MUMBAI: Clean-Up Foundation, a NGO that works for the betterment of the ragpickers, in association with Bhamla Foundation, that works to address the health, environment and cleanliness issues in the city; organized a free vaccination drive for the the rag-pickersof Mumbai.
A vaccination camp is being conducted for 4 days from 13th July at Peace Haven at Bandra West which will focus on the under-privilegedand youth.
The event was flagged-off in the presence of Devendra Fadnavis, Ex Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Leader of Opposition; Asif Bhamla, President, Bhamla Foundation; Bollywood Actor and Youth Icon Arjun Kapoor along with Sanjana Runwal, co-founder of Clean-Up Foundation.
As a part of this initiative, Clean-Up Foundation will be getting many rag pickers vaccinated over two days.
During the event, Shri Devendra Fadnavis felicitated 16-year old Sanjana Runwal for her exemplary contribution to humanity.
16-year Sanjana Runwal, co-founder of Clean-Up Foundation said, “It is important to vaccinate the under-privileged as they do not have easy access to vaccination or awareness about it. Rag pickers are at maximum health risk due to the nature of their work and their general living conditions. Therefore there is a necessity to extend our help to them and get them vaccinated on priority otherwise infections can even take a fatal turn for them. Clean-Up has been relentlessly working for the betterment of rag pickers’ health & hygiene. Vaccination drives are a part of this initiative and camps like this one are extremely important.”
Bollywood Actor Arjun Kapoor mentioned that he was proud to be part of this event and specially urged the youth to get vaccinated at the earliest possible.
Sanjana Runwal has been managing the activities of Clean Up since the past four years, from even before she became a teenager, with the objective of improving the living conditions of those who keep our city clean, the garbage cleaners and rag pickers being prominent. During this time she has undertaken numerous welfare activities for this segment. Clean-Up has already donated numerous water purifiers to different ward offices of BMC, which have helped thousands of garbage cleaners get access to clean drinking water.
It has also provided safety kits for rag pickers and financial assistance for the education of their children. In addition, Clean-Up Foundation donated raincoats and gumboots to the rag pickers before the monsoons. Apart from this, it also provided medical insurance facility to several rag-pickers and also organized a mental health camp for them in view of the pandemic.
Sanjana’s next initiative is going to be providing of affordable housing solutions to rag pickers and garbage cleaners of the city. Taking inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi’s quote – “A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members”, Clean-Up Foundation firmly believes that it is imperative to help these unsung heroes of our society and shall continue its efforts in this direction.
The Bhamla Foundation has established itself as an environmental community of dedicated citizens, who work together for a better planet. During the pandemic, the Bhamla Foundation has helped people cope and survive the worldwide problem. Till date, the foundation has helped nearly 80 thousand families with rations and distributed 5 lakh readymade food packages, 89 thousand food grains, 1 lakh masks, 23 thousand liquid sanitizers, 18 thousand PPE kits, and 12 thousand sanitary pads.
