"As lawyers, we’ve got some responsibility to society", ILS alumni tie-up with Goonj to aid migrants, farmers in Maharashtra amid COVID-19

"As lawyers, we’ve got some responsibility to society", ILS alumni tie-up with Goonj to aid migrants, farmers in Maharashtra amid COVID-19.

What you need to know?

• Alumni from the Indian Law Society (ILS) Law College, Pune have contributed to reduce the unfurling agonies of migrant laborers and other underprivileged sections of society as the COVID-19 pandemic furies on.
• A team of ILS graduates have joined forces with NGO Goonj so ground-level help can be provided to those in need, especially in the draught prone provinces of Maharashtra which houses their alma mater.
• “We’ve been watching the whole story unfold and we felt that there was not much that was being done by the government. We felt that as lawyers, we’ve got some responsibility to society. Most of us don’t come from Maharashtra, but we went to Pune to study at ILS”, said Kosturi Ghosh, a core member organising the initiative.
• Even as aid efforts are being prepared from different quarters, the graduated class were eager to explore other approaches to help "even if it is in some small way."

How is the help being provided?

• The former students connected with Goonj and inquired as to whether they could find out individuals deprived in Maharashtra who could be helped from the initiative. What resulted was a voluntary initiative named 'Goonj Rahat Covid - ILS Alumni' initiative which began with an objective of Rs 10 lakh.
• The interesting factor, is that the initiative aids two ends of the spectrum. It not only targets to offer sustenance and hygiene packages to the ones in need, but it additionally aims to buy vegetable produce and food materials from farmers in Maharashtra whose income have taken a hit amid the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown.
• Funds raised are being used toward offering amenity kits for 670 households, with every kit containing dry rations, toiletries and different household substances. Moreover, the finances also are being used to help local farmers in and around Pune by buying vegetables and food materials from them.

What are the further plans?

• The initiative accomplished the preliminary goal of Rs 10 lakh within two  days, after it kickstarted on Monday, July 13.
• The team proposes to carry the initiative further and aid more underprivileged individuals in need. To this end, funding efforts will be kept open till July 23. The extra funds collected will be channelled into another COVID-19 related purposes.
• “… all funds collected in excess of Rs 11 lakh will be channelised into a new similar deserving project keeping our donors in the loop”, the team states on its fundraising page.

How can you help them?

• Given the limitations brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need to connect with individuals and associations that work on the ground level so help can be given to those in need, including migrant laborers, inhabitants of slums and other people who fall through the cracks of society.
• To help the tie-up reach their goal you can click on the following link: https://milaap.org/fundraisers/support-migrant-labourers-1