Association of Medical Doctors of ASIA, founded in 1984, Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC since 1995

On 17th June 2020, AMDA Peace Clinic (APC) in Bodhgaya, India conducted emergency food provision assistance for the households with pregnant women registered at the clinic. The rapidly dwindling income stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the family finance hard, thereby making it difficult for some families to purchase food items. The drive will be organized every Tuesday for two months.

This time, each of the 41 pregnant women received a set of foodstuffs including 500ml of cooking oil, 500g of salt, 1.5kg of beans, 1kg of onion, a pumpkin, 1kg of lady’s finger, 100g of chili and a bar of soap. In addition, 5kg of flour was provided to those who were not entitled to the government’s food aid initiative.

Likewise, a similar food donation effort was carried out at *a nursing home run by Vedha Mother Teresa Welfare Trust in a Bodhgaya suburb.
   

 

Voices of the beneficiaries:

“We are a family of eight and the food donation we received from APC allows us to feed ourselves for about a week. It has been a great help since my husband lost his job due to the lockdown which was imposed a few days after I gave birth to my child. My mother who had been working as a cleaner lost her job as well. My father passed away 10 years ago. As we have no income to rely on, we are not able to buy dal beans which we often use for cooking. Before we received the aid from APC, we had to feed ourselves on pickled vegetables and roti bread. Every one of us in our family has been truly grateful for the assistance. Thank you so much.”

“The food we got from APC is indeed an immense help for my family and myself. Since I do own the ration card, I am entitled to receive the aid from the government. Still, I needed to get other food items and seasonings. My husband was a day laborer who used to work in the construction sector, but he lost his job due to the lockdown. I am a mother of three daughters, and the eldest one is expected to get married after we accumulated enough money to pay for her dowry. My husband was working hard for that, however, because of the lockdown, we have to start all over again from what it used to be a few years back. How I wish we could go back to the time before the COVID-19 struck. Personally, food is crucial for a-mother-to-be like myself. I really appreciate APC for their support. And I am now feeling more attached to the clinic than ever.”

“Thank you very much for the coherent assistance at a time like this when we are in urgent need of things to eat. I am a housewife whose husband works in a different state. The company which my husband works for has been closed due to the pandemic. My savings were supposed to be running out by the end of this month, because the allowance from my husband has stopped coming in. To that sense, what APC has done for us is very timely."

*The elderly nursing home which has been managed by former APC staff Ms. Vehda accepts homeless elderly people and seniors with disabilities.