Save 1000s of Indian Children exposed to COVID

When our outreach team first saw Abbas, the 12-year-old boy was sitting alone at Dadar railway station crying and clearly distressed. He explained that he had been with friends to the beach at Nariman Point but got separated from them on the way home and ended up lost and alone at Dadar station. We contacted his mother who came straight away to find her son.

We talked to her about the family situation and it was clear she was struggling. Abbas is one of six siblings and their father had died three years previously leaving the family in difficulty. Although she worked hard as a housemaid, Abbas’s mother didn’t earn enough to feed all seven of them so two of the older boys were forced to leave school and work too. We helped strengthen the family and support Abbas’s mother to access a widow’s pension to supplement her income but we knew they were on the brink of extreme poverty. When COVID19 hit India we knew this fragile family unit would suffer so we got in touch immediately to see if we could help.

When we reached them Abbas’s mother had already lost her job and the family was in dire need. They had no money and no food so we provided emergency supplies and groceries for a month and began counselling to educate them on the risks of the virus and how to stay safe. We’re keeping in constant touch with the family and will continue to do so until their lives can get back to normal.

Thanks to you we can continue to support children and families through their most difficult times, thank you for being there when children like Abbas needed you most.

We got to know Firoz and his family in March, just before the arrival of COVID19 in India. He was 12 when we first met him, wandering around Dadar railway station with some other children. When we approached the scared youngsters ran, but after a while Firoz agreed to come to the child help desk as he was so hungry and thirsty.

Firoz said that he had been on his way to Nariman Point with his friends, having heard about it in school and always wanted to go, and hadn’t eaten anything since early that morning. We made sure he had food and water and tried to make Firoz understand the danger he had put himself in by running away from home.

Firoz was too scared to give us his family details so had to spend the night at our shelter nearby but the next day he opened up to the team and explained what had happened. He had been so desperate to see Nariman Point that when his stepfather had given him money to buy milk and bread the day before Firoz saw his opportunity and took the money instead to buy train tickets.

But the boy and his friends got lost and ended up alone and in grave danger from abusers and traffickers at the station. We  explained  to  him  the  risks  he  had  taken  and  immediately  contacted  his  family  –  who  were desperately searching for him already.

The  family  were  happy  to  be  reunited  but  we  offered  them  further  counselling  to  make  sure  they stayed  safely  together.  As  we  got  to  know  them  we  learnt  that  Firoz’s  father  had  been  a  violent alcoholic which is why his mother left him, taking her three sons with her. She then remarried and had two  daughters  with  her  second  husband,  a  kind,  hard-working  carpenter  who  cares  for  the  whole family and is keen to support the children in education. Firoz’s mother also works as a housemaid but with five children it was already a financial struggle for the family.

We knew the impact of COVID19 would hit them hard so got in touch to see if we could help. The nationwide lockdown had forced both adults out of work and with no income they were struggling to  feed  the  children  or  themselves.  We  have  been  able  to  provide  enough  food  and  supplies  for  a month and will be keeping in touch throughout these difficult times to make sure they are safe and well.

Firoz’s  mother  said:  “We  lost  all  our  income  and  were  struggling  to  feed  our  children.  But  RCI  has supported us with groceries to feed our family. Thank you.”