COVID - 19 Response

‘Dukhini’ in Bengali means someone’s life full of sadness and misery. Perhaps parents of Dukhini Mahato of Jargo village of Purulia’s Jhalda Block, West Bengal chose her name when she was born blind. Not surprisingly, her life has been a continuous struggle.

In an intimate conversation with Dukhini, now 72, she shared her journey over the years. Her parents died when she was young and she had to take over the responsibility of the entire family. Over the years she ensured that both her siblings are well settled and married. She sacrificed her own happiness by never thinking of her own marriage.

In these circumstances, Purulia District Agragami Mahila o Sisu Mangal Samiti (PDAMSMS), a local NGO, recognized her vulnerable state, and arranged for a dry ration kit in collaboration with CARE India and Coca Cola. Dukhini was elated with the contents of the kit and said, “These food materials are of great help. We do not need to worry about food for the next month, maybe more.”

During COVID – 19 crisis, Coca-Cola and CARE India provided dry-ration kits with meticulously curated food items to meet specific nutritional needs of various marginalised groups such as migrant workers, daily wage earners and people living with HIV/AIDS across various parts of the country. The three-month-long programme benefited over 1.5 lakh people.


CARE India Team