South Bombay teen helps frontline workers, underprivileged people with ration, meals

A few kids who are beneficiaries of her generosity

A 17-year-old student at the Cathedral and John Connon School has been helping out frontline workers, policemen and a group of 51 handicapped and underprivileged people, with ration, snacks and meals for the past month.

Tivona D'souza Murphy from Cuffe Parade started this initiative in May to distribute over 3,000 meals and 10,000 healthy snacks to workers in hospitals and vaccination centres and others who have been working relentlessly to ensure the safety of the masses during the second wave of Covid-19. She has also sent rations, meals and goodies to a local Balwadi where 120 kids have been deprived of their mid day meals because of the pandemic.

Tivona is a student of Cathedral and John Connon School

She said her cause was inspired by a video forwarded to her by her mother on WhatsApp, of a nurse putting on multiple layers of clothing and a PPE suit above it. "I had also seen a video on Instagram of the faces of nurses with imprints on their faces, caused by the constant wearing of a mask, and doctors and nurses lying in corridors trying to re-energise themselves…and also heard stories from my mother and other doctors regarding how the healthcare staff had barely any time for nourishment," she said.

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So far, Tivona has helped out the staff of vaccination centres at World Trade Centre, Young Women's hostel, Choksey Centre, Cooperage centre, Radio Club, Garware Club, Lady Ratan Tata Institute; the staff of Cama and Albless, St. George, GT hospital, BMC employees of A-Ward and B-Ward, Covid-testing centres, Covid hospital, cops at police stations as well as those patrolling on the street, local fire brigade and cemetery staff, apart from reaching out to the disabled, an old age home, slum children and the poor.

"The frontline workers have been working relentlessly for about 1.5 years, putting both themselves and their families at risk. They start their day at about 5 am and are done very late at night, so they don't have much time to eat a nutritious meal. Due to the pandemic, the churches and temples that usually provide food or ration to the underprivileged are now closed. Many of these underprivileged people have lost their jobs. The schools which provide the children of the Balwadi with mid day meals are now shut. If the working class is struggling, one can imagine the hardships being faced by the underprivileged."

An old man receives food and water through Tivona's initiative

Helping out isn't as easy as it may appear, Tivona has learnt in the past month. "Reaching out to the interiors of the slums and trying to find people who truly need help was a bit challenging. To tackle this, we hired two people from the slums to get us a list of the target people, and my mother and I sat and verified them. For example, the disabled had to show proof [like handicap certificates]. Besides this, getting ration and delivering them was tough due to the lockdown. As time went by, we got more and more requests, which led to donor exhaustion. We then reached out to home chefs to provide home-cooked meals."

The teenager says everyone, irrespective of their social status, can extend a helping hand. "Even the tiniest donation to a verified charity/NGO can go a long way. If one does not wish to give money, but rather send meals/non-perishable snacks, there are many people whom you can contact. Even if one does not wish to donate, sharing a donation link or spreading awareness about a fundraiser/charity helps in its own way. If nothing else, one can offer their services to help out with coordination, delivery and getting donors."

10,000
No. of snack packets delivered by Tivona in past month