Corporate Citizen Claps for homemaker Rachna Malik, who overcame her bouts of depression to help around 150 terminally ill Children in delhi

A phase in her life when she had cooped up indoors for nearly six months is long forgotten. Within six months of volunteering at an NGO, Rachna stopped taking her depression pills, as she felt better both physically and emotionally. “It was my daughter who pushed me to get out of the house and do something. I started working with an NGO for the blind and see that as a turning point in my life. I worked there as a volunteer for four years,” she said. Her work with terminally ill children started as part of her association with a local gurudwara. “I was part of a gurudwara from where volunteers would go to AIIMS once a week to distribute food (langar), I started going along with them. I remember seeing the plight in which these families lived, and also remember seeing a girl die on a footpath. That changed me.” It was in 2016, when Rachna started working full-time to help terminally ill kids from AIIMs. “AIIMS provides free treatment for Below Poverty Line (BPL) cardholders. However, in working with the children I realized that the parents who brought their children here had absolutely nothing with them.” Rachna and her team of ‘Givers for a Cause’, ensure financial, emotional, and material help to the families of the children. “I started with Rs.5,000 and two friends to help me. We have people who see what we post on social media and end up sending diapers, cookers, juice machines, stationery, clothes etc.,” she said. Utilizing the team’s social media page, Rachna mentions the requirement for a particular child. “Everything that is sent for that child is accounted for and the child also knows the names of those who sent the material. The phone number of the parents is also shared with the donor to ensure complete transparency.” Rachna has impacted close to 150 terminally ill children and their families. Yet, she has her own pangs, “When we celebrate Eid or Christmas, I know that next time many of those children will not even be alive to be a part of the celebrations next year. Such is the work I do.”

Corporate Citizen slaps the apathy over environmental pollutants and takes stalk of a recent study by the Centre for scienCe and environment (CSC) that reiterates that outdoor and household air pollution together are the root Causes of deadly diseases impacting health

The report states that “Exposure to outdoor particulate matter (PM) accounted for the loss of nearly one year and six months in life expectancy and exposure to household air pollution accounted for a loss of nearly one year and two months. This is a combined effect of outdoor particulate matter (PM) 2.5, ozone and household air pollution. Due to this combined exposure, South Asians, including Indians, their life expectancy has reduced by over 2.6 years.” The research shows head-to-toe harm-from heart and lung disease, diabetes and dementia, liver problems, brain, intelligence, abdominal organs, reproduction, bladder cancer and even brittle bones and damaged skin. The study noted the impact of toxic air on fertility, foetal and child health. In this recent study, it has been inferred that the number of people who died every hour in Delhi because of air pollution has increased by three times in nearly 20 years. The current study also emphasizes that if no action is taken, these numbers could rise by 20 to 30%. The WHO reports in 2018 have corroborated the harmful effect of air pollution stating that, “Air pollution kills an average of 8.5 out of every 10,000 children in India before they turn five and that the risk is higher for girls as 9.6 out of 10,000 girls die before five.” The journal Lancet, in 2019 reported that, “Air pollution is responsible for 12.5% of all deaths in India.” India was one of the first countries to initiate phasing out of non-electric vehicles, but the sale of e-vehicles with a target of 15-16 million by 2020, has clocked a mere 0.28 million vehicles till May 2019. While the prescribed safe standard for PM 2.5 in India stands four times higher than the WHO guideline (10 microgram/cubic metre), when will environmental matters take root in the polity of governance?