Challenges during Covid-19

Covid-19 hit India about January 2020. I was in Bodhgaya, Kolkata back to Bodhgaya on to Delhi and home by mid-February. I had planned on staying longer but having good access to Canadian news, I elected to return home to Penticton.

At that point and time, none of us (nor the world) had any idea as to what was about to occur around the world. The government closed the schools in March and as a result everyone was left stunned. Many of the people had no idea what Covid-19 was. There was minimal understanding as to what was going on. Masks were unavailable to the poor that we associate with. We made whatever we could until they became more common.

I had no idea what we could do or what we were permitted to do. Since travelling to India, I am learning that there are more rules and regulations than one could ever imagine. Complicating these rules and regulations are many, many religions and spiritual rules and regulations. Thankfully we have Amar to help us navigate as to what we can or cannot do. So important to have good associates on the ground where we are trying to help.

Food or warmth . . . very tough decisions

Amar could see that food was becoming the biggest issue. We sent what money we could to start a soup kitchen. We remained in contact with the kids of the village as much as possible. Sometimes there are local lockdowns and you require permits to move around. With the donations we had we decided to make sure the children had enough food. This was difficult due to our lack of funds. A few of the donors came through big time for us and with our latest donations have moved the money on hand from our August balance of $11.73 to an amount where we can see clear for a few more months. We have sent about $2,000 to our associates for soup kitchens and food handouts. We have ordered some woolen blankets but because of our budget we have scaled back. Food or warmth . . . we were faced with very tough decisions to make.

Mike Barrett