AboutCOVID 19 - A summary of Key activities by Kudumbashree
1. Organisation, Micro Finance
Kudumbashree had given a note to all the 43 lakh Neighborhood group members which they discussed at their meetings. The note was regarding details of Break the Chain Campaign and the need for special care for those above 60 years of age. Also given a letter from Executive Director to all members of NHGs highlighting elderly care. Click here for details
Kudumbashree has formed 1.9 lakh WhatsApp groups with 22 lakh NHG members to educate them about Government instructions regarding Covid-19 during lockdown. Currently information is being sent to NHG groups via this platform. Click here for details
Kudumbashree is conducting IEC campaign to inform the NHGs that elderly people should take special care to prevent the pandemic. Various IEC activities like Executive Director’s letter to NHGs, posters emphasizing elderly care, SMS to CDS etc. are being done regularly. Click here for details
Kudumbashree is currently in the process of implementing hon Chief Minister’s ‘Sahayahastham’ (Helping Hands) loan scheme declared by the Government of Kerala. Kudumbashree NHGs will be given interest free loans as per the demand as indicated in the guidelines. Kudumbashree received the Government Order No regarding the same on 05.04.2020 and a detailed guideline by the Executive Director has been prepared. The loan applications will be submitted to banks by April 16th. The banks will start disbursing the loans by April 20th. Click here for details
In the wake of the continuing threat of COVID 19, the Government of Kerala has launched an online education programme for school children. The initiative links teachers and the school children through a series of online sessions accessed from homes, community centres, or libraries, observing the norms proposed for hygiene and physical distancing. This is supplemented through teaching sessions based on the same curriculum telecast through a dedicated channel as well as through social media platforms by KITE, a government agency.Of the 43 lakh school children in the State, around 2.65 lakh lack adequate facilities to access the online educational programme. A majority of these children are likely to be from the homes of Kudumbashree members. In this context, Kerala State Financial Enterprises (KSFE) has proposed a scheme where it can collaborate with Kudumbashree to implement a Microcredit Scheme- KSFE Vidyashree Scheme to support member families to avail Laptops to ensure online education to their children. The investment will be useful as children can continue to use the online educational platform beyond the tenure of COVID 19 pandemic, once the schools start working too. Click here for details
Civil Supplies Department of Government of Kerala has asked the help of Kudumbashree volunteers to prepare grocery kits for 87 lakh families. The same has been undertaken by Kudumbashree. 569 volunteers from 105 CDS are working for this activity from 09th April onwards. The packing of grocery kits is being done in 54 warehouses. Click here for details
2. ME and Marketing
Kudumbashree has prepared and sold more than 71.55 lakh cotton masks through around 306 tailoring units. Also, 21 micro enterprise units have prepared 9,322.65 litres of sanitizers as on 23rd September. Click here for details
During the time of Covid-19 pandemic, Kudumbashree has started to make face shields, a protective gear that can be used by medical staff engaged in treatment of Covid-19 patients. Click here for details
In Kerala, 1144 community kitchens have been started in Panchayats and Municipalities with the help of Local Self Government Institutes. Out of these, 379 have been started as budget hotels of Kudumbashree (budget hotels provide meals at a meagre amount of ₹20/-per meal and is affordable to all). The number of budget hotels are on the rise. Click here for details
Kudumbashree in support to Government’s initiatives related to COVID – 19 pandemic prevention activities, will support in providing food / related services to people who are under observation at Corona Care Centres. Kudumbashree units engaged in Canteen / Catering services will be entrusted in providing services to these centres. Click here for details
As there are a few hotels near the check posts in Kerala, the drivers face hurdles in getting enough food and the Transport Department has asked Kudumbashree to establish take away counters in these areas. Kudumbashree has given instructions to start Kudumbashree Take Away Counters in 13 places as per the mandate given by the District Collectors the Take Away Counters have been started. Click here for details
SupplyCo has asked Kudumbashree to supply cloth bags to distribute 87 lakh grocery kits. Kudumbashree has started the production of cloth bags for the same. 802 tailoring units have produced 20,90,353 cloth bags and supplied to Supply Co. Click here for details
The Women and Child Department has instructed Kudumbashree that there should not be any dearth in the supply of Amrutham Nutrimix powder (fortified health supplement for 6 - month to three year old kids) due to lockdown. Hence Kudumbashree has ensured that Nutrimix units have started working in all districts and that enough quantity of Nutrimix powder is being produced for the month of April. Click here for details
3. Social Development
There are 1,54,858 destitute families in Kerala with 1,14,719 elderly members (above 60 years of age). Kudumbashree has enlisted 2176 resource persons to call these families with elderly members once in five days. The RP s call them and enquire about their health, needs etc. and ensure that they get food through community kitchens and medical care through PHCs , if needed. This is being done in convergence with the UNICEF. Click here for details
There are 8521 Mentally Challenged students studying in 270 BUDS schools (schools for Divyang children and adults owned by LSGIs under the guidance of Kudumbashree). As schools have closed due to Covid-19 lockdown, these kids are staying at home. The teachers of these schools are instructed to provide support to the kids. Hence the teachers provide instructions to parents to keep the children engaged during the lock down. Click here for details
Various activities are being done for Balasabha children in all districts Balasabhas are collectives of children formed under the guidance of Kudumbashree which undertake various activities for their wholesome growth. Various activities like online competitions, reading competitions, special campaigns like Akam Puram Nannayi etc. are being conducted for kids by District Missions of Kudumbashree. Click here for details
