IDRF helps poor and needy during COVID-19 in India and US

New Delhi, July 1: The India Development Relief Fund (IDRF) has continued to help the people affected by COVOD-19 in India and abroad. With the help of its NGO-Partners in India, the IDRF was able to continue and modify their programs to help the poor and the needy said a press release issued by the IDRF President and Founder Dr. Vinod Prakash.

Crediting the NGOs who partnered with the IDRF in its relief programs, the release said that because of their help and cooperation they were able to continue or modify their relief programs helping the poor and the needy.

With the help of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan, Aurangabad in Maharashtra the IDRF provided medical services through the mobile medical clinics to the urban slums of the industrial hub of Marathwada catering the healthcare services to thousands of poor and the needy at their doorsteps. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan runs Dr. Hedgewar Rugnalaya in the city which has acquired name and fame for its humane services.

In association with the Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari, uncooked food items were supplied to villages in Arunachal Pradesh’s remote and inaccessible areas. Local transporters extended their help in this mission. At places, the relief teams had to tread on foot to reach the target groups. They provided nutritious food to some 300 malnourished children in that state.

With the help of Computer Shiksha, another NGO-Partner of IDRF, free computer literacy classes were conducted in Pune and Sikar in Rajasthan for underprivileged students online through Zoom.

IDRF and Vidya Bharati supported a school for poor children in rural Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. The
staff of the SKKS Saraswati Vidya Mandir has been conducting online classes during the lockdown with the help of WhatsApp.

IDRF and Swami Vivekananda Rural Development Society (SVRDS) have de-silted seven ponds in the villages of Tamil Nadu during May and June 2020, to provide safe water for household consumption to 18,500 villagers through rainwater harvesting. Also, SVRDS provided employment to some needy villagers during these difficult times to help out with this project.

In the United States of America, the IDRF joined hands with the Indian-American community and other organizations in the DC Metro area to help those who were hit the hardest by COVID-19. With the help of donors, the IDRF launched 13 drive-through free grocery distribution events and provided 9100 bags of food to the needy families in the area, the release said.

Due to overwhelming response, the IDRF is likely to repeat such free grocery distribution events at other locations also.