In the freezing January night of Delhi, when the entire city dons their sweaters, monkey-caps and mufflers with a hot cup of tea (which they enjoy holding instead of drinking), there are few under-privileged who cannot afford even a blanket and die. The maximum deaths in North India are due to cold wave every year. We are excited to share with you some initial reports on the blanket distribution! We are so thankful that you gave generously towards our goal. Through your generosity over one hundred people are warm and sleeping well at this moment.
Our primary goal was for the widowed women to use the quilts to stay warm during the cold season. Most of the widows we work with have little or no source of income. Many of them struggle to make ends to meet in order pay rent. Needless to say, buying a blanket or warm clothing to keep herself warm is probably not even an option for an elderly widow begging on the streets of Delhi. With this in mind, the Indian Women And Child Welfare Trust team distributed the quilts in Vikas Puri Slum.
There are cases where people cried when they received blankets.
Case Study : I was married at the young age of fifteen. I did not even understand the meaning marriage at such a young age. However, my parents were poor and wanted me to be settled in marriage early. My husband was 15 years older than myself and he died only a few years after we were married. We did not have any children, so I returned to live with my mother for 13 more years. I cleaned homes and begged for money for twenty years. It was a very difficult lifestyle, so when I heard about Indian Women And Child Welfare Trust, I approached them for support. Indian Women And Child Welfare Trust has provided support to me. She cried as she has no one to help and when she got it, she thanked us.
Case Study : Is there are ray of hope for the rest? Yes, there is. Imraan – a man who makes his living by selling pens, pencils and other knick knacks at the traffic signal near Janak Puri. He has his little space Indira camp no.5 vikas puri New Delhi 110018. Selling pens can hardly help him to survive every single day. The freezing winters of Delhi leave much to be asked for in his ragged old sweater. But last winter he found a helping hand in the form of Indian Women And Child Welfare Trust distributed blankets to him as well as other people residing in Indira Camp No.5 Vikas Puri slums.
It’s not about changing the lives of the people but doing something even more basic than that – making them survive – enabling them to fight their battle of survival against Mother Nature.
Reaching out to the Neediest
Ensuring that the help reaches out only to the neediest has been the principal challenge for Indian Women And Child Welfare Trust. Since the inception, making sure that the help reaches only to the ones who are actually in need has been the key objective of the drive. In the early days of the drive in West Delhi Slums, David and his team would check that the blanket is provided only to the ones who really need it.