BHUBANESWAR: Smile Force, a network of over 12,000 volunteers formed by Ollywood actor and philanthropist Sabyasachi Mishra, is extending 24X7 assistance to people in distress across the country and abroad.
“I received a request from an Odia woman staying near Surat in Gujarat, who said she and her child needed food as her husband was admitted to a hospital for Covid-19 treatment. The woman was not able to provide accurate details of her address but Smile Force volunteers managed to deliver food at her residence,” said Mishra.
Similarly, an Odia couple staying in New Delhi, which is infected and has a 10-year-old child, was on lookout for cooked food.
The couple which has isolated itself, approached Smile Force, whose volunteers arranged food for the family in the national capital.
The group’s volunteers also delivered oxygen cylinders to Covid-19 patients at odd hours in remote villages of western Odisha recently.
As Mishra is flooded with requests from various parts of the country and in order to ensure timely intervention, he has recently uploaded a Google form on his Twitter handle and has appealed people to join Smile Force as volunteers.
In the last four days, 16,000 to 18,000 volunteers, mostly Odias, have filled the form but around 6,000 of them were not selected keeping in mind their safety as they are less than 18 years of age.
“There are two options for volunteering- one can either stay at home and attend distress calls and managing the database, or provide services on the ground. It was very encouraging to find out that over 80 per cent volunteers opted to help the needy by attending to them in person,” said Mishra.
Odias in the United States and United Kingdom have welcomed the Smile Force volunteers’ initiative and have extended their support to the group. On an average, Mishra is receiving around 300 requests on his various social media accounts.
“The situation is very critical this time unlike last year when many people wanted to return home. This year people are making desperate attempts to admit their loved ones to hospitals or arrange medicines for them. Though we are making all efforts to provide assistance, the success rate is low as hospital beds are full and it is very difficult to arrange certain medicines,” the actor pointed out.
Apart from receiving SOS for medical needs, the group is also filled with requests for ration, cooked food, demand for jobs among others.
“Some of our volunteers are doctors and mental health experts. They reach out to people who need assistance regarding their mental health,” said Mishra.
As many people are unable to reach out to Mishra on social media, the actor is holding discussions with telecom companies to launch a free helpline number to help the citizens across the country during these testing times.