On June 3, as Gopinath. R celebrates the first birthday of his daughter, Dhanvika, he recalled the events of this day last year. He was overwhelmed with gratitude towards Federation of Sunnambu Kolathur Residents Welfare Associations in Kovilambakkam.
Last year, when COVID-19 lockdown came into effect in March, Gopinath, a delivery staff with a reputed food delivery company, experienced a sizeable cut in his daily income. He and his expectant wife were living on a shoestring budget.
When his wife went into labour on June 3, she tested positive for COVID-19. Hence, she was not allowed admission in government maternity hospital in Egmore and had to be taken to a government hospital in Chenglepet which allows admission for expectant mothers who are positive for COVID-19.
During his wife’s stay in the hospital, Gopinath had to travel from Chennai to Chenglepet in his motorcycle. With a meagre income, Gopinath found it a challenge to meet the fuel and other expenses. Here, the Federation stepped in and provided him with a financial assistance of ₹55,000.
“Gopinath is a resident of Kagithapuram in Sunnambu Kolathur. When we came to know of his financial plight, we had made a request in the Federation’s WhatsApp group. Many of our residents generously contributed to support Gopinath as he had a new-born in his family,” says J. Sankar, coordinator of the Federation.
Likewise, R. Ambika, a resident of LIC Nagar in Sunnambu Kolathur, will be celebrating the first birthday of her second granddaughter Kasini on June 23.
She also recalls the same day last year and feels indebted to the Federation for the timely help it rendered when her daughter went into labour.
“I was working as a domestic help in five houses and earning around ₹13,000. I was rendered jobless when the pandemic set in. My husband was a construction worker. My son-in-law does not have a proper job. We were going through a very difficult time then. It was the Federation that came to our aid and gave us around ₹25,000. With that money, we were able to manage the expenses towards my daughter’s delivery,” says Ambika. Again last week, the Federation supported another pregnant woman who happens to be the wife of a conservancy worker in Kagithapuram in Sunnambu Kolathur.
“The conservancy worker is Shiva. He has been working with us for the past 10 years. His wife had earlier had an abortion, and so we decided that he should get some nutritious food. For him, we were able to mobilise ₹20,000. But we have given him only ₹5,000 this month. In the subsequent six months, we would give him the remaining money. The idea behind giving him the money in small amounts is to make sure that the money collected is used for the said purpose only. The Federation also has plans to provide him with groceries,” says Sankar.
In yet another gesture of kindness, Engineers Avenue Residents Welfare Association, which comes under the purview of the Federation, had borne the medical expenses for another conservancy worker, Ajarathiah.
“This happened during the first week of May when Ajarathiah developed symptoms of COVID-19. But he did not test positive for the disease. But he had difficulty in breathing. We admitted him in a private hospital and the Association took care of the medical expenses. Residents of our neighbouring colony, Maxworth Nagar also supported him. Ajarathiah has been collecting waste from door to door in our colony for more than 20 years. Besides, he is known for his dedication at work. A sum of ₹80,000 was collected. The hospital expense came up to ₹79,000. We will hand over the remaining ₹1,000 once he gets back to work,” says K.K. Nagaraj, secretary, Engineers Avenue Residents Welfare Association.
