from this pandemic.

I think Alex is setting a lovely human example to all of us, and I would not have started this or be appealing to your generosity if I didn’t have the utmost trust in what he does.

On behalf of Alex and his friends and those he is feeding, I thank you all in advance for taking part in this, and sharing this message along.


With sincere gratitude and love,

Manon

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About Alex:

Alex, a long time friend who I worked alongside in a home for HIV-positive children when I lived in India, is by far one of the most humble, wise and intelligent people I know. He grew up in a village on the outskirts of Pondicherry, and though many claim the caste-system is a “thing of the past”, this could not be further from the truth. Alex comes from the class of untouchables, and used to be banned from entering the properties of his friends as a child, or indeed beaten if, God forbid, he as much as attempted to touch their fence.

Through a commitment to education, dedication to making a difference, and humility of character, he put himself through university, and has worked his way up to gain respect from his colleagues, and the children and teenagers he looked after in NGOs, who consider him an older brother.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Alex was working on creating his own NGO to give the work he does more weight and recognition. My family and I were preparing a crowd-funding at the time to help him set up his organisation, but when the lockdown was announced by surprise, he shifted his focus to basically becoming a self-initiated “food bank”.

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How this crowdfunding started:

I was head-down working on my Bachelor thesis when a call with Alex yesterday catapulted me completely off tangent. During what was supposed to be a “catch up” call, I struggled to align two words together as I witnessed from his phone a quarantine reality so distant from my own. The call ended, and the following passage came out of me like a word vomit. Never had I felt as useless, like an ashtray on a motorbike, as I did after we “spoke”. So on suggestion of my parents and brother, I started this crowd-funding campaign, hoping it won’t be in vain, trying to do what I can from the comfort and safety of my home during these strange times.


I called to get news.

Virtual talk was our normal long before

It became the norm global to all.

His camera turned away from his mask-concealed face

And before me I saw the reality

Of quarantine life in an Indian village by night.

A queue without end in sight

Of barefoot peoples awaiting their turn

To feed their desperate bodies and

Those of their families.

And he, bless him, an angel in human disguise

Trying to keep them in line,

Tucking despair in his pocket,

As he takes feeding the 5000 in his stride.

I’m feeding my village, he said

I’ll put the video on.

And I hold back the tears

Not of sorrow, but of disbelief

As I feel my gut tighten,

and heart knotting up,

I can’t breathe.

Commotion fuels one side of screen

As my silence dominates the other.

A scream would have been more in order,

To the leaders, policymakers, the spirits and gods

Alex, tell me, what do I do,

I want to help, but how when we’re continents apart?


How did they let it get to this?

Preserving the health of our elders

healthcare structures

and, incidentally, mother earth,

Has come at the cost of all those others.

If it weren’t for you, how would they eat?

I’m not sure, he replied.

This can’t be the way.