Uncertainty gripped the world during the last quarter. In response to all the unknowns surrounding COVID-19, at the Institute for Family Well-being, we took abundant caution to protect our residents from the virus. We followed government orders to lock down our facility, and while many of our programs were put on hold and volunteer activities were restricted, we continued efforts to provide a safe and comfortable home for the survivors of domestic violence and assault under our care.
SHELTER RESIDENCY
We were unable to accept any intakes in April due to the lockdown. We received calls from four different agencies for eight women, but we had to turn them down because we didn’t have a quarantine room available and didn’t want to put our residents at risk. By May, we were able to free up a room to allow for a two-week quarantine for new residents, so over the next two months we processed three intakes and two exits. At present, we are sheltering 35 residents. At the start of the quarter, the residents’ time was occupied mostly indoors—playing games, watching movies, participating in life skills sessions—as we all navigated the new normal. Everyone was in survival mode, but they were cooperating well with each other and leaders began to emerge. Several women came up with a plan for how to stretch the provisions we had stockpiled, and the group dynamics were encouraging. T, whom we had brought in before the lockdown, wasn’t on proper medication and was causing trouble among the other residents. Our director made the decision to bring her to her home for some time and was able to connect with T’s previous doctor to get her back on proper medication. It took some time for T’s mental state to stabilize, but she began showing improvement on the new medication and under the watchful care of our director. We continued remote counsel for one of our alums, M. She was showing some signs of the coronavirus as she had been living in a PG (a rented room) and her roommates had fallen sick. We encouraged her to take an auto to the local clinic, where she was told she just had mild symptoms, wasn’t given a test, and was treated for a basic cold. She encountered several troubles with her living situation over the next few weeks, and we helped to mobilize payment for her PG through one of her mentors, and then later with the help of a local referral agency, we got her the numbers of other places to stay and helped her find and pay for another option. Unfortunately, at the end of May, amid the uncertainties of the season, she attempted suicide. Since we were keeping close tabs on her, we were able to come to her aid immediately, and had just opened up a quarantine space that allowed her to transition to the shelter. She stayed under quarantine for 14 days without issue and has continued on under our care. Following M’s quarantine, we were able to facilitate the overnight stay of another woman, G, who had reached a local referral agency late at night and needed a safe place to shelter.
We quarantined her for the night, and the following day the agency connected her with her family and she decided to return to her husband. One of our long-term residents, J, left the shelter with her husband a month after giving birth to their first son. We contacted the organisation where her husband is working and arranged for living quarters for them there. With their departure, we were able to open their room to a family of six staying with us. Our oldest resident, 83-year-old D, struggles with mild dementia. Under the lockdown, she became disturbed and ran away from the shelter. Though we quickly retrieved her and brought her back, we contacted her family to inform them of the issue. When D first came to the shelter, her family hadn’t known where she was. Two men had found her on the road and brought her to a local referral agency, who sent her to us. Upon tracking down D’s family, we took a formal consent letter from them saying they and she are aware of her whereabouts. With this recent disruption, D was scared we would send her back to her family due to continued unrest in her relationship with them, but we assured her she doesn’t have to go unless she wants to. D decided to stay on at the shelter and we continue to monitor her dementia and any unsettledness she may experience. In A’s case, we arranged a meeting with her husband and father-in-law and reached a settlement with them to hand over 6 lakhs in compensation for A and her two young daughters. Her husband also has agreed to give Rs. 6,000/- each month toward the children’s education until they turn 18. We are thrilled for A’s case to be settled and anticipate the substantial compensation will mean extremely positive things for her and her girls. In an external case, we addressed the needs of a woman whose husband was having a long-term affair and making threats to her in their home. Through the help of a referral agency we connected her with, she is now negotiating arrangements to split her house so she can stay safely and has her privacy, while the husband will live in separate quarters away from her and her children, who still wish to be close to their father. Though it’s not the most ideal of circumstances, in this context this is an acceptable solution that will allow her to avoid divorce and the inevitable shameful fallout. We are eager to open our doors to more women in need of shelter, and continue to monitor the COVID-19 scenario to ensure the safety of our residents and those we take in under quarantine protocol.
