From Paintings Walls To Giving Hygiene Lessons In A Park, The Goal Is One 'Lakshya - Sampoorn Swasthya Ka'
For season 9 of Banega Swasth India 12-hour Telethon, our team visited various parts of India to convey the message of health for all.
Our team interacted with the ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) Workers in Rajasthan, who are utilising an application called 'Khushi Baby' to effectively communicate with people in remote areas. The application ties tradition with technology to uplift community healthcare for underserved populations in rural India.
NDTV's Harsha Kumari Singh interacted with the ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) Workers and Auxiliary Nurse Mid-wives (ANM) workers of Harsoli in Rajasthan, who together work towards the healthcare of people living in rural India. The workers urged citizens to eradicate the age-old tradition of 'Bal Vivah' in India. The ASHA workers also shed light on the practice of males of the family eating before the women of the house, and urged the citizens of the country to add a stop to it.
Nearly 20 lakh children live on the streets of India, without an identity, a name to call their own, a place to call home, sleeping on empty stomachs for days and nights. These twenty lakh are children, who have dreams, who have rights, who are our tomorrow. They are living in the shadows today.
During these unprecedented times, not everyone can afford the privilege of social distancing. And not everybody can stay home during the lockdown, simply because they don’t have a home. Those living in poverty are extremely vulnerable, struck with a sudden lack of funds, food, mobility and a struggle for survival. And, as with all humanitarian crises, it is the children who have been affected the most.
It is always the children on the street who are subjected to some of the harshest realities of life. Today they are battling a catastrophic crisis, and it’s time we step in to protect them.
As a part of our COVID-19 response, Save the Children is working across various regions and has already directly reached over 18,000 children and adults to cover their basic needs. The organisation is ensuring their daily needs and their dignity and hygiene are also being cared for. Save the Children has identified 2.5 lakh children in cohorts, across 10 cities in India. Reaching out to these children with emergency relief is a top priority. But this cannot be done alone.
Save the Children and NDTV join hands to bring focus to the lives of children living in street situations. As India fights the Coronavirus, we must not forget one of the most marginalised and excluded groups whose lives have been long ignored – street-connected children. The 21-day campaign will generate public interest and raise funds to ensure these 20 Lakh+ children who live, earn, sleep and eat on our streets are cared for and protected. Amidst the crisis the world is facing, they are most vulnerable, exposed to infection and disease.