Disaster delineates disruption, discontinuity and disengagement in the social order taking the impact months even years to subside, recover and bounce back predominantly pertaining to the ecosystems, resource availabilities, communities’ morale and the collaborative efforts. While the disasters are time-bound and geographical, pandemics are neither time-bound nor area-specific resulting in huge uncertainties, not knowing how long it lasts, consequently impacting the health, livelihoods and economy of the nations. The most disproportionately disadvantaged are the poorest, marginalized and the informal sector amidst the imposed lockdowns as well as during the unlock stages of the pandemic.
DHAN Kalanjiams amidst the hardship served as the immunity nets engrossing the family members from buckling and breaking in the midst of the unprecedented lockdowns and future uncertainties. Evidently most of the members in the SHGs are involved and employed in unorganized/informal sector, their livelihoods being the hardest to be struck during the prevailing pandemic. Yet the safety net revealed in the form of organized, formal sector called Kalanjiams/SHGs/Community Organizations, which the communities have been endearingly encompassed over more than two and half decades.
DHAN Vayalagam ensured in facilitating the members to the central and state government entitlement works in addition to the assured livelihoods of the members through the project implementations of conservation and development activities across all the vayalagam working locations.
Sustenance needs of the members ensured through subsidized costs by DHAN’s KTL, whereas DHAN’s Jeevidam entrusted in procuring the produce and creating a market viability for the farmers. DHAN’s Rainfed Development programme enhancing the livelihood practices by promoting sustainable agricultural practices and DHAN’s Small Millet Foundation (SMF) engaged in concept-seeding and promoting contextualized indigenous traditional food practices to build the communities’ immunity; moreover, SMF integrating with KTL vouchsafing the millets requirement of the community at their doorstep.
The DHAN Academy persisted its efforts with much vigour, inducting and grooming the young graduates for development actions with increased vibrancy, equipping the pursuing graduates with the scenario relevance and designing new community development modules for the forthcoming graduates to effectively address the post-lockdown and post-pandemic effects on the community across all the four contexts.
DHAN’s ICT programme through its innovative community resource centres have been engaged in disseminating the authentic information to the community since the pandemic outbreak. Concept seeding of the preventive measures, providing psychological counselling to the members through call centres and ensuring the last mile connectivity with the member families have been continuous phenomenon amidst the pandemic.
DHAN’s Tourism department initiated the heritage walks and lecture series virtually (first of its kind) enriching the community with cultural practices, traditional knowledge and indigenous wisdom. Coastal Conservation and Livelihood Programme of DHAN Foundation engaged in addressing the fishermen communities through entitlement facilitation and providing internal lending through fishermen community groups and credit facilities through mainstreams and banks. DHAN’s Panchayat programme engaged in equipping the panchayat representatives with global perspectives for local action, aiding them with legal aspects pertaining to initiations, implementations and new interventions. DHAN’s People Mutuals invigorated the communities with the insurance schemes safeguarding life and livestock, spreading the safety nets for the community in the addressing the uncertainties and risk management.
SUHAM, the Health Vertical of DHAN Foundation, since the outbreak of the pandemic imparting the sustainable behavioural change among the communities, creating awareness on the integrated medicinal practices, and providing tele-medical support through virtual wellness centres.
DHAN’s building resilient commmunities entered its second phase viz., “Adaptation Phase” with the commencement of July month.