Kudumbashree also contacts those above 60 years of age who are in quarantine due to primary contacts in their families and enquire about their needs and ensure that they receive various service needed in convergence with Health and other Departments. Kudumbashree has engaged 786 resource persons to contact the elderly persons. Click here for details
4. Gender
Through 360 community counsellors of Kudumbashree, counselling and mental support is given to those in need to counteract various mental issues faced by them in relation to Covid-19 and lockdown. Through the community counsellors, Kudumbashree ensures that those who need medicines receive them, support to Snehitha Calling Bell beneficiaries are being provided, mental support to those in quarantine are being provided through the cell operated in Collectorate, activities related to community kitchens are being coordinated, mental support to elderly community are being provided etc. Click here for details
Kudumbashree conducts IEC campaign through Snehitha to reduce mental strain of persons and abuses at homes during the lock down period. The campaign which has started on April 1st has seen various posters, cartoons, videos etc. being sent to maximum number of houses to deliver the message that ‘Snehitha is with you’. Click here for details
Kerala Government has started a volunteer portal named ‘Sannadhasena portal’ to enlist volunteers to coordinate various Covid-19 related activities. To ensure the participation of Kudumbashree members as volunteers, details regarding the portal and registration in the portal have been circulated among Kudumbashree women. Last week, 4250 members have registered in the portal. This will go on in the forthcoming weeks also. Click here for details
5. Agriculture
Kudumbashree joint liability groups were affected, though not on a larger scale, by COVID-19. More than 16,268 JLGs across the state have voluntarily stood together for Community kitchens and donated their products generously for the social cause. Around 115.94 metric tonnes of agricultural commodities have been handed over to community kitchens till 30/04/2020 and is still continuing. Rice, banana, vegetables and tubers are the important categories supplied as per local availability and requirements. The collection, transportation and distribution activities are being organized and coordinated by respective district mission teams in rapport with the LSGI officials and peoples representatives. Click here for details
To utilize the lock down period effectively almost all district mission teams of agriculture have initiated activities to promote vegetable cultivation and related aspects. This includes kitchen gardens, vegetable gardens, organic farming, agricultural campaigns, seed distribution programmes, tuber crops cultivation etc. These short term activity plans are for the Kudumbashree staff, members as well for the general public aiming at heightening the farming spirit for facing the possible challenges in future.
6. DDU-GKY
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana is the skill training program of Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. Kudumbashree is the state nodal agency for the project. At present 6999 students are undergoing training in 167 courses. In 2019-20, 8441 students have been placed. To ensure continuity in studies, online study materials have been prepared for various DDU-GKY courses and made available in the website. The details of the same are given to the students. Click here for details
The Program Implementing Agencies of DDU-GKY have been instructed to start online coaching for students if possible and as a result 26 agencies have started online classes. Reports of these are being prepared and will be available in Kudumbashree website soon. Click here for details
Kudumbashree has received CSR fund from various DDU-GKY PIAs to produce sanitizers and to employ resource persons to telecall destitute families during the lockdown period. The PIAs also do various CSR activities locally like procuring groceries to community kitchen, face mask preparation etc. Click here for details
7. PMAY
Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Urban) – LIFE is the program for constructing houses for urban poor. Construction of 75665 houses have been started till date. Nearly 50,000 houses have been made habitable out of which last installment was released to 36,606 beneficiaries.
As house construction under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana has been delayed due to lockdown, the PMAY beneficiaries require mental support. Understanding this, it is being planned to keep in touch with them and provide them with required support. Click here for details
8. Studies
9. District Level Initiatives
Apart from the activities planned by State Mission, the District Missions have also come up with various activities as required locally. This includes various activities from recreations during lockdown to solutions for various local problems as required by District Collectorates. Some of the activities are online games for NHG women, grocery kit distribution in tribal areas, grocery and vegetable distribution to elderly community, provision of food and water to critters, elderly campaign, floating supermarkets etc. These activities have been documented and are available on Kudumbashree website. Click here for details
10. Documentation
Kudumbashree has instructed the district teams and state documentation team to document various Kudumbashree activities done in relation to Covid-19 pandemic. Best 50 practices from 14 districts have been documented and made available in Kudumbashree website. Click here for details
Kudumbashree has instructed the district teams and state documentation team to document various Kudumbashree activities done in relation to Covid-19 pandemic. In connection with PRD, video documentation of various activities will be done. District Mission Coordinator is also entrusted to identify the best practices of NHGs in connection with Covid-19 pandemic prevention. Click here for details
Kudumbashree has instructed the district teams and state documentation team to document various Kudumbashree activities done in relation to Covid-19 pandemic. The success stories of services and leadership of NHG women during the Covid-19 lockdown from 14 districts documented. Click here for details
CDS activity reports also documented. Click here for details
11. News Reports
The news, videos and other media reports regarding Kudumbashree activities to fight against Covid-19 are available in Kudumbashree website. Click here for details