Pandemic Heroes: this Delhi NGO has provided over 15 lakh meals to the needy Rajesh Kumar, Founder of SPYM, a social enterprise, has been providing shelter to more than 5000 people, and has trained about 1,500 volunteers in critical care amidst COVID-19
The migrant population residing in Indian cities faced multiple hardships in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. With factories and workplaces being shut after the lockdown to contain the spread of the virus, these workers had to deal with loss of job and income, and had to go hungry. Braving the summer heat, many migrant workers walked hundreds of kilometres to their hometowns without any food and water.
In this scenario, over 6,000 people were stranded on the L&T campus in Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi after the lockdown. While around 3,000 people embarked on the tedious journey to their hometowns, the remaining stayed back, hoping things to turnaround.
Rajesh Kumar, 56, who has been working at the grassroots level to improve the drug situation in India, came across the plight of the migrant workers on the campus. Rajesh, who runs around 80 shelter homes across the Delhi, came forward to their rescue, and has been providing relief to these people for over a month now.Â
A two-time National award winner, Rajesh founded the Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses (SPYM) in 1986 to help children, adolescents, youth, and adults who are vulnerable to substance abuse. The organisation also run shelters for the homeless, and provides basic requirements like food, clothes, clean drinking water, and toilet facilities to those in need.Â
During the pandemic, Rajesh and SPYM have together served around 15 lakh people, and also trained more than 1,500 volunteers in basic healthcare procedures. Apart from migrant workers and daily wagers, he has also provided shelter to those in need like stranded passengers, etc.
