Pandemic struck the world unexpectedly, affecting people from all walks of life. Life hasn’t been easy ever since, and many who struggled to make ends meet on a daily basis will remember lockdown as an unforgettable chapter in their lives. These people did not have the luxury of going into quarantine nor had all the provisions they needed. Organisations like Sumanaa Foundation based in Sanjay Nagar in Bengaluru have been a ray of hope for such people across Karnataka.
In 2016, a group of young corporate professionals formed this organisation with the goal of making a difference in the lives of underprivileged families and communities.
When asked about what motivated the team to help people through Covid initiatives, Dr. Sunitha Manjunath, president of Sumanaa Foundation, academic council member of Bangalore North University and Managing director of Radhakrishna Group of Institutions, told News Karnataka that, “It’s been a battle for the past two years. People around the world were affected by Covid-19. In an attempt to contain the infection, people were forced to restrict themselves to their houses, with businesses and educational institutions being shut down. Majority have faced the difficulty in getting nitrous food, primary health care, and so on. As a result, I made the decision to assist the poor and underprivileged.”
Sumanaa Foundation has more than 500 volunteers, therefore they divide the duties among different teams. Over 100 different initiatives have been taken up by the organisation to help the underprivileged and unemployed. Seeing the farmers’ struggle to sell their farm fresh vegetables, Sunitha along with her team stepped in to aid them.
“Farmers were having trouble selling their vegetables to the market during the lockdown, and as a result, most of the vegetables and fruits were thrown away. So, we decided to buy them for the Minimum Support Price and distribute it to the general public for free,” added Sunitha.
Around 50 tonnes of vegetable were collected from farmers.
Sunitha is of the opinion that the pandemic pushed, majority of the population to the marginalised category and their goal is to find the right person, regardless of their financial condition. So, anyone who approaches with a problem will be addressed and a solution is developed by the team. “It is more important to think about humanity than to think about money,” she added.
Another notable initiative by the Sumanaa Foundation is ‘Meal of Humanity’ which aims to help both working and non-working people of the society. “A working lady, for example, may find it difficult to spend 30 to 50 rupees on a single lunch. Similarly, many people can’t afford healthy meals on a daily basis. There are many children who do not have access to healthy food, and there are many adults in our community who are deprived of nutritional food as wl. With all of this in mind, we launched the Meal of Humanity initiative,” said Sunitha.
Wall of Humanity, Swacha Bengaluru Sundara Karnataka, Vaccination Drive, Blood donation camp, Cart of Humanity, Donation Vegetable Carts, distribution of Happy Kit to the government school Children are some of the other initiatives done under Sumanaa.
Sunitha and her team were able to help 25 villages so far. Funding has been an issue in every initiative they took up. But the generous donation from different donors enabled them to help more people.
Speaking about the unforgettable experiences, Sunitha said that, “The happiest thing I have observed in my life was when we approached a farmer to procure his produce and saw him smile with pure delight in his eyes that made our entire staff participate in such activities. Similar was the case when we gave Happiness Kit, books and chocolates to the children.”
Sumanaa Foundation and Sunitha have garnered numerous honours over the years for their generous contributions to the community.
“Stop saying that society did not provide us with anything. We have all benefited enough from society and now is the time to return the favour. Everyone should do their part to make the world a better place in the future,” Sunitha concluded.
