Building resilience through self-reliance

The large-scale impact of COVID-19 affected the marginalised communities to an extent of inequities of access to work and prolonged experiences of discrimination. Their regular income routes were taken away from them, and there was a constant sense of uncertainty with respect to where their next meal came from and how they could support their families. Needless to say, it was imperative to address these issues and we realised that building small community initiatives with the support of collaborative efforts could change the arc of their lives. However, the question still arises, how do initiatives like a financial literacy training program, a trans-kitchen, or a tailoring unit help them in fighting the pandemic?

This edition of Clarity in Chaos highlights the livelihood programs developed by #COVIDActionCollab (CAC) in collaboration with its partners and the government in order to provide a sustainable life for the vulnerable!

Livelihood intervention programs:

Despite a plethora of efforts from organisations and government bodies, the marginalised community still lacked adequate livelihood interventions that could potentially sustain them for the years to come. In our efforts to bridge such gaps, we were bothered by a recurring question, “how to create new opportunities for people who were already engaged in a certain profession?” Subsequently, with the expertise and power of 350+ collaborators, #COVIDActionCollab led a large-scale impact focusing on communities often left at the bottom of the traditional relief pyramid. Our efforts reached out to farmers, fisherfolks, sex workers, burial ground workers’ families, and trans community members, among many other groups.?

Women who became entrepreneurial:?

Child Rights Foundation India’s Founder Christopher B Anthony aptly highlighted that “when we economically strengthen women, we also automatically strengthen children and families. We believe that we can influence a child’s life through these women.” Batoning this belief, #COVIDActionCollab (now, in a new avatar? as Community Action Collab) along with Christopher and BuzzWomen, an accomplished support group, worked together to provide financial literacy training to over 50 women from Shantinagar burial ground area, an urban slum colony in Bengaluru. The women were trained in monetary and fiscal management and were now able to realise their leadership and business potential in the wake of their exclusion from government self-help organisations. Most significantly, the club has evolved into a source of fortitude for other local women.

Sustainable livelihood programs for LGBTQ+ community members and others:?

Coupled with COVID, societal taboos and stigma had put members of the LGBTQ+? community on further brink. Coming from a? community that was constantly under scrutiny, the pandemic only pushed them to greater challenges. It left most sex workers dealing with mental and financial issues, moreover, they had no platform to voice their concerns and very little space to seek help. In order to address this issue and bring relief to the community, CAC along with its partner Sri Lakshmi Pengal Munnetra Sangam (SLPMS), extended our support. Together we arranged tailoring units for the individuals in Madurai and procured business opportunities for them. As of today, we work with 2300 individuals, that include people living with HIV as well.?

Additionally, in Coimbatore and Madurai, the setting up of the trans-kitchen was yet another breakthrough. Run by transgender individuals, the restaurants had seen an increase in footfalls and earnings in just a few months. The Coimbatore restaurant was earning INR 8000-10000 per day for the first two months and the Madurai one averaged 100 customers per day with a turnover of INR 15000-18000 per day in its first year.?

A total of 175 livelihood capacity-building sessions have been created by our team so far, covering 4,704 people, including participants from partner organisations, street vendors, and farmers, among other marginalised groups. More than the numbers, which are truly motivating, we found it essential to recognise how small acts of support towards building self-reliance could help these people move out of the vicious cycle of vulnerability. The pandemic has showcased that coordinated responses within communities and partners can make people step up and become heroes in their own capacities to overcome challenges.?

As the dust of the pandemic starts to settle (not being over-optimistic), these community members have bounced forward and are now ramping up these initiatives further. What are some of the programs that, in your opinion, could benefit the communities as we continue to build our impact around such initiatives? Do share your thoughts in the comments below!?