Help Indian Sanitation Workers Brave the Pandemic
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Over the past few weeks, India has been reeling from the devastating effects of a second COVID-19 wave. The official government tally has exceeded 350,000 positive cases and 3,000 deaths on average per day, leaving hospitals full and crematoriums overflowing. The lack of planning and investment in public health infrastructure and low vaccination rates have resulted in a tragedy of unimaginable proportions. This is exacerbated by the lack of essential medical equipment such as oxygen cylinders, making treatment inaccessible to the vast majority.
Members of marginalized groups that are most affected by COVID-19 are often overlooked in fundraising efforts. One such group are sanitation workers, who have played a critical role in helping reduce the spread of COVID-19. And yet, they have received little to no training or protective equipment. A recent survey found that only “30.7% of sanitation workers received masks, 22.4% received gloves, 31.1% received soaps, and just 18.9% received sanitisers”. Of these sanitation workers, many are “manual scavengers”, primarily from the Dalit community. These workers manually remove human waste from dry latrines, sewers and septic tanks and face significant health risks, in addition to financial hardships and caste discrimination.
The organization:
Safai Karmachari Andolan (translation Sanitation Workers' Movement: SKA), is a non-profit based in New-Delhi, India led by Ramon Magsaysay awardee Bezwada Wilson. The organization aims to eradicate manual scavenging and rehabilitate scavengers for dignified occupations. SKA also works towards building awareness on the equality and dignity of every human being, through mobilizing local leadership from the community and directly confronting issues related to caste and patriarchy. SKA has been active for over 30 years and has 6350 volunteers in 439 districts across India.
Funds will be used to procure PPE and address the immediate rehabilitation needs of sanitation workers.
Who we are:
We are graduate students at the University of Michigan working to raise funds to help the marginalized groups of safai karamcharis brave the pandemic in India.
(Image credit: Bar and Bench )
Members of marginalized groups that are most affected by COVID-19 are often overlooked in fundraising efforts. One such group are sanitation workers, who have played a critical role in helping reduce the spread of COVID-19. And yet, they have received little to no training or protective equipment. A recent survey found that only “30.7% of sanitation workers received masks, 22.4% received gloves, 31.1% received soaps, and just 18.9% received sanitisers”. Of these sanitation workers, many are “manual scavengers”, primarily from the Dalit community. These workers manually remove human waste from dry latrines, sewers and septic tanks and face significant health risks, in addition to financial hardships and caste discrimination.
The organization:
Safai Karmachari Andolan (translation Sanitation Workers' Movement: SKA), is a non-profit based in New-Delhi, India led by Ramon Magsaysay awardee Bezwada Wilson. The organization aims to eradicate manual scavenging and rehabilitate scavengers for dignified occupations. SKA also works towards building awareness on the equality and dignity of every human being, through mobilizing local leadership from the community and directly confronting issues related to caste and patriarchy. SKA has been active for over 30 years and has 6350 volunteers in 439 districts across India.
Funds will be used to procure PPE and address the immediate rehabilitation needs of sanitation workers.
Who we are:
We are graduate students at the University of Michigan working to raise funds to help the marginalized groups of safai karamcharis brave the pandemic in India.
(Image credit: Bar and Bench )
Organizer
Vaishnav Kameswaran
Organizer
Ann Arbor, MI
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