Coronavirus in Mumbai: Senior citizens first, please

Coronavirus in Mumbai: Senior citizens first, please

Their army of volunteers has offered to help the senior citizens to stay home, stay safe while they go out and do the purchases for them.

Jescilia KarayamparambilUpdated: Monday, April 06, 2020, 05:44 AM IST
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Coronavirus | Mitesh Bhuvad

If you know of any senior citizen in your locality (strictly Mumbai) who needs help in terms of buying groceries or any other assistance, then you should make a call to a non-profit called Project Mumbai.

Their army of volunteers has offered to help the senior citizens to stay home, stay safe while they go out and do the purchases for them. Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Shishir Joshi, founder of Project Mumbai, said, “I got a call from an old age home based in Malad.

They needed a month’s ration. One of our volunteers in Borivali picked up the ration and went all the way to Malad and dropped the ration. These volunteers did not charge them any money. At this time of crisis, you should help them.”

This home for the aged has 20 ailing, elderly residents. Project Mumbai volunteers are providing essentials to not just senior citizens in old age homes but also ones that are living alone with no immediate young family member to turn to for help. “There are some senior citizens whose children are not with them but abroad and they are dependent on house help for cooking and other activities.

They tell us they do not need groceries but someone to cook. So, some of our volunteers go and cook for them.” Joshi added, “We have been working in different areas. The idea is to make some difference.”

Joshi stated that all these volunteers are asked to maintain and follow all precautionary measures while visiting the homes of the elderly. "Safety is of utmost importance." At present, there are around 1,500 volunteers that are actively working with Project Mumbai to support distressed people due to the lockdown.

Beyond assisting senior citizens, the volunteers are involved in other activities like providing freshly-cooked meals to doctors and frontline medical staff in a number of government hospitals like JJ, Cooper and some hospitals in Navi Mumbai; meals to COVID control room of Maharashtra and the Mantralaya security guards, and also providing food to the homeless who live under the 25-km stretch of the Western Express Highway. Other than such physical support, Project Mumbai is also providing virtual support.

For instance, a team of 50 trained professionals are offering counselling helpline for mental health. This service is available from 8 am to 8 pm, in seven different languages. He added, “We are with parents who have children with special needs and with family members with disabilities.

We are assisting them through a helpline with special-needs therapists, comprising 30 professionals who are available from 8 am to 8 pm.” Like most non-profits, Project Mumbai has also taken to crowdfunding platforms to raise funds. “Many people are offering to help financially, that is not a problem. It is about good work.”

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