Since the end of the pandemic is still nowhere in sight, there was a need to extend these measures. This required the supply of several kinds of equipment and consumables such as thermometers, soap dispensers, water dispensers, sanitizers, masks, gloves, disinfectants, cleaning agents, etc. at each of the homes. It was again a challenge to procure these materials in bulk at a reasonable price during the lockdown when such items were being sold at exorbitant rates. The State Programme Manager of Delhi recalls that “None of these materials were available in the open market because most shops were closed and there was no supply coming from outside, but fortunately some promising donors came to our rescue.” The Bengaluru State Programme Manager says, “Some of our donors were kind enough to connect us with their vendors, who helped in delivery of these required materials.” Apart from uninterrupted support from the national office, the inter-state office coordination also played a vital role in procurement of goods. For instance, in the initial period of the lockdown thermal scanners were not available in Bangalore, so when the Pune office found a vendor, they also booked it for the Bangalore office. Over the subsequent months, adherence to the prescribed guidelines for personal hygiene was gradually becoming stressful for children. The inability to meet their school teachers and parents, the closure of schools and restrictions on movement added to the agony of the children, so every home was encouraged to draw up a daily schedule in consultation with the children of the same home. Routines in all the homes were revisited by the children and caregivers together which was activity based to keep the children engaged in joyful learning processes. In Chennai, group counseling sessions were organized where children engaged in play and expressed their concerns. As an immediate measure, home teams made themselves available to discuss any concerns children might have regarding Covid-19 at any point. Group sessions such as skits, talking to their friends in other homes and family members over video chats, etc. were conducted. The Internet was the only medium that could be used to conduct classes, either academic or co-curricular activities, in the home. Except for a few of the homes, most homes did not have adequate gadgets through which children could interact with the facilitators. Each state team, with support from national office and local donors, successfully procured the essential equipment required like cameras, laptops, modems, projectors, etc. This was not very easy because of restricted movement and the scarcity of equipment in the market. “Our donors were a big support in the time of crisis. We could procure all essential items through them when we needed and that too at wholesale prices.” SPM, Bengaluru
Administrative support The national office of RHP had sensed the upcoming problems of Covid-19 quite early and proactively alerted the state offices to ensure preventive measures were taken. The finance units took swift decisions and ensured that; All homes procure groceries for at least 2 months Adequate funds were transferred to state offices with advice to provide sufficient cash to homes for dayto-day expenses Banks were requested to support the RFI offices for releasing funds even during lockdown Processes were put in place for quick mobilization of financial resources for additional expenses in the homes Besides this, the unit in consultation with state and national team identified areas for budget revision to meet the basic programme requirements such as doing away with all travel related to training programs, research for at least a year; focusing on only essentials for the first 6 months; relooking at recruitment, increments and salaries; procuring ration kits for parents and ensuring stock in the homes from the FCI at much cheaper rates; reducing 26
Coping with Covid-19
