LOCKDOWN LEGENDS- Sanjana Acharya and Kavya Madhusudhan
In this edition of Lockdown Legends we meet two volunteers who personify Reap Benefit’s ethos of Solve Small, Dent Big!
Sanjana Acharya is a student volunteer for Reap Benefit from Bengaluru. A member of the Bangalore chapter of Fridays for Future, Sanjana is driven by a desire to constantly do more and help out in more ways than one. “I had donated money to various organizations providing food to those in need at the beginning of the lockdown, but I felt like there were other ways in which I could help out,” she says.
So Sanjana started out locally by bringing together the residents of her apartment and organizing rations and other relief supplies for their housekeeping staff. She got to know about Reap Benefit through a webinar hosted by the Bangalore International Centre, and was motivated to raise rations for 78 families stranded in Horamavu. Using Reap Benefit’s neighbourhood dashboard and logistics network, she was able to get it to them in time. She now volunteers with Reap Benefit’s contact team, getting in touch with people in need, verifying their requirements and ensuring speedy delivery of supplies.
“I felt like just by networking and doing what I could I was making a difference in someone’s life.” She narrated an incident where she got an urgent call from a group of citizens in need of supplies. After verifying their claim, she realized that the supplies would only reach them after two to three days. Sanjana then personally sent groceries to them. “It was hard to coordinate since they were in a remote area but before the end of the day, the supplies managed to reach them.”
Sanjana is interested in local level problem solving and plans to continue volunteering with Reap Benefit to help out with the mapping of vulnerable communities in Bangalore.
Our second lockdown legend is Kavya Madhusudhan. Kavya’s volunteering journey began in early May, and she says that in this short time, the experience has been very rewarding. “Frustration builds up when you feel helpless, and you don’t know what to do, but want to help,” she adds.
Kavya’s journey started when she heard of Ranganatha, a visually impaired 19 year old student from Hassan with a kidney disorder. Ranganatha relies on multiple medications everyday and goes through periodic dialysis. However, his family has limited means. His father is a daily wage employee at a barber shop. Managing these medical expenses was a challenge even before the lockdown. But the lockdown has stopped the family’s regular source of income, and they are relying on the government and various NGOs for help.
Kavya came across Ranganatha’s case through the non-profit RK Foundation. She got in touch with Reap Benefit, and within 24 hours was able to raise funds and transfer money into the family’s bank account.
Kavya’s efforts didn’t stop there and she soon became a volunteer herself. Since then she has been actively trying to connect to BBMP offices, calling the corporator and trying to make sure that underserved families are getting the relief and supplies they require.
When asked about the challenges of volunteering during a crisis like this, she spoke about how communication can be an issue. “But if one goes through the phase of stepping up and taking action, the other challenges are easy to tackle,” Kavya said.
Nothing is the same as it was. People from all walks of life are finding it difficult, but for some, it’s worse. But Kavya, Sanjana and many others like them show that small efforts go a long way. It can sometimes even make a person’s day, and what is more rewarding than that?
[While the current addition to Ranganatha’s account meets his medical expenses for now, he requires INR 12000 to meet medical expenses next month. If you would like to extend financial support to him to tide over these tough times, do get in touch with us at communications@reapbenefit.org]
