I-CAN – Innovative platform for combating Corona launched; Connects Help Seekers with Help Givers

Two civil society organisations have come together to launch a platform for establishing a haste free connect between help seekers and help givers in this challenging situation in the country in the wake of Covid-19. Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, BJP Vice President and MP who is also the Vice-Chairman of Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini(RMP) and Amit Tuteja of Connecting Dreams Foundation of Delhi jointly held a live demonstration of this novel platform at a virtual media interaction today.

“In the wake of this unprecedented pandemic, we are facing unimaginable de-stabilisation and several new issues of relief and rehabilitation have cropped up. While many conscientious people are either willingly coming forward or have an intense desire to extend all possible help to the needy. However, connecting the help giver with a help seeker without any hassles and in a short span of time is a big issue and this platform, rightly named as ‘I-Can: India Co-Win Action Network’ would overcome this issue” said Dr Sahasrabuddhe who had conceived the idea behind this platform.

More importantly, this platform would give a sense of involvement to the common citizens who prefer to discharge their duties actively and are not happy just sitting pretty at home and leaving everything to the Govt., he added. “More than 376 volunteers from twenty states have already registered in the last 3 days since it got launched. We have collected 157 challenges, and close to 2700 people have already benefited through this platform” he further said.

Ravindra Sathe, Director General of RMP and Director of Atal Incubation Centre, which is supported by Niti Ayog, introduced ‘Connecting Dreams Foundation, a social startup based out of New Delhi’ and shared that ‘both these organisations have come together in response to PM Modi’s appeal and have designed a platform within a very short span of time and since it is very user friendly, many young volunteers have already started using the same.’

Dr Amit Tuteja, Founder of Connecting Dreams Foundation explained about the initiative ‘I CAN’, India Co-win Action Network.

While showing the website http://cowinactionnetwork.in Dr Tuteja shared that volunteers can help while being at home and be a Co-win warrior in India’s war against Corona. Volunteers can register on the website and then enter the need and location of the seeker as well as coordinate with resources to help close the need. The platform takes the help of google map to map seekers, resources and warriors and thus connects them locally to resolve issues. Dr Tuteja also shared a few success stories where critical issues were resolved through this platform in the last one week.

Some of the successful examples of using this platform shared by Amit Tuteja were as follows : —

-On 29th March one factory owner of Noida, Vineet Lall (of Megamatrix) contacted our volunteer highlighting the plight of around 650 migrant workers who were hungry for the last one day and were crossing Noida. Our volunteer registered this ‘need’. Rajesh Mehta from Austria (Europe) responded and donated Rs 30,000 for their food. Food was cooked with the help of a caterer (Sandeep Walia) in Janakpuri and distributed with the help of Delhi police. The ‘need’ was addressed within a few hours.

– On 29th March one of our volunteers got a message on WhatsApp about Harban Singh, a 91-year-old who is in a flat at Anand Vihar and has not had food for the last 2 days. After verification, the ‘need’ was entered & another volunteer from the same area dispatched food to him.

– On 28th March Anjali from Sanjay camp slum in Delhi shared on a forum that their colony of 250 people didn’t get water for the last 2 days. One of our volunteers Bhavya Bansal of Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi university entered this need on the platform. Another volunteer from the same area picked this and then informed the Jal Nigam authorities. The water tank was sent by evening.

CDF is a non-profit foundation which provides the youth with an opportunity to bring about a sustainable and scalable change by working along the lines of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as defined by the United Nations. Through its changemaker network, CDF uses entrepreneurial action to empower people to improve their livelihoods in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable way, thus converting their dreams into reality. More at https://www.connectingdreams.org

(AIC) Atal Incubation Centre- Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini (RMP) Foundation has been set up in alignment with Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog to nurture, handhold and support New Age Entrepreneurs for New Age India. The focus is on job creation through entrepreneurship in the domains of Agriculture, Education & ICT. It also aims to create & support sustainable business models at a grassroots level including social enterprises. More at https://www.aic-rmp.org