Purnima Devi lives in a small house in a village called Parbotia, Assam, with her elder sister, Hubeswari Devi. Having remained unmarried, they were left alone in Parbotia in a small house built on government land.

Purnima Devi had a stroke when she was 44 years old, and was left with paralysis in her right hand. Neither Purnima nor her sister had a job when the pandemic struck, and they were left to survive on government rations. They occasionally received some small support from their elder sister, Bhudeswari, who lives on her husband’s pension from the government. Their nephew and wife have never visited their home, nor supported them financially, although they long to see their nephew and family at least once before they die.

Someone offered to help Purnima in getting a disability certificate, but duped Purnima into paying 3,000 rupees ($40) for nothing. They were forced to eat rice without curry many times during the lockdown, as nobody would help them. Then they were identified through members of EHA’s Disabled Peoples’ Organization and provided with dry goods such as rice and lentils, which they said would last them about 2 months.

Purnima said, “We are very grateful that people not known to us are helping us when our own people are throwing us out of the house. This is the first times in about 20 years that we are getting to eat good quality rice!”

EHA is making a huge difference in the lives of those in need in their surrounding communities. As the second severe wave of COVID-19 dies down, more people are without food due to the lockdown. EHA is gearing up to provide food supplies once again. If you would like to help pay for food for a family, go to https://eha-usa.givingfuel.com/eha-coronavirus-response