Rural India is struggling.

I read stories from NDTV (think Indian version of CNN) along with what is shared on Facebook from my partners and most isn’t good. Over a month ago the government stopped all travel in hopes that it would prevent the spread of the virus. Many villages took matters a step further by blocking roads with large sticks or poles so that outsiders couldn’t get in.

Still today the lockdown is in force and I’m hearing more stories of desperation and hopelessness. You certainly feel for these people as they don’t have the same opportunities to access food, medicines or supplies as their city dwelling counterparts.

What can be done with all these restrictions in place is a question many are asking and thankfully there are those who are responding in small ways with outreach. Certain state governments have taken proactive approaches to get aid to their people yet again in the rural and tribal areas the situation is much different. These people operate on a cash basis; they don’t have accounts that the government can deposit money in, they don’t have access to markets or medical facilities. They are essentially cut off, left alone to cope and survive and sadly there are those who don’t.

At this point, what can we do?  We can give so that our partners can do what they do best; make a difference.  Difference making looks like this, pretty simple really, nothing more than gather resources, purchase supplies, get the necessary permits and then go out and distribute to those in need.

Yes, it is just a drop in the a very large bucket of need, but sometimes all you need is a drop to start the flow.