Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

We are raising money for urgent work to assist migrant labourers returning to their villages in the face of India’s Covid-19 lockdown. The call out is for funding to buy food for families who have lost their income. 

The response is being organised by Ekta Parishad (EP), national organisation, that takes inspiration from the teachings of Gandhi, that campaigns for land rights and livelihood resources for landless people by mobilising young people and community organisations. Their networks extend across 10 of India’s states and within days they have been able to coordinate ways of discovering the extent of the problems and work to overcome them.

Ekta Parishad are using their own reserves and fundraising in India to buy food, face masks and transport to get migrant families back from cities to their homes, but they need far more support.  

As of 18 April 2020 they are working with 25,000 families, 15,000 of whom have managed to return safely. 10,000 are still stranded, some even walking home. Here is the link to an appeal from Rajagopal, founder of Ekta Parishad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy26X4SxirM&feature=youtu.be 

As always, EP's approach is strategic. Their core staffing is small, but their style of networking and activism makes them highly effective. In addition to securing food, they are compiling an open source register of affected families, contacting local authorities and concerned local organisations, raising the issues of migrant labourers forced to return to their home communities and advocating their legal rights. 

Who are we? We are Jai Jagat 2020 UK, a group formed to support Ekta Parishad on a year-long walk Jai Jagat 2020 (trans. One Planet All People) from Delhi to Geneva. Through walking they aimed to present issues and grassroots examples of the deepening global, economic, social and environmental crises across the world that directly affect the poorest first, and are beginning to touch us. This walk came to a halt in Armenia mid March and the walkers returned to India as international borders were closed.

Until then Jai Jagat 2020 UK and other European support groups were raising funds for the international walkers and planning to join them in Geneva in September this year. For this effort, we have raised £1,108 through another Just Giving page, Jai Jagat 2020, now closed, and we thank those who have already committed to that. What has not been spent of that amount will go towards this latest cause.

We are assisted by Action Village India in transferring funds.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.