Sponsor monthly groceries for the elderly by Dignity Foundation

Due to the COVID situation, there has been an ensuing lockdown situation. Further many of the areas we serviced were in containment zones leading to an issue with distribution. Procurement of material was another issue however our team sourced through various avenues (Dmart, Big Bazaar, local wholesale vendors etc.) and finally managed to shortlist vendors locally who could provide the ration supplies at our usual rates without compromising on the quality aspect.

The transportation bit also was arranged with local police help (for Mumbai, upon our request we had an authority letter for ration distribution from the Police authorities and in other cities, we had the police accompany us during the distribution process). For the last mile delivery, we engaged several enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers who really helped us ensure that the ration kit reaches the doorstep of our marginalized elderly.

“Gray hair is a crown of life.”

Dignity Foundation supports indigent senior citizens by providing a month’s worth of ration to the very poor senior citizens who cannot fend for themselves. Senior Citizens call on Dignity Helpline or come and meet in person for ration support. Dignity Foundation also reaches out to the slum localities in Mumbai through volunteers.The Ration project takes off after a physical verification of the genuineness of the case by a Social Worker. The rations provide senior citizen beneficiaries with a sense of relief, including not having to work, beg or eat very little on a day-to-day basis. DIGNITY RATION SERVICE for poor senior citizens is a monthly basket of basic provisions for very poor senior citizens. The ration is delivered on the doorstep of the senior citizen beneficiaries with a tie-up with an e-commerce company, Local Banya. The beneficiary provides acknowledgement of the receipt of ration and the social worker also validates through phone calls that they have received the ration every month.

Program Update

Dignity foundation ration service’s main aim is to provide at least one day’s full meal to elderly person or couple for full month. Dignity foundation with the help of our volunteers conduct camps or surveys in Slum areas of Mumbai and find out elderly person or couple, who are suffering from food storage due to financial in balance. Ration service is provided, if that elderly person or couple fits to beneficiary criteria. Our monthly ration service consider of:- Atta–5kg,Rice–3kg,Sugar–1kg,Tur dal–1kg,Tea–250gm,Cooking Oil–2ltr, Moong full 500gm, Salt–1kg,Poha–500gm,Rawa–1kg

Story from the field

Yallava Nagappa Shinnur is a window 65 yrs old, who lives alone suffering spondylose problem in slums of Dharavi Mumbai. She don’t have earning hand and due to old age can get work , so she has to get money from her sister. It was difficult for her to fulfill her food needs. She uses to adjust with half day meal. Also there was no money to buy medicine, which affected her health. After getting Dignity foundation ration service Yallava, had a better meal for both times in a day. Now she is able to maintain her health, also saved money is utilized for medicine. She is able to manage her meal and health. Before only sometimes rice and dal was made, after monthly ration service chapatti, rice and dal is meal for her. She is thankful for providing her monthly ration service, which helps her to feed herself with nutrition food. Therefore monthly ration service is giving her better health and helps to manager her medicine requirement.

Program Update

The main aim of this program is to provide at least one full day's meal to an elderly person or a couple for an entire month. We at, Dignity foundation, with the help of our volunteers, conduct camps and surveys in the slum areas of Mumbai to identify elderly persons or couples who are suffering from food storage due to financial imbalance. When these identified elderly persons or couples meets our criteria, they are enrolled into the program. They are provided with monthly ration materials so as to provide for themselves. Our monthly ration articles include:- Atta-5kg, Rice-3kg, Sugar-1kg, Tur dal-1kg, Tea-250gm, Cooking Oil-2ltr, Moong dal full 500gm, Salt-1kg, Poha-500gm, Rawa-1kg

Story from the field

Yallava Nagappa Shinnur receives monthly ration , Therefore some money remain in her hand for medicines

Yallava Nagappa Shinnur, a 65 years old window, suffering spondylose problem lives alone in the slums of Dharavi Mumbai. Due to old age, she is unable to go to work everyday and earn her own bread. She is dependent on her sister financially. Although, it is very difficult for her to fulfill her food requirements with the support she receives from her sister. She managed to live on a single meal everyday. Additionally, she had medical requirements which she couldn't afford. She did not have money to buy medicine. It gradually started affecting her health.

Yallava was identified by one of our volunteers, and was later admitted into Dignity foundation's ration service program. Yallava, now receives better meals two times a day. She now uses the monies she receives from her sister to attend to her medical needs, and maintain her health. Earlier only at times she could afford to eat rice and dal. After she has become a part of the program, she is able to eat chapatti, rice and dal for meals everyday. She is thankful to be a part of the program and receive her monthly rations, which helps her to feed herself with nutritious food.

Dignity Foundation supports indigent senior citizens in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune by providing a month's worth of basic dry provisions to the very poor senior citizens who cannot fend for themselves.

107 Senior citizens are receiving rations at their doorstep every month without fail till the financial year of 2017-18

Senior citizens either call on Dignity Helpline or come in person to request for ration support. Dignity Foundation also reaches out to the slum localities through the Dignity on Wheels outreach programme and with the help of volunteers.

The Ration project takes off after a physical verification of the genuineness of the case by a Social Worker. These senior citizens are not sleeping hungry and are able to live with dignity in their last days. This has been made possible by your support for this program. Expected total number of beneficiaries in this program for FY18-19 - 50 Total Budget for the project for FY18-19 - INR 1,00,000

Sulochana's story This is real life situation of one of our ration beneficiaries. She is a 65-year-old lady staying in a small room (semi pakka) in the slums of Mumbai. She lost her husband at a very young age. She had two sons and one daughter to take care of. With no literacy she started to do domestic work and support her children. Her children went to local municipal school and were school drop outs. Slum conditions and poverty were responsible for death of her two sons. Her daughter, 45 years old, is staying with her. Due to poverty and multiple factors her daughter studied upto primary school. From young days she joined her mother as a domestic helper. Recently the mother had a stroke which resulted in paralysis of right side. To keep herself active she takes up domestic work. The ration support has helped her in a big way. She never goes hungry now.

A survey was conducted among 31 beneficiaries receiving rations from Dignity Foundation. Quite a few interesting observations were made out of the 24 questions that were asked. These findings help the organisation to improve their services better, especially because the beneficiaries are all poverty-stricken elderly people, belonging to an age group of 60-90+. The total monthly income of the beneficiaries is 1500 on an average with about half of them having zero income. The rations that they receive are shared with 2 more people on an average. About 90% do not work and the remaining work either as domestic help or on part time basis. An updates on a beneficiary: Ramesh Solanki, 73 is a differently abled man who lives with his wife in Mumbai, in search of a livelihood. His wife works as a domestic help. Their three sons live in the village and do not look after them. Rations are provided to them by Dignity Foundation so that the couple can get through each day with proper food.