Why Rajakuchi Village, Morigaon, Assam
It’s difficult to distinguish Rajakuchi village in Morigaon district of Assam from any other village in that region. Lush and scenic, inhabited by simple folks, it’s a place which has become part of our regular relief operations in Northeast India. The affair started with our team’s visit during flood relief operations in 2017. The love for this village during distribution has special place in our hearts. The year 2020, has brought havoc to the world with the Covid-19 Pandemic and this village was no exception.
Follow the link for the next relief drive:
https://nomadlawyer.org/blogs/fundraiser-mask-for-kids-after-school-reopens-india/
The impact of Covid19 pandemic has reached even the far flung villages of North East India. The state government imposed lockdown in almost all the districts. The lockdown has severely impacted the otherwise self-sufficient village. The supply of food and other essentials started dwindling.
With no option left the villagers hesitantly reached out to us, asking for whatever support we could offer. They saw a ray of hope in us. We asked them to compile a list of families which needed help. The next day we got names of 102 families with around 500 people.
We agreed to Support
Doing anything on a large scale in such a remote area during lockdown is a daunting task if not impossible. But we couldn’t ignore this request. All thanks to project #MyPincode; Sarvahitey, Nomad Lawyer, and Social Media Matters got together and decided to take on this challenge. After many phone calls within our teams and the village, the modus operandi of food distribution was agreed upon. We decided to go to the place where many people don’t venture for relief.
Know about our volunteer travel
The story of the Banner
During one of the many phone calls, someone did mention about a banner as this is our identity, but of course, it was not taken seriously because how’d we get that printed during this lockdown. A couple of days later, Prasanta Deka (village representative) called us and asked what should be written on the banner. He was persistent and didn’t stop till we sent him the text.
Next day morning, these are the pictures we received. Pranab Deka, a painter from the village painted a banner to show his gratitude towards all our supporters. It was an emotional moment for us. If you have ever supported our projects in any form or manner, this is your reward. We want you to know that you’ve been able to help 102 families in one of the most beautiful villages of Assam. We always ought to promote local talents. Well done Pranab da.
Support of District Administration
We have also got in touch with Sanghamitra Baruah, from District Administration. Thanks for your support.
Packing in progress for the food donation drive
The villagers got together and while maintaining social distance started packing rations and other essentials in packets respectively.
Successful completion of the food donation drive in Rajakuchi Village, Morigaon, Assam – COVID- 19, Emergency Response.
The night before the donation day, I could not even sleep as I was not on the ground. There were innumerable questions flashing in my mind viz.
Will the village representative do it successfully?
Social Distancing?
Adequate supplies?
Early morning, the day of distribution, I had a video call with the village headman and other representatives of the village and explained everything to them.
Village headman addressed the people who were entrusted with the responsibility of distribution. He reiterated the importance of strict adherence to social distancing norms and wearing masks. Early in the morning the selected representatives of around 5 members went door to door to distribute. The villagers were really happy to have received this support.
Villagers followed social distancing. People entrusted with the responsibility of distribution wore masks, gloves and adhered to the norms of social distancing.
Nothing was more gratifying to see the smiles on the face of villagers post the distribution. It was a sigh of relief for us.
Thanks to all the villagers, Prasanta da(village representative) and the village Gaon Bura(headman) for coordinating and successfully completing the donation drive.