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.