Manvi’s Story

  Manvi’s family has been living in a small room in the Kucha Mahattar Khan Mori Gate area of ​​East Delhi for the last 20 years. This is one such area of ​​Delhi which has a population of 22,46,749. There are many localities around it such as Kashmere Gate, Tis Hazari Court, Malka Ganj, Ram Bazar Chandni Chowk and Old Delhi Railway Station. and all these areas are congested areas.

Family background.

Manvi is a 14 year old girl. She lives with her father Raju and mother Rekha Devi in ​​a rented house in Mori Gate Kucha  Mahattar Khan area of ​​Old Delhi. Although the family is originally from Uttar Pradesh, for the last twenty years they have been living in Mori Gate. Her father sells chhole-kulche (chick-pea and Indian bread snack) from a roadside vend. Besides her parents, Manvi has seven siblings. Manvi is the eldest in the house. The mother does the packing work in the nearby  Ram Bazar market, and the entire responsibility of the siblings rests on Manvi. Her sister and her brother study in a local government school. Manvi’s father used to collect the cooked edibles from his house every morning from his house in a large pot   (bhagauna for chole and kulche) and sell it at Sadar Bazar – a bustling wholesale market adjacent to the Old Delhi area – at a cost of  Rs 10 – Rs 15 per plate.

During the second-wave of COVID in May 2021, followed by the lockdown, the entire market was closed due to which Manvi’s parents lost their livelihood. Since her father was unable to sell snacks, the family faced financial trouble—often they did not have enough food to eat. They could hardly recover from their miseries that Manvi developed rashes on her body and an itchy head, which was due to the lockdown. It got worse with time. When essential movement was allowed in the partial lockdown, Manvi’s father took her to a local unqualified practitioner – a quack). Treatment was predictably unsuccessful and the eruption continued to spread. Soon her whole body was swollen and she could not sleep at night due to pain and itching. His parents were at their wit’s end as they had no money to buy any more medicines. This sad situation continued till May 2021, when the Medical Health Van (MHV) of Bal Umang Drishya Sanstha (BUDS) started visiting Mori Gate.

Medical help from BUDS

MHV was a boon to Manvi and her family. Manvi was examined by Dr. Ravi, who told the family that if the girl did not receive initial treatment, she might have to be taken to the hospital. The family was too scared to go to the hospital and begged Dr. Ravi to treat their daughter. Dr. Ravi reassured them and said that he will do his best.

Manvi came to the health van for her treatment for two consecutive weeks in June 2021. Dr. Ravi monitored it and after prolonged treatment with antibiotics and ointments, Manvi’s infection subsided. The BUDS counsellor continued to talk to Manvi’s parents every week and monitor her progress. At present, the rashes on her body are healing and her hair is slowly growing back.

BUDS provides rations

Seeing Manvi’s family and financial condition, BUDS has been helping Manvi’s family by giving dry ration kits, masks and sanitizers since the second wave of COVID in May 2021 . The organization also

helped in filling the e-ration coupon form so that the family could get free government rations. With the re-opening of schools and educational institutions, BUDS has also enrolled Manvi in their  educational remedial program to help her with the difficulties she faces in her education.

BUDS wish to continue serving the community people who do not have access to the health services, by making health accessible, and affordable to all. At the same time other forms of assistance such as provision of dry rations and registration with government schemes helps families like Manvi’s to become self-sufficient.