On the occasion of the NGO’s Formation Day to commemorate 7 years of Youngistaan Foundation, the organisation felicitated volunteers for their exemplary work to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable communities in the state of Telangana.
From March 2020 onwards, disadvantaged communities were cut off from essential supplies such as food, water and access to medical care. Youngistaan Foundation volunteers immediately met this need by purchasing/cooking, packaging and distributing emergency and essential items to people - with the valuable assistance of the Telangana State Police, GHMC, revenue department and other partners. It is remarkable to note that in addition to our existing volunteers, over 1500 new volunteers signed up in March 2020 to assist people and animals who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Various dignities, such as Addl DGP Swati Lakra, Womens Safety Wing, Addl DGP and Rachakonda Commissioner of Police, Mahesh Bhagwat, Cyberabad Commissioner of Police, V.C Sajjanar, B. Sumathi IPS, DIG,CID, Women Protection Cell,CID, DCP Malkajgiri. Rakshitha K Murthy, Anasuya DCP Women and Child Safety, SHE Teams Cyberabad among the others congratulated Youngistaan Foundation volunteers and spoke to the young people of Hyderabad, who displayed admirable qualities that upheld the community spirit in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, each volunteer with a certificate to commemorate their heroic efforts during the crisis of 2020.
Founder of Youngistaan Foundation, Arun Daniel Yellamaty, speaking on the occasion said, “Young volunteers are the backbone of our organization, one of the most important part of our work is to empower young people to be changemakers, that’s what these young people did during the pandemic and deserve every praise.” adding, “We are grateful for 7 years of work we have been doing, it’s been tough but again a lot of work and a lot of lives still needs to be touched.”
The event hosted be the musical artists AWM Band, who played a few popular numbers after which stand-up comedian Raja Sekhar Mamidanna who were hugely popular with the young Hyderabad crowd kept the mood of the evening light as the day which was dedicated to celebrate the work volunteers did by sacrificing their lives during the pandemic. The event was held at POSH NOSH, Jubilee Hills.
Youngistaan Foundation wishes to thank our volunteers for their assistance in our COVID-19 outreach which allowed us to make the following impact:
Delivered groceries to 15,725 families which fed over 20L meals.
Provided 145,430 cooked meals
Assisted over 60 senior citizens with medical needs and groceries
Distributed 35,000 fruit and bread packets to migrant labourers travelling on Shramik Trains
Delivered groceries and other essentials to 75 orphanages, old age homes and PWD homes
Distributed 15,000 menstrual products to bend the curve of period poverty
Fed fresh home-made meals to 3,000 stray animals
Distributed 50+ cartons of biscuits, fresh carbonated drinks and cookies to juvenile homes
Distributed PPEs to COVID nodal hospitals
Distributed thermometers and oximeters to orphanages and visually impaired homes
Organized special webinars to tackle gender based violence, mental health and breast cancer awareness during the lockdown
Volunteers Testimonies:
“I used to go to the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate for Groceries distribution at various locations. This was followed by lunch distribution to migrant families located at Kokapet, Begum Bazaar, etc. Everyday we use to pack lunch, go to each location say Begum Bazaar, feed the migrant workers and then go back to Cyberabad Commissionerate, take food and go to another location. This way we fed 1000+ people a day. The kind of satisfaction you get on volunteering by feeding people is beyond explanation and only the volunteer will know what it feels like. This was the best thing that has happened to me in my life. Thanks to the Youngistaan Foundation for this opportunity which I wouldn’t have done in my lifetime. During this pandemic I’ve even helped by driving a cancer diagnosed pet to the vet clinic. I’ve never been to a pet clinic or have pets. But during this pandemic I’ve done that as well. I wish YF and the entire team all the very best for their services. “ Ramesh,a corporate employee and a volunteer.
“Every alternate day at around 5am, I used to take a senior citizen uncle for his dialysis as his children used to live in America, this touched me a lot as he used to be very kind to me too.” - Akshita Joseph, a student and resident of LB Nagar.
“During the pandemic we started remote learning teaching, we had to make sure the children took this seriously, and reply in time to the tasks that we gave them through voice messages or video messages. So building up a routine was important and it took some time to do that. The important thing that I learnt was, learning should always be consistent and in a flow. We cannot teach them one thing today and expect them to remember that many days after. It should always have some follow ups, casual questions related to that topic and assessments. And teaching effectively, even a simple topic means proper research done on that particular topic by the mentor. All these months this work gave me immense learning, and I am really glad for the decision that I took an year back to be a part of this organization. - Shruthi, corporate employer and volunteer during the pandemic.
Registered in 2014, Youngistaan Foundation provides a platform for 50,000+ young people to connect with other socially aware individuals and effect real change in our neighbourhoods and communities through our programs as volunteers. Youngistaan Foundation is an NGO based in India that works to improve the lives of the most underprivileged and disadvantaged people through programs that address: homelessness, poverty, education inequity, gender inequality, taboos on menstruation, child safety, advocacy, youth nurturing, emergency responses, animal rights and other issues.
