According to a yet to be published report by Save the Children India, the India chapter of UK-based non-profit global network organization of Save the Children, discontinuation of education in case of their children due to Coronavirus pandemic necessitated closure of schools features among the top concerns alongside food sufficiency, lack of cash and livelihood in economically worst hit vulnerable families. The NGO did a survey in 7200 such households in rural India in the month of June and the sample included vulnerable index families such as single mother parent, orphans, lactating mothers and those above 60 years.
“As per our findings limited cash in hand has increased economic vulnerability of these families and as an indication of distressing trend, families have started taking credit against a mortgage or selling household items as in some cases the cash reserve would last upto just one week,” said Dr Namrata Jaitli, Director Policy & Program Impact, while emphasizing a learning kit being a part of their own humanitarian aid of dry ration, sanitizers, soaps, masks, sanitary pads etc provided as emergency aid among such families .
The survey has found that 41% children didn’t get support from school in learning and 16% couldn’t avail any kind of online instructions. While the 37% respondents said that children were just playing without learning, another 30 % admitted that children are engaged in work at home, raising concerns about a distressing trend if the situation is going to continue like this.
