Mumbai: Clean-Up Foundation, an NGO working for the betterment of the ragpickers, organized a free vaccination drive for the ragpickers of Mumbai. As a part of this initiative, Clean-Up Foundation will be getting many ragpickers vaccinated over two days.
The event was flagged-off on Tuesday in the presence of Clean-Up Foundation co-founder Sanjana Runwal, Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor and Saher Bhamla, part of the founding family of the Bhamla Foundation.
Talking about the initiative, Runwal said, “it is important to vaccinate the under-privileged as they do not have easy access to vaccination or awareness about it”.
“Ragpickers 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,” said Runwal.
READ: India's First Covid Patient Test Positive Again For The Virus
“Clean-Up has been relentlessly working for the betterment of ragpickers' health and hygiene. Vaccination drives are a part of this initiative and camps like this one are extremely important,” she added.
Kapoor on his part mentioned that he was proud to be part of this event and especially urged the youth to get vaccinated at the earliest possible.
Clean-Up Foundation has already donated numerous water purifiers to different ward offices of the 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.
It has also provided medical insurance facilities to several ragpickers and also organized a mental health camp for them in view of the pandemic.