Lockdown Tough on Single Mothers

Lockdown Tough on Single Mothers

“She loves eating rice. After we received the ration kit, I prepared a rice dish for my daughter. She was extremely happy!”

Rubina stays with her octogenarian parents and a six-year-old daughter. She was married in 2013, after which she left for Mumbai with her husband. A year later, she had a daughter; the in laws wanted a grandson, they weren’t happy and started demanding dowry. Her husband was involved in an extra marital affair and she was forced out of the house. She came back to her parents in Delhi with a month-old daughter in her arms. Her divorce case presently sits with the Mahila Panchayat, Delhi Commission for Women.   

A single mother, Rubina earns her wages, pittance rather, from embroidery work and stitching clothes for women in her locality in Sunlight Colony in Old Seemapuri in Shahdara district in Delhi. But the lockdown has meant no income for her. She is grappling to make ends meet at the moment. With whatever she made Rubina tried to ensure the well-being of her daughter and that her educational and nutritional needs were met, all this while fighting a legal battle to secure her rights.

COVID-19 has pushed millions of informal sector workers to the brink of poverty in India. They have lost their jobs with no safety nets to fall back on. The pandemic has not only exposed their vulnerability but has left their families very nearly on the brink of poverty and hunger.

As part of the response, Oxfam India has been reaching out to some of the most marginalised communities across 14 states. And with ample support from its donors it has been distributing cooked food, dry ration, hygiene and safety kits, and distributing cash to the poorest households.

Barclays is one of them. With Barclays support, Oxfam India has reached out to nearly 7000 people in five states — Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. They include people with disabilities, women-led households, waste pickers, domestic workers, transgenders, tea garden workers, migrant and informal sector workers, riot-affected families, daily wagers, and street vendors.

The food and hygiene kit distributed in Delhi includes, 20 kgs of Rice, 3 kgs of pulses, 10 kgs of flour, a packet of haldi and chili powder each, a litre of refined oil, a kg of salt, sugar and soy bean. The kit also includes five units of masks, and six units of bathing soap, washing soap and sanitary napkins.

“The ration kit that I received in these difficult times have been very helpful for me as well as for my daughter.”Rubina was overwhelmed to receive the dry ration kit. And even more excited after being able to make her daughter’s favourite rice dish. 

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