Campaign & Pilot program for food Security Rights of Homeless People in Delhi - Progress Report
Several concerned citizens have resolved to join hands, and also demand accountability from a caring state, to ensure that no one in the city of Delhi is forced to go hungry. A meeting was held at Gandhi Peace Foundation on 6th Oct'04 and it was decided that a food program be started for the homeless.
The programme would be worked out through a major people's campaign initiated by collaboration of three Delhi based non- profit organizations - Gandhi Peace Foundation, India Sponsor Foundation and Business and Community Foundation.
The objectives of the campaign are as follows: -
- To run a food bank providing at least one subsidized nutritious cooked meal or soup kitchen to homeless persons at Rs. 2 per meal or nominal rate.
- To ensure supply of food grains through setting up urban grain banks in the urban context & collection points in schools, colleges, shopping centres, etc.
- To run the program through a volunteer corps networks, that can include homeless cadres & create a income generation project for & by the homeless connecting them across the city & cities ultimately.
- Ensure the program is low cost & replicable
The second meeting for the hunger project was held at Gandhi Peace Foundation on Oct 13th 2004. It was decided that each member of working group goes back with a responsibility and as per their findings modalities can be worked out in the next meeting. The responsibilities decided were: Identification of vulnerable points and explore religious organization and Govt. to understand their modalities of running a low cost food program.
The third meeting in line was held at Fatehpuri Night Shelter being run by Ashray Adhikar Abhiyan on 2nd Nov 2004. After, hearing on to the various areas and available tie-ups the group decided that ISKCON Temple was the best tie-up to start with. They are willing to share infrastructure support to carry out the program and we need to support only through funds and volunteers. Looking at the possibility of feeding 10,000 people for 100 days at the rate of Rs 2 per meal the costing was worked out to a total need of 10,000 x 100 x 2 = 20,00,000 i.e Rs Twenty Lakhs.
It was concluded that we should with immediate effect contact ISKCON and arrange for a next working group meeting at their premises. It was decided that the program will in all earnest be started from 1st December 2004. The start would be made by distributing food to the night shelters and tents that come up for the homeless further expanding to other vulnerable points.
For details and support, Contact:
Ms Nidhi Bhasin
Prog. Officer- BCF
Ph : 23360439, 9810748489
Email : Nidhibhasin@bcfindia.org
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