The nationwide lockdown has resulted in a standstill in various aspects of daily life. However, our Youth for Seva volunteers have used this as an opportunity to switch gears and speed ahead. Mr. Antar Prasad Sahu is one such volunteer. 

Antar Prasad Sahu, a core member of the Youth for Seva, Bhopal Committee and an active volunteer has been keeping busy during the lock down by conducting surveys in COVID-19 hotspots in Bhopal. He and his team comprising 6 members, in association with Seva Bharti, have interviewed over 3000 family members, spanning 650 households. Their main objective was to identify COVID-19 patients in these "hotspots" as prescribed by the local government. Accompanied by a policeman, Antar's team sought to maintain records and identify individuals with pre-existing ailments and/or any existing symptoms, all while strictly following the social distancing guidelines. By achieving a feat of covering 3 districts in 3 days and collecting health records of the citizens, their effort has proved to be successful.

Antar encourages everyone to volunteer and help their community as this is a golden chance to make an impact. We salute Antar and his team for their social services. 

Written By: Ananya Rajagopal

When his pilgrimage to Sabarimala got cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown, he motivated his team of 15 members to redirect their services to the needy during this catastrophe. That is 41 year old Muralidhar, a resident of Jayanagar, Mysore. After doing a Masters in Arts, he is servicing Lord Ayyappa at a temple where his forefathers had been serving right from Wodeyars time.

Since the start of the current calamity, he has been offering food day and night everyday to nearly 150 migrant labourers, staying in a 20 kms radius, in association with NGOs like Youth For Seva.

As he rightly pointed out, it may be a lock down but the key is in our hands to make a worthwhile use of our existence.

Written by : Latha Raghavendra

Volunteering during the corona pandemic is no easy task . YFS volunteers in  Mysore have been upfront in feeding the needy on a daily basis. One such volunteer is Mrs. Sandhya who is a caterer,a single mother and the sole breadwinner of the family.For Sandhya it all started with packing & collecting food packets and distributing it in and around Jayanagar to daily wage workers and migrants who are most affected by this lock down.

To begin with she started distributing about 20 packets per day to almost 80 packets now. She along with her peers have taken extreme care to make sure that only the needy and vulnerable people are benefited the most. Sandhya has been on her toes in packing and distributing the food twice a day amidst the hot weather and maintaining social distancing.

Kudos to her and all other volunteers at YFS for their noble service. We at YFS are extremely proud to  have such selfless volunteers.

Written by: Sindhu Gireesh

People often complain about the inefficiencies of government functionaries but forget that the common man can also play a role in its effectiveness. When the District Administration was looking for assistance to screen citizens for COVID-19, 28 year old Akash Khare, a Deputy Manager with HDFC Bank, Bhopal, rose to the occasion. 

Mr. Raghavendra S K Babusapalya, a Youth for Seva volunteer, has been involved in teaching government school children the art of theatre. During this lockdown, he has diversified his contributions while working within the Hennur district. 

He helps local shops adhere to the social distancing norms by marking out spots at fixed distances, collects details of migrants who are in need of shelter and food, to arrange for rations, and is part of a food packaging and distribution group for the needy. 

These exemplary efforts affirm his status as a Youth for Seva "COVID-19 Hero". We salute Mr. Raghavendra for his social services.

Written by : Ananya Rajagopal

Ms. Keerthana Hegde, a Youth for Seva volunteer since May 2019, climbed to the ranks of head volunteer who manages activities in a government school in Hanumanthnagar. During the ongoing lock down, she participates in food packaging services for migrant labourers, in collaboration with Adhamya Chetana. She has been doing so for more than 2 weeks, working from the 9 AM-1 PM shift. 

Keerthana fits the bill as a quintessential Youth for Seva volunteer by demonstrating that we can make a difference in our own locality. We salute Ms. Keerthana for her social services.

Written by : Ananya Rajagopal

"We get to live only once, pata nahin uparwala kab bulayega, let's make time to serve others" says the 21 year old Amit Pandey of Noida.

While pursuing BA, Amit, son of an auto driver, founded Future Point Foundation through which he has been doing yeoman service, like teaching kids in slums during weekends; engaging them in making paper bags and from the proceeds getting essential items for them; providing food for the needy and also going on plantation drives.

When he found out that around 150-200 construction workers living a little farther from his home had lost job due to the nationwide lock down, he mobilised funds and along with the volunteers of YFS has been distributing groceries to them. May his tribe increase!

Written by : Latha Raghavendra

Mrs. Krishnaveni, a Youth for Seva volunteer for the past three years, is no novice to this field. She has actively participated in food distribution drives in Vijaywada. 

She has taken a similar approach to help fellow citizens during the ongoing lockdown. Since the last week of March, she and her husband have been preparing and distributing food like idli, rice, sambar and fruit juices to police officers and the poor. They have made this an obligatory activity in their daily routine.

By achieving a feat of reaching out to over 1200 individuals, their effort has proved to be successful. We salute Mrs. Krishnaveni and her husband for their social services.

Written by : Ananya Rajagopal

Many lives have been affected by this pandemic, and it is a challenging time for everyone.  Even though we must remain indoors, volunteers are still working all across India to help those who have been adversely affected by this situation. This can be seen by the YFS team in Meerut who have been working from their homes as it is not possible to go out. Several volunteers, including working professionals, have done their best to help by making calls to the migrant labourers who are stuck and the families that need rations. Their collective efforts have greatly reduced the onus on the people who are working on the field. 

We would like to highlight one such volunteer, Anshika Tyagi. She has been working at YFS for some time, and used to teach children. But due to the pandemic, this was not possible. But she didn’t let this stop her from helping out. She has made up to 2000 calls, and her efforts have helped in completing the target of 3000 missed calls from families, much faster. 

These volunteers are so passionate about their work that they attend the helpline number every day for about two to three hours. It is the work of such people that will help us in successfully coming out of this dire situation. 

Written By :Viha Julia