Women We Support
Priya
On April 28th 2021, Priya and Ajay would have celebrated 6 years of married life. With a beautiful 3-year-old daughter and a baby due in 8 weeks, they had much to look forward to. Ajay loved serving his community and during Easter he was actively involved in community events.
Mid-April saw Ajay running a high fever. He tested negative for Covid-19, but his fever persisted, and a CT scan revealed a lung infection. Ajay went on to spend 5 days in the intensive care unit of his local hospital. A scarcity of oxygen led to a decreased supply to Ajay, who was now on a ventilator.
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On April 20th, just 8 days before he and Priya would celebrate their wedding anniversary, Ajay lost his battle with Covid-19. Priya, her young daughter, and her unborn child, lost their loved one and the family’s primary breadwinner.
The Vidhava Fund was set up to offer support to women like Priya in their time of need, as they navigate through the immense grief and sorrow of their loss.
Reena
On the 27th of March 2021, Reena woke up to find her beloved husband, Jai, burning with a fever. They contacted a local doctor who advised him to begin a course of antibiotic treatment. Three days later, whilst the fever had subsided, Jai couldn’t shake off his intense fatigue. He knew something was wrong and was determined to get tested for Covid-19.
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His results came out a day later, and were negative. Reena was relieved and threw her arms around Jai, expressing her joy. She was hurt when he pushed her away, and asked her and their young son to remain isolated from him. He didn’t believe the test results. He told Reena that he felt like he had Covid, and wanted to protect both her and their 11-year-old son.
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That evening, Jai was gasping for breath and had oxygen saturation levels below 60%. A CT scan revealed severe infection, and he was rushed to the nearest hospital. On the 2nd of April, with no ICU bed available, Jai passed away alone in hospital. No one told Reena, who was at home with their son.
A few hours later, Reena began receiving condolence messages from friends. She was confused. Hoping those were inaccurate reports, she continued to cling onto hope.
At 3pm the next day, more than 24 hours after her husband’s death, a group of women from Reena’s community came to her home to inform her that his funeral was scheduled to take place in 30 minutes. Her mind was spinning, her heart was broken, and her only son joined her in sorrow as they buried their loved one. In a fog of grief, Reena had to vacate her rental home as she could no longer afford to pay rent.
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The Vidhava Fund has stepped in to offer financial assistance to meet Reena’s accommodation costs for the next 6 months as she navigates the way forward.
Tanu
The month of April was always a time when Tanu and her family looked forward to returning to their village to spend time with extended family. Tanu never dreamt that she would be making the journey back home in 2021 as a widow, with her two daughters, aged 19 and 20, holding her grief-stricken