ERNAKULAM: Amid the gloom of an unrelenting pandemic, several kind hearts across Kerala are braving personal risks to be at the forefront of the COVID battle. Sheer humanitarian concern spurs them towards selfless service day after day.
Be it bidding COVID victims a dignified farewell, distribution of essentials or blood donation, the Sahrudaya Samaritans are just a call away for assistance. This, at a time when families of those who passed away at their homes are reluctant to touch or handle the bodies of their loved ones.
Antony MT, a social worker residing at Kadamakkudy in Kochi, recounts instances of handling dead bodies, kitted up in PPEs, for over five or six hours. The fear of infecting his four children and elderly parents grips him every waking moment.
Waking up one morning, 80-year-old Kunjumon had sat up in his bed and collapsed to the floor. He had tested positive last month along with his family, including two sons and a daughter and their children. When he passed away at his residence in Cheranalloor, his family members were scared to touch the body or lay it straight. The volunteers from Sahrudaya were called in.
"The sight when we reached the house was shocking - the body was lying on the ground, with legs bent. We struggled to straighten it. We made all preparation for cremation, from dressing to wrapping the body in PPE, before taking the body to the crematorium. It is a heartbreaking sight to watch loved ones unable to touch or stand close to the deceased," Antony said.
Lakshmi S, mother of a 27-year-old who died of COVID in Kochi, was devastated when her son's body was brought home in an ambulance. He was under treatment at a private hospital for a week. When his face was shown to the family, Lakshmi, though COVID positive, could not even touch or kiss her son, wrapped in plastic, for one last time.
"During the first wave too, we were actively engaged in cremating and burying the dead. Now, the fear in the hearts of people has also increased. But it is the confidence and support given by people and fellow volunteers that keeps us going," said Antony.
There are around 1,500 volunteers in the team of Sahrudaya Samaritans under the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro Malabar Church, assisting in the battle against COVID.
They volunteer in various regions across the state, including Alappuzha, Thrissur, Kottayam and Ernakulam. "We also deliver food kits and essential items, including medicines. In rural areas, there are 20-30 volunteers in a unit to handle any situation," said P Lalachan, social worker and programme coordinator.
According to Fr Joseph Koluthuvallil, the director, Sahrudaya tries to cater to all needs of those suffering because of the pandemic. "Recently, we supplied oxygen cylinders to a family, in Kalamassery, who were struggling to get cylinders when they shifted to their home from the hospital," said Fr Koluthuvallil.