90% of migrant workers in India lost their incomes within the first 3 weeks of the national level COVID-19 lockdown announced during 2020. As a result, migrant families are still facing uncertain livelihoods, increased indebtedness, hunger and extreme poverty.

Jan Sahas, with its experience of working with migrant workers, construction labourers and daily wage workers for over five years, proactively formulated a multipronged approach to support the workers in meeting their immediate needs as well as to prevent them from the long term implications of the economic crisis. In first 100 days of the COVID lockdown, Jan Sahas drew support from 30+ philanthropic and private sector donors (of >2 Million USD) and worked with 42 nonprofits across 19 states in India to address needs of >10,40,000 migrant families, 1237 survivors of sexual violence, 12,480 frontline health workers and state actors through immediate relief support. Our support involved:

• Rapid assessment on the status of migrant workers during COVID 19 : with 3000+ migrant labours, the report- “Voices of Invisible Citizens” published on the basis of the findings.
• Dry food provision : to 2,81,314 migrant workers dwelling in slums, under bridges and temporary arrangements across 90 districts of 15 states
• Cooked food provision : to 2,18, 000+ moving population of migrant workers on bus stops and the ones walking hundreds of kilometres to their villages
• Emergency Transportation Support : to 17,640 stranded workers and their families travelling back to their homelands on foot
• Direct cash transfer : to 25,520 migrant workers in 145 districts of 19 states
• Helpline Support : to 219,840 migrant workers in distress
• Mental Health & Legal support : to 2480 individuals in need in distress.
• Personal Protective Equipment Kits : to 108825 migrant workers and frontline workers