VOCATIONAL TRAINING & INCOME GENERATION
Bread of Life activity was quickly put on the backburner under lockdown. While we were disappointed to see our growing momentum come to a halt as COVID-19 restrictions settled in and forced us to pause production, we saw the need to keep our staff engaged and their skills sharp. So, the women continued to bake five-six loaves of bread each week for the residents’ consumption. Finally, in May, a supporter sponsored the production of 50 loaves of bread for delivery to families in need in the local neighbourhood. It was a great opportunity for the women to stretch their baking muscles again and to see their efforts used to encourage and help others in crisis. Mid-quarter, we began receiving requests for whole wheat bread, and were able to work with a volunteer, a trained chef, who guided our bakery unit staff remotely to train the women in the new recipe. We attempted a focaccia bread recipe, too, but found it needed some tweaks and have put it on hold. In addition, we brought in an alumna who has been helping in BOL and discussed with her how we can implement more items on the menu and enhance our presence among new customers. She suggested trying peanut obbattu, a south Indian treat, and volunteered to train the other women in how to make it. We have since added the item to our regular menu and have received positive feedback on it. Unfortunately, due to the lockdown, we had to delay efforts to secure food licensing for the baking unit after receiving a funding disbursement for the project. We were able to schedule initial meetings with the appropriate contacts, but unfortunately, had to discontinue the process when the lockdown was implemented. We are eager to revisit the project in the upcoming quarter amid hopes for loosened restrictions. We were, however, able to begin expanding our network for bakery orders and made new linkages with three layouts within close vicinity to the shelter. We were able to begin deliveries of bread and other baked goods to 30-35 new families in mid-May. We also started driving classes for three women who were identified for training. A volunteer began coming three days a week in June to help teach them. This skill not only will give them a sense of independence, confidence, and freedom, but will allow them to earn some pocket money by running errands for the shelter—procuring provisions, making baking unit deliveries, and dropping kids at school. In addition, one of our residents, a trained tailor with 13 years’ experience, also began daily four-hour lessons with three of the other women. Through the basic tailoring skills she is teaching them, they will be able to stitch items like saree blouses and children’s clothes, opening up opportunities for them to generate income both during their time at the shelter and as they later pursue outside employment.
EDUCATION & AWARENESS
The lockdown coincided with the summer holiday at the beginning of the quarter, but we had to shut down our Blossoms playschool to outside students. Our head teacher, V, an alum, had made the decision just before the lockdown to shift to the shelter with her son to stay for the duration so she would be able to facilitate lessons with the children and be among the other women. Board exams for our 10th and 12th students were postponed, but through V’s efforts, the teens continued to receive supplemental prep work in anticipation of whenever the exams should be rescheduled. Several of our residents also continued in their roles as teacher assistants throughout the quarter, and another of our degree-holding residents, T, stepped up to fill in the gaps for the children whose teachers weren’t able to be present. She helped to prepare three of the Blossoms children for entrance exams at a local school, providing them with tuitions in reading and English, through which they saw marked improvement in their skills. In June, two of our child residents, twin sisters, started online classes through the local school they attend as per government restrictions for education in light of the pandemic. We attempted to mobilize laptops for their classes, and continue to pursue these as online schooling will continue here for the immediate future.
We also ramped up efforts to gain admission for five of our Blossoms students in local schools and arranged for three of them to take entrance exams. Due to their preparatory work with T, the students have been welcomed for enrolment, and we’re now lining up details for their admission as they continue their Blossoms studies at the shelter. We also connected with an online homeschooling unit for LKG, UKG, and first standard children, and they have agreed to accept four of our young residents, offering reduced fees for two and waving fees completely for the other two. We’re grateful for these opportunities for our child residents and trust their Blossoms education up to this point has laid a strong foundation for their schooling moving forward. On the awareness front, our director and residents were able to take part in several webinars throughout the quarter. Three women attended a session on COVID-19 and how to be hopeful during this season. Our director also took part in webinars on child abuse and domestic violence, and one facilitated by a local funding agency on violence against women and girls during the COVID-19 lockdown. We continue to pursue additional outlets for awareness and education even under lockdown conditions, and are encouraged by the many organisations offering such helpful and necessary content during this season.
VOLUNTEER & STAFF SUPPORT
Though we had to put a halt to in-person volunteer activity as the pandemic settled in, we have continued to find ways to involve our community and have benefitted greatly from the generous time and resources of our volunteers and donors. One such donor funded carpentry work in the women’s living quarters to install shelves and a door, allowing one family with three young kids to have more private accommodations. Another donor, who connected with us through a regular volunteer, sponsored 50 loaves of bread from our Bread of Life baking unit to be prepared and delivered to needy families in the local community. We also were able to restart dance classes for our children, facilitating weekly Zoom sessions with a volunteer. We look forward to being able to welcome our volunteers back to the shelter, but are thankful we can continue some much-needed programming through online means.
MENTAL HEALTH & HEALTHCARE
Despite the lack of in-person counselling sessions throughout the quarter, we made arrangements for video chat and phone sessions with our staff and volunteer therapists for the majority of our residents. Though the sessions weren’t as frequent as usual, they were especially needed as the uncertainty of the COVID-19 scenario left many of the women feeling unmoored. Just before the lockdown, we had also brought on a resident who was not on proper psychiatric medication. Due to this, she was wary of the other residents and caused many relational problems. We were able to arrange for her to be with her sister, also a resident, in separate quarters to help alleviate the issues, and also were able to connect her with a psychiatrist at a local mental health facility to start her on proper medication. The situation is a work in progress, and we continue to monitor her closely. This quarter, we also were able to provide remote assistance—including counselling and provisions—to a former resident, M, situated in a nearby PG who was encountering aggravated mental issues due to the lockdown. As described earlier, in May, we made the decision to bring her into the shelter, and she stayed in a separate room in quarantine for fourteen days. We took her to the hospital after her suicide attempt and found she wasn’t on anti-psychotic medications, only antidepressants. She was prescribed anti-psychotics and now seems to be more stable. Additionally, we offered support to seven alumni living outside the shelter throughout the quarter,
checking in with them and providing guidance, counsel, and practical assistance. Given the mental state of many of our residents and the dire need for regular therapy, it certainly was not ideal to function under lockdown restrictions and try to manage cases over video chat and phone. We were grateful, however, to note a continued sense of order at the shelter home and were able to quickly mitigate the issues that cropped up during the quarter. Currently, we’re coordinating a session regarding male-female relationships, namely how to understand the dynamics of manipulation and abuse and how not to believe everything a man says—a session that we hope will be especially worthwhile in this patriarchal context. Early in the quarter, a long-term resident, J, delivered the twins boys we shared about last quarter by C-section. Sadly, the baby who had been diagnosed with developmental abnormalities died shortly after birth. The other boy was in intensive care for 10 days and slowly gained weight. J stayed in a hospital ward while the infant was in ICU, and after a week, she shifted to a private dorm room so she could be closeby and feed the baby. We mobilized funds to pay the bills after the hospital gave a sizable concession for the delivery and care. We networked with another organization to help cover part of J’s hospital room and board, a volunteer stepped in to raise money, and another supporter gave a significant amount toward the costs. Thankfully, through this generosity and effort, the fees were paid in full. J and her baby are now doing quite well having shifted to new living quarters provided by her husband’s employer.
JOYS & CELEBRATIONS
Though conditions outside the shelter looked bleak, the quarter still offered many reasons to celebrate. Through the help of a supporting organization, we were able to mobilize two distributions of provision packets of rice, oil, dal, milk, tea, wheat flour, sugar, and basic spices to 89 families in a nearby Rohinga community. The Rohinga are refugees from Burma who live as nomads without citizenship in Burma or elsewhere. Because they don’t have any ID proof, they weren’t eligible for any government provisions during the lockdown. Our resident children were inspired by these efforts and decided they wanted to take part. They gathered two boxes of their toys to share with the Rohinga children. To our surprise, just weeks later, a local organization dropped off a load of toys for our children. We were grateful to be able to come alongside the Rohinga community, and also glad
for the teachable moment of “give and it shall be given” that our children were able to experience. Another local network had excess rice available from a drive for provisions, so they donated 150 kilos to the shelter. We split it up to distribute along with dal and oil to seven of our shelter alumni and their families. The residents also benefitted from the efforts of one of the teenagers under our care who is trained in several different sports. He took time several days a week to do early morning exercises and play football with a handful of the children and women. Two alumni also were a source of encouragement for the residents. One woman sponsored chicken biryani to show her gratitude for what the shelter had done for her, and another came two Sunday afternoons in June to give haircuts to the residents. We paid her a stipend for her services.
COVID-19
We functioned under lockdown throughout the quarter, closely monitoring government recommendations for safety precautions as restrictions began to ease. We had stocked up on provisions and medicines before the lockdown was implemented, but were able to purchase additional items as the need arose. We also continued measures to boost our residents’ immune systems, providing regular vitamin C, ginger, garlic, and turmeric. In addition, we trained the residents and residential staff on safety measures to maintain health standards, including handwashing, social distancing, and proper use of face masks. We also have taken measures to contain any outbreak within our facility, ensuring that upon return to the shelter from hospital visits and small provision runs, proper precautions are taken by all to avoid the introduction of the virus to the residents (i.e., handwashing, change of clothes, shower, etc.). Though we have yet to welcome our outside staff and volunteers back to the shelter, we have been able to restart several of our regular programs through online channels and have opened up the Bread of Life baking unit for daily production. The safety of our residents is paramount to our efforts, so we will continue to do everything we can to maintain a virus-free environment while pursuing the growth and well-being of every individual under our care.
CONCLUSION
We’re grateful for the continued health and safety of our residents, and appreciate the generous care and support of our community in helping us to come alongside these women and children in need. We are aware of the present uncertainty lurking in every corner of the world, and we extend our heartfelt concern and well wishes to all our supporters and followers. Sincerely, Institute for Family Well-being
