SoBo teen helps frontline workers, underprivileged people with ration, meals

A 17yearold student at the Cathedral and John Connon School has been helping out frontline workers policemen and a group of 51 handicapped and underprivileged people with ration snacks and meals for the past monthTivona Drsquosouza Murphy from Cuffe Parade started this initiative in May to distribute over 3000 meals and 10000 healthy snacks to workers in hospitals and vaccination centres and others who have been working relentlessly to ensure the safety of the masses during the second wave of Covid19 She has also sent rations meals and goodies to a local Balwadi where 120 kids have been deprived of their mid day meals because of the pandemicTivona is a student of Cathedral and John Connon SchoolShe said her cause was inspired by a video forwarded to her by her mother on WhatsApp of a nurse putting on multiple layers of clothing and a PPE suit above it ldquoI had also seen a video on Instagram of the faces of nurses with imprints on their faces caused by the constant wearing of a mask and doctors and nurses lying in corridors trying to reenergise themselveshellipand also heard stories from my mother and other doctors regarding how the healthcare staff had barely any time for nourishmentrdquo she saidAlso ReadAll hopes on ASHA if Covid19 third wave strikesSo far Tivona has helped out the staff of vaccination centres at World Trade Centre Young Womenrsquos hostel Choksey Centre Cooperage centre Radio Club Garware Club Lady Ratan Tata Institute the staff of Cama and Albless St George GT hospital BMC employees of AWard and BWard Covidtesting centres Covid hospital cops at police stations as well as those patrolling on the street local fire brigade and cemetery staff apart from reaching out to the disabled an old age home slum children and the poorldquoThe frontline workers have been working relentlessly for about 15 years putting both themselves and their families at risk They start their day at about 5 am and are done very late at night so they donrsquot have much time to eat a nutritious meal Due to the pandemic the churches and temples that usually provide food or ration to the underprivileged are now closed Many of these underprivileged people have lost their jobs The schools which provide the children of the Balwadi with mid day meals are now shut If the working class is struggling one can imagine the hardships being faced by the underprivilegedrdquoAn old man receives food and water through Tivonarsquos initiativeHelping out isnrsquot as easy as it may appear Tivona has learnt in the past month ldquoReaching out to the interiors of the slums and trying to find people who truly need help was a bit challenging To tackle this we hired two people from the slums to get us a list of the target people and my mother and I sat and verified them For example the disabled had to show proof like handicap certificates Besides this getting ration and delivering them was tough due to the lockdown As time went by we got more and more requests which led to donor exhaustion We then reached out to home chefs to provide homecooked mealsrdquoThe teenager says everyone irrespective of their social status can extend a helping hand ldquoEven the tiniest donation to a verified charityNGO can go a long way If one does not wish to give money but rather send mealsnonperishable snacks there are many people whom you can contact Even if one does not wish to donate sharing a donation link or spreading awareness about a fundraisercharity helps in its own way If nothing else one can offer their services to help out with coordination delivery and getting donorsrdquo10000No of snack packets delivered by Tivona in past month