COVID - 19 Response

Kamunuri Jayamma expressed her gratitude upon receiving the household provisions kit that will easily last her 30 – 45 days in this lockdown. Holding her hand is her grandson and while on the way back he has already demanded his favorite meal.

Ms. Kamunuri Jayamma is aged 54, a widower who resides in Hussain Katta, Mangalagiri town, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh. Her six children are married and settled in different locations within the state. She has to look after the special needs of her mentally challenged grandson while managing the household and rent.  She is a cobbler by profession and repairs footwear and bags on the street under the scorching heat. A day’s hard work fetches her INR 100 – 150.

Since the lockdown, it has been strenuous for her to make ends meet. She got some relief from the government schemes with 5 kgs of rice, 1 kg of Dal for 3 months and financial support of INR 1000. However, she was grappling to pay the rent, purchase medicines for the grandson and other requirements.

After meeting some closed doors, she took a loan from a local money lender of INR 3000 at an exorbitant rate of interest of 48% per annum. The money helped her carry on for a few days, but she found herself again requesting for an additional loan. The money lender did not entertain her and demanded that she repays the previous loan first.

In the middle of this lockdown struggle, CARE India’s Emergency Relief Team contacted her and understood her requirements. She received a dry ration kit worth INR 2500 and she was happy because she could cook nutritious food for her family without borrowing money or being at the mercy of others.

“I am delighted to receive this kit which consists of adequate quantity and quality of all necessary household provisions. This will help me sustain for the next 45 days and I am thankful to CARE India and Coca Cola foundation for their humanitarian support. This support has given me a new hope and strength to face tomorrow”, she said.

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