Community Spotlight Covid19 Response – Nandita Deosthale

Nandita Deosthale is the co-Director of the Learning Centre, an alternative school in Salvador do Mundo. She and a group of 12 volunteers have distributed rations to 3200 people since 29th March, with funds contributed by a large number of concerned citizens across Goa.

Can you tell us about how you found out about the first migrant group you supported? And how you got started doing all this amazing work on the ground?

The man who painted our house called us on Day 4 of lockdown saying he and his co-villagers from Jharkhand have little food and are running out of money. On further enquiry we realised that there are 500 people in the same situation in that cluster in Porvorim. So we spread the word,raised funds, found a supplier when all shops were still shut, and did our 1st distribution on 29th March. More than 600 people showed up as word got around.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and what you normally do for work when you aren’t doing this?

I run an alternative to school called The Learning Centre along with Anjuli Kaul and a small wonderful team of facilitators and parents and run a consultancy called Furthering Education. We also homeschool, or rather unschool, our son and try to lead as sustainable a life(style) as possible.

What have you been doing to support marginalized communities during this lockdown period?

Our initial thrust was SOS…provide food to whoever called for support. Very soon we found that this was an unsustainable and impractical practice so switched over to collecting information, verify authenticity, distribute ration to last 5-7 days and also inform the Govt helpline so that they start supporting them. I can write pages on this but will keep it short for now 🙂

What are some of the difficulties you have faced while trying to do this work?

Trying to make the State system of food delivery to work properly has been the biggest challenge. The system is poorly thought up; and the officials down the line are either incompetent, uninterested or overworked. Politics and individual egos are another major hindrance,

What has been the most rewarding part of this experience?

Several! So many people came out to support in whatever way they could. Within 4 hours of realising we needed to feed 500 people (in the first instance) we collected over hundred thousand rupees, several volunteers and lots of love and support. When we decided to continue, a team formed organically, money came in so generously and people and many went out on a limb to get us going.

Our team is very special as there is no “leader”. We have taken collective responsibility and have worked so easily through trust and consensus. It really is a dream team!
What was most humbling however was the generosity of the people who were facing the brunt of this lockdown. Almost all times we saw people sharing whatever little they had and going out of their way to help us collect and verify information.

What are some of the common misconceptions you hear from people about the communities you are working with?

That they do not need this support.
That they have money and rations and are “hoarding”
That they are liars and other derogatory phrases

If there is one thing you wish people would take away from all of this, what would it be?

Only one thing? Please could the list be longer?

Laws that take into consideration migrant labour who are not working under a contractor
Empower citizens to hold the government more accountable
Learn to grow your own food!

How many volunteers are helping you with this onground mobilization?

There are 12 in our core group managing different areas such as Information collecting, fundraising,accounting, purchasing, packing, distribution and liaisoning. During packing and distribution we have more volunteers who work with the core team members.

How many migrants and day laborers have you been able to support since the beginning of the lockdown?

From 29th March till yesterday, April 16th, we have distributed ration to over 3200 people.

What do you need support with? / How can people help you continue this work?

We need to put pressure on the government to act with empathy and accountability. Please keep the pressure up on them!