Group raises ₹5.3 lakh to feed needy in Dharavi

Less than a month after a group of young people from Dharavi began collecting funds to address the hunger problem in Asia’s largest slum that is engulfed in the Covid-19 crisis, the group managed to get Rs 5.3 lakh in donations till Thursday.

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On May 7, HT had reported about how a group of youngsters, who identified themselves as Dharavi Boys, started a donations campaign to feed needy families in Dharavi who had no money and food at their disposal with Covid-19 cases in the slums rising day by day. The group has, since then, managed to get donations from across the world, with a lot of funds also pouring from abroad.

“They have managed to feed hundreds of families since then and will continue to do so in the coming days. There are a lot of challenges in food distribution considering that most of their homes are tiny and the food supplies which are bought cannot be stored in big quantities. But they are still managing it very well,” said Stanley Anto, a Navi Mumbai-based activist who has been helping the group.

In the last few weeks, the boys have also started taking up other activities like creating awareness drives and distributing masks and sanitisers. In the coming days, they plan to sanitise the tiny alleys of the congested slums where nearly 10 lakh people live. “Now we want to address other issues of health and sanitation also in addition to catering to the hunger problem. People here need a lot of help and support because there is so much fear around the disease,” said Vikas Jaiswar, a 24-year-old member of Dharavi Boys.

As of Friday, there were a total of 1,715 positive cases reported in Dharavi.