Moved by the plight of VULNERABLE guest workers, the "FLY THEM HOME" initiative aims to raise funds to help the most vulnerable among the guest workers and citizens by flying them from Bengaluru to Kolkata. This is an initiative of Rotary Bangalore Indiranagar and Whitefield Rising.
The plan is to help people who are in no state to undertake long journeys such as the critically ill, cancer patients, handicapped, pregnant women and those with infants, etc, and thus unable to make the journey by train. The initial estimate is for 100 plus citizens and is inspired by the alumni of the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru who booked and sent 180 workers from Mumbai to Jharkhand via a flight to Ranchi.
Many of them are desperate to get back, have sick and elderly members in the family, and are hoping for a miracle. They have survived the lockdown thanks to the goodwill of citizens and now they hope to go back home with dignity. This is also a very cost-effective option compared to say buses and is a secure and safe way to get them home with the least risk.
The total cost of airfares, transport to the airport, onward journey, food, hygiene items (masks/sanitizers) & some petty cash, etc works out to an estimated INR 10L. If more funds are raised we can send more people with similar issues back home from Bengaluru to Kolkata by air.
The total cost of airfares, transport to the airport, onward journey, food, hygiene items (masks/sanitizers) & some petty cash, etc works out to an estimated 10L INR. If more funds are raised we can send more people with similar issues back home from Bengaluru to Kolkata by air.
THE BACKGROUND :
Given the present global pandemic and the resultant nationwide lockdown, we are seeing unprecedented tragic situations on the ground, across the country. One such problem that has been thrown up is that there are several people from other states who have been left stranded in cities with little to no access to food, drinking water, or even homes. Livelihoods have been lost.
This initiative by Whitefield Rising and Rotary Bangalore Indiranagar aims to help these people by sending them back home by air.
Whitefield Rising has been working tirelessly on the ground for the past several months, providing relief to citizens – from food distribution, access to shelter and coordinating between different stakeholders in the Police and the Government to facilitate travel via the Shramik Special trains - who have been affected by the lockdown and the resultant loss of job. After over two months of being without any income or jobs, guest workers and those caught inadvertently (many came to Bangalore for medical care) are desperate to go back home.
In West Bengal, the destruction caused by the CYCLONE AMPHAN has caused additional mental anguish to guest workers from there in Bengaluru. They want to go back to help their families. They all just want to go back home.
Presently, all those who wish to go home are being transported by buses and trains. However, there are many logistics issues and for those who are sick, old, or physically weak an impossible challenge. All of this adds to the desperation and frustration at the ground level.
We are in touch with the airlines on offering us their best rates and also are in the process of finalizing a detailed document on overall logistics including ground transport to the airport, food & masks, etc. for the journey.
The Rotary Club of Indiranagar, Bengaluru will help with flight bookings, airport logistics and also coordinate with the Rotary Club in Kolkata at the Kolkata airport to ensure people are able to then further travel from Kolkata to their home towns. We will also be keeping our funders updated on the transport status.
HELP US RAISE INR 10L OR MORE.
THE PARTNERS FOR THIS CAMPAIGN:
ABOUT WHITEFIELD RISING:
Whitefield Rising is a community of volunteers who live and work in Whitefield, a suburb in the city of Bengaluru. We are a one of a kind citizen’s movement where changemakers in a locality have come together on a common platform to join forces and create massive impact.
Our focus includes Women’s Safety, Pollution, Government Schools, Waste Segregation, Greening, Emergency Services, Water, Lakes, Staff Welfare, Stray Dogs, Medical Care for the underprivileged among others. In the 7.5 years we have been around, we have enrolled hundreds of change-makers which is visible by the impacts they have each made. We are lucky because, during this time of social media boom, we are able to amass a large following that is keenly watching and is very quickly aware of the genuineness of the platform and the integrity of the people working due to our complete transparency.
During COVID-19 we have been working extensively with and assisting guest workers, daily wagers, and the financially poor with food, rations, and travel arrangements to get them back to their homes. Here is an interview of a WR member by Laskhmi Prathury of INK Talks for more on our work this last 2 months: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CAu_LLOJKks/?igshid=j0rxzd5vaep1
ABOUT RBI
Rotary Bangalore Indiranagar is part of RI District 3190.
It is a 140-member-club, with members from diverse communities and regions. It's engaged in various community service projects which include projects around health, infrastructure, water conservation, education. It's a model Rotary Club and we are very proud of the partners we have and the impact we have made. They have done massive relief work during COVID-19 and this initiative is one more being done during the pandemic period.
Some of their other initiatives include:
1) Water Wheel initiative.
2) Karunashraya - Hospice for advanced cancer patients.
3) Pediatric Heart surgeries: We do over 300 annually.
4) Eye Care Hospitals at Kolar & Tumkur: Over 5000 cataract surgeries done annually.
5) We have 8 adopted schools.
6) BGMS - We support the stay and school for 300 underprivileged children.
7) Vocational Training on Computer course, Retail, and Banking to deserving candidates from financially poor homes.
8) Pediatric Cancer Treatment at Kidwai Hospital.
9) Vidya Daan - Scholarships to 500 needy students annually.
10) Many Anganwadis restored.
11) Lake revival schemes.
TAX BENEFITS
Funding for this campaign is eligible for tax breaks as ROTARY BANGALORE INDIRANAGAR is a registered & you can avail of benefits under section 80G of IT act. Foreign funding is accepted too.
FAQs
Will we get to know the details of who benefitted?
Yes. After the money has been collected it will be transferred by Fueladream to ROTARY BANGALORE INDIRANAGAR. We will update you on the details of the beneficiaries as soon as possible. Once we get this information we shall upload a report on the UPDATES section of this campaign. You will then get an alert & can read details about the beneficiaries.
When do I get the receipts?
The receipts will start getting processed about 4 to 6 weeks AFTER the campaign is closed and will be sent to you directly.
How does crowdfunding work?
Crowdfunding in India is a relatively new concept & is growing very quickly.
It’s a concept that allows a large number of funders (like you) to fund an idea or a cause or event by giving small amounts of money online. Fueladream.com is a crowdfunding platform in India that allows for such pooling of funds. You can fund innovations & ideas on FuelADream and be the first to get these products or make them come true. You can also do a good turn by funding charities and causes through crowdfunding. When you fund a charity it’s more like a donation & you get small innovative rewards like a shout-out on an FB page or a thank you email from the beneficiaries.
