India and Nepal were severely impacted by Covid-19 and its consequences. Daily life in the Usthi programs has been heavily influenced by the pandemic since the end of February 2020. The dramatic increase in the number of cases in April 2021 placed immense pressure on already fragile healthcare systems. At the same time, vaccination campaigns in both countries repeatedly stalled due to shortages of vaccine doses. The labour market also struggled to recover, leaving many day labourers without work for extended periods.
Usthi’s partner organisations in India reported tragic individual stories, including children orphaned by the virus and single mothers who lost their livelihoods as day labourers, along with their only source of income.
Despite these challenges, our partner organisations responded with remarkable flexibility to rapidly changing needs and circumstances. Together, we were able to deliver emergency assistance across multiple locations in India and Nepal. As part of the school projects, the families received food and protective equipment. Between March 2020 and December 2021, more than 5,500 food parcels were distributed.
In addition, our partner organisation in Hyderabad supported 90 young people who had suffered great losses due to the pandemic. This initiative enabled especially vulnerable youth, particularly young women, to access employable skills training programmes. This helped improve their future prospects in a labour market severely affected by the crisis.
In schools, the lack of technical equipment posed a major challenge for distance learning. Many children did not have a mobile phone and were therefore unable to fully participate in online lessons. To address this gap, mobile phones were distributed to students in schools in the Kolkata region.