Amid the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, students and alumni of various law schools have initiated relief measures for the benefit of citizens and frontline workers.
After students of NALSAR Hyderabad recently launched a Crowdsourced COVID-19 Database, students and alumni of the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS) as well as Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow (RMNLU) are also doing their part.
NUJS Alumni Association has started a fundraiser on behalf of two NGOs, seeking to provide free medical aid to the poor and run community hospitals. The funds received will be specifically used by NGOs to augment their oxygen supply.
As of now, the fundraiser has collected Rs 42 lakh out of the targeted Rs 50 lakh.
The students and alumni of RMNLU, on the other hand, aim to provide relief to people struggling due to widespread chaos and misinformation regarding resources for patients infected with the deadly virus.
In fact, it is an initiative which is a joint collaboration between the Legal Aid Committee, the Legal Aid Clinic, the Alumni Association, and the student body of RMLNLU.
The main objective is to assist people who seek verified medical leads on behalf of their relatives or acquaintances who are currently battling with the COVID-19.
The initiative took a definitive shape on April 21, 2021, with more than 250 students volunteering.
Assistance is provided only after verifying each source with regard to hospital beds, medicine availability and oxygen needs. For this purpose, a main helpline number (08047092314) for all queries has been created.
This apart, other helpline numbers for specific queries also have been created to facilitate easy access for people in distress who are left with minimal options amid the pandemic.
Moreover, the students associated with this initiative have compiled a database that includes only verified leads, which is being updated regularly. The link for the database is available on the website of the Alumni Association as well as on the Facebook and Instagram handles of the Legal Aid Committee.
As of now, the initiative has received more than 2,800 requests on its helpline, seeking assistance regarding medical resources and leads. Around 1,200 people have reaped the benefits of the new collaboration, according to press release.
Link of verified resource database: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yg-Gfwe0swdRN1I5HbMr7CO2k-pclfj02CHXA-xFhjw/edit?usp=sharing
Link to the Website: https://www.rmlnlualumni.in/page/COVID19-HELP-CENTRE
A former student of NALSAR, Nandini Ghosh and an alumni of RGNUL, Yavanika Shah, along with a few graduates from Wharton University have spearheaded a fundraiser for crematorium workers in Delhi NCR, last Sunday.
As of now, an amount of Rs 15 Lakhs has been raised, within 48 hours of opening the crowdfunding.
Over the past week, the program has managed to deliver 1000+ food packages, 500+ protective gears, and masks, in more than 15 crematoriums and 'qabristans' in Delhi NCR.
The initiative aims to provide food and essentials, protective gear, and sanitizer dispensers to crematorium workers as well as seeks to install water purifiers since most of the crematoriums lack the latter.
This apart, the programme also focuses on setting up vaccination drives for all the crematorium workers in Delhi NCR on an immediate basis.
If you would like to contribute, please click here: https://milaap.org/fundraisers/support-crematorium-and-qabristan-workers
The initiative is looking for more on-ground volunteers/from-home coordination volunteers who can spare 2-3 hours to run the donation drives.
Here is the link for registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScr1HECyg5yc3dchlYC_XpRTcA8MFqEcs_GRi8xwXB_wbtzNA/viewform
This apart, the Literary and Debating Society of MS Ramaiah College of Law, Bangalore will be organising Sahaaya Hasta, a COVID-19 Fundraiser Conventional Debate Tournament on May 23 and 24 respectively.
The objective of the tournament is to help underprivileged people, who are facing difficulties amid the second wave of the pandemic in India.
The funds raised from this tournament will be donated to Rotary Bangalore Rajmahal Vilas, which has actively been involved with BBMP in COVID relief since March 2020 and is currently working with doctors, helping with vaccine registrations and records.
For further details on how to donate, please write an email to debsoc.msrlaw@gmail.com
If your law school is taking initiatives towards COVID-19 relief efforts, please send us details at info@barandbench.com