Civil Society Resilience Fund
The challenges that civil society in India has faced in recent years are unprecedented. The global pandemic impacted civil society which struggled to cope with the response as routine programming became harder to sustain while regulatory changes ensured that the impact of the disruption was amplified manyfold. CSOs in India did not have the benefit of state support to tide over the crisis even for basic issues like recognition of those involved in relief programs as frontline workers, let alone furlough programs for supporting staff laid off during the pandemic.
NFI is setting up a Civil Society Resilience Fund to support civil society organisations in India not just on the immediate crisis that they are facing in India but also for challenges that small organisation are likely to continue face in the coming years. To begin with, the focus will on the impact that the pandemic has had on the lives and livelihoods of frontline workers working in civil society organisations.
The Civil Society Workers’ Assured Security & Health (Fund) (CSWASTH Fund) is the first such initiative.
Civil society in India put up an exemplary response to the unprecedented Covid crisis as well as the hardship caused by the lockdown(s) across the country. During both the first and second wave of the pandemic, through the last year and half, frontline workers across the country risked their lives to hit the road with relief, medical aid, serving people in hospitals and health centres and responding to medical emergencies of communities.
The frontline workers who risked their lives to work with communities did so despite not having access to substantive social security plans or health insurance coverage. Hundreds of frontline workers succumbed to Covid while many more are still dealing with the crippling costs of medical care and (continuing) health bills.
CSWASTH will provide an ex-gratia payment of Rs. 1 lakh in case of loss of life of a frontline worker and up to Rs.50,000 for medical expenses. The period covered will be from March 2020 onwards.
As this initiative is a cross-sectoral initiative of more than 100 organisations that came together, CSWASTH will be managed by NFI with the support of an oversight group comprising of Annie Nimala (CSEI), Biraj Patnaik (NFI), Jagdeesh Rao Puppala (FES), Mazher Hussain (COVA), Meenakshi Batra (CAF), Sudhir Sahini (PRADAN), Usma Chakma (Wada Na Todo Abhiyan), Yogesh Kumar (Samarthan). We also appeal to civil society organizations and NGOs to contribute to this fund for Covid-19 impacted frontline workers in voluntary sector.
Eligibility Criteria for applying for fund
- He/She/They should be formally employed with an NGO
- He/She/They should have a COVID positive certificate (cases without this will also beconsidered)
- Monthly income should be less than Rs 25,000/-
- He/ She/ They are not covered under a term or health insurance policy that has provided the compensation.
- Priority will be given to NGO workers employed in organisations with a turnover of less than 1 crore.
Click the link below to apply for the claim
