Battling COVID-19 crisis: Zerodha and Habitat for Humanity India to support 1,823 families

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented misery and suffering to people all over the world. While governments and organizations are doing their best to provide relief to the millions of affected, certain sections of the society have been hit harder than the rest.

Zerodha, a stock brokerage firm, has come together with Habit for Humanity India, an NGO, to provide humanitarian aid to such families. Over 1,823 families will be provided with Family Essential kits as well as Hygiene kits to help them overcome the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

All Hygiene kits will have masks, oximeter, digital thermometer, hand sanitizers, sanitary napkins, soaps, liquid hand wash and an Information, Education, Communication (IEC) material to educate them about the dangers and the safety precautions to be taken during such times.

The Family Essential kits will consist of supplies for the family as a whole as well as all the materials included in the Hygiene kit.

Zerodha has also contributed Rs 20 lakhs to the cause and plans to raise another Rs 50 lakhs through crowdfunding. The amount of Rs 20 lakh will be used to support the aforementioned 1,823 families and the next amount will enable more families to be provided for.

This is not the first time that Zerodha has committed itself to such a cause. In 2020, it partnered with Habitat for Humanity India to support 5,565 families in Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

In both cases, the focus of the relief efforts is on the marginalized communities, where most of the daily-wage earners come from. While most of India had entered lockdown-mode and quarantined themselves, the daily-wage earning community was left to fend on their own. Faced with hardship and no source of sustenance, they bore the brunt of the pandemic.

Rajan Samuel, Managing Director, Habitat for Humanity India, said that with the second wave of the pandemic proving much deadlier, the onus is on us to support the marginalized communities. “We are grateful to Zerodha for partnering with Habitat. Last year thanks to their support we served 5,565 families across India. We hope to make a difference in people’s lives this year as well.”

Commenting on the partnership, Nithin Kamath, CEO of Zerodha, said that while the damage caused by the pandemic is extensive, everyone must try their best to save lives and livelihoods. “We hope to do as much as possible to help vulnerable people who need assistance to fight this pandemic,” he concluded.