Corporate firms step in to help Covid orphans

CHENNAI:  Corporates have stepped in to help children who have been abandoned or orphaned due to the second wave of the pandemic in Tamil Nadu. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is working with the Department of Social Defense and district child protection units to help distressed children in the State.
The CII and CII Foundation, with the support of Kistler Instruments Pvt Ltd, are reaching out to 300 families in one of the largest resettlement sites in Perumbakkam, Chennai, giving them relief kits with ration and sanitation materials, according to a release.

Similarly, CII, with the support of Adwaith Lakshmi Industries Ltd and Lakshmi Ring Travellers Ltd, is providing ration kits in Erode and Coimbatore districts. The exercise is being carried out in a phased manner and will be extended to other districts depending on the need, the release said. “Many parents are also infected or have lost their livelihoods due to the pandemic, leaving the children in a frightful plight. The stress on child welfare institutions has also increased, thinning out their resources.

CII is working closely with the State and district administrations to identify the children in need and ensure they get both immediate and long-term support,” the release stated. The initiative has also been rolled out in other Southern States. In Karnataka, the CII is engaging with the Directorate of Child Protection, and in Kerala, with the Department of Women and Child Development. 

The CII is putting together a plan to work with the government to address the short and long-term needs of children in need of care and protection as a result of the pandemic. Ravi Sam, managing director of Adwaith Lakshmi Industries Ltd and chairman of the Corporate Social Responsibility and Affirmative Action Subcommittee, CII Southern Region, hailed the government and the efforts taken by child welfare institutions across the States.

He also shared that this is a significant space that requires intervention, and had almost gone unnoticed in the race for medical relief. He encouraged more private-sector participation as CII seeks to provide a support system for children in these trying times.