Madanapalle

In this time of crisis, in order to contribute our bit to the community, with the blessings of our founder Sri M, making of cotton cloth masks was undertaken at The Satsang Foundation Madanapalle.

According to WHO, if 80% of the population wears masks and practices rigorous hand washing; the infectious outbreak can be stopped. To aid the containment of the corona virus, our aim is to stitch and distribute as many masks as possible before the lockdown relaxes.

Based on the PSA Manual, published by Press Information Bureau, Government of India, the design and dimensions of the mask were customized.

Women with tailoring background were identified and informed about the project. Immediately sample material was purchased through local contacts and a small pilot project was kick started.

The lady tailors belong to the deserving category and were thrilled to receive this opportunity to not only offer their services but also earn a living in this lockdown period. With their head, heart and hand tuned to seva mode, they started dedicating more time to this noble cause. The ladies stitched different patterns and options for facemask. Out of these, after discussion over dimensions, the design for production was finalized.

With the help of NGO SWECHA, 4 more team members joined this project and the production scaled up to 600 masks per day collectively – all handmade and of good quality fabric.

The stitched masks are washed, ironed and packed at the Satsang Foundation campus with utmost care.

The first consignment was handed over to the Madanapalle Municipal Commissioner for their 350 sanitation workers who are the lifeline of the small town of Madanapalle. It was very well received and appreciated.

All the staff members of the Satsang Foundation living in the nearby villages have also been handed over the masks for their safety and for the safety of their families.

Each person is to be given a set of 3 masks so that they can be washed and reused.

The next distribution phase is slated for the local police, vegetable vendors and the delivery boys of various supermarkets, who risk their lives every day in order to keep us going.

The Satsang Foundation team, located in the small town of Madanapalle is grateful for this opportunity, is driven by compassion and a silent prayer that every wearer is protected by the care and love stitched together in the form of a mask.

In Madanapalle, with the help of the Municipal Commissioner and his team, The Satsang Foundation volunteers packed and distributed dry ration kits on 28th April 2020 to the following :

· 350 sanitary workers,

· 30 poor families identified by the local Tahsildar,

· 100 kits distributed in the beggar colony and to the poor tribal families of Nakkaldinne - Thanda area

The dry ration kit included Atta, Rice, Dal, Oil, Sugar and Salt that will last them for 10 days. Along with the provisions, 45 kilos tomatoes were also distributed amongst the families.

This was also a good opportunity to distribute the hand stitched cloth masks to the local tribal families for their care and safety.

A small team of volunteers at Madanapalle, continue with their modest efforts.

On 8^th May, 100 masks were sent to the Asha workers – accredited social health workers, and 60 masks were provided for the Panchayat level volunteers. These frontline workers make home visits, making themselves vulnerable, at a time, when most of us stay in the safety of our homes, in the days of Pandemic that makes its presence felt in every village and city.

In this small town, we have distributed masks so far to the sanitary workers associated with the municipality, we have even made early morning visits to the fruit and vegetable market, to promise some protection to the vendors who help keep our kitchens well supplied.

0n 9^th May, the volunteers visited the market place with a bag full of masks to reach out to those who are supported neither by the Govt bodies nor are they part of any unions, i.e., the common man on the streets of Madanapalle.

Around 40% people were found to be wearing masks, another 20% had a scarf or a handkerchief covering their noses and mouths, another 20% wore their masks like necklaces adorning their necks and of course there were those 20%, who roamed around defying compliance to the need of the hour, exposing themselves and those around to the perils of the deadly pandemic. We learnt first-hand, that while it is important to labour to make the most suitable, protective covers, it was also important to educate them in the proper use.

Saying, “Anna please wear these masks”, “Akka protect yourselves and others”, volunteers reminded the road side vendors, shopkeepers, workers and the way side bystanders. Those wearing masks around their throats were gently admonished to pull these up. Some accepted these gifts with gratitude, others apologetically pulled out the beauties out of their pockets. The old woman, sitting by the roadside, to sell a few bananas, smiled teary eyed, from behind the cataracts.

The volunteers decided to leave a few packets with the traffic policemen with the request to pull up the defiant two-wheeler riders and ask them to oblige by wearing these. It was difficult to see their expressions through their well masked faces, but they thanked saying that they were happy to receive these. One of them came forward to thank the volunteers for thinking of them. Smiling at the web of communications and miscommunications through these early morning interactions, we returned hoping that a few at least may heed to the need to mask themselves against the threats of the virus.

At The Sacred Grove, Chowdepalle, initiative of The Satsang Foundation, the construction work was at stand still for almost two months because of the lock down. A committed band of workers continued to look after life on the campus. We realised that while these workers were fortunate to be looked after by the Foundation, the daily wage workers from other parts of the nearby village were rested without any source of income and the Govt support was scanty.

The project coordinator, along with the village Sarpanch, identified 50 households in need of support. This joint effort on part of the village representatives and The Satsang Foundation proved meaningful. On 18th May, 50 representatives of households came to the campus to receive dry ration for 10 days. Packets of rice, dal, oil, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, sugar, and bathing soaps were distributed to the grateful recipients. They also received 100 handmade cotton masks for protection against virus taking its toll in the surrounding regions.

The mission was further strengthened by Satsang Swasthya Kendra joining hands. At Madanapalle, the doctors were involved in the process of making masks and distributing these in the surrounding villages and the town. At Chowdepalle, arrangement was made to educate the recipients about the necessity, and technique of tying the masks. We may recall from our earlier sharing of distribution of masks in the marketplace that many of them did not recognize the necessity of wearing masks or carried these around their necks or under their noses. Apart from receiving the ration and the masks, a trained nurse gave basic tips in hygiene and taught the technique of washing hands, a necessary measure to defend against the virus.

The farm workers and the security men who had so diligently looked after The Sacred Grove through the lock down period, were given a medical check-up. Blood tests were conducted to rule out secondary bacterial infection and rule out leukopenia - which can indicate possible viral infection. Thankfully, nothing of concern was diagnosed. As a token of our gratitude, the 11 workers were offered dry ration packets and masks.

The volunteers from Satsang Skill Development Centre and The Satsang Vidyalya scouted around the areas of Nakkaladinne thanda, Chukkala thanda, Pappireddy palle, Chippili region, Gandhipuram, Ramireddygari palle and Kuruvanka in Madanapalle and identified the daily wagers who were out of work since the lockdown including widows with children, old people living on their own, houses of children of the school and SSDC, especially the children whose nutrition has been compromised with school being shut for more than 3 months now.

342 dry ration kits were distributed to them by SSDC members along with teachers of Satsang Vidyalaya from 21 - 29 May 2020

Ms Udaya Sri, Nurse at the Satsang Swasthya Kendra conducted 3 awareness programs on how to wash hands properly, how to sterilize the things that are brought from outside and on wearing masks.

350 pairs of high quality gloves handed over to the Municipal Commissioner for sanitary workers - spraying of chemicals, waste segregation, etc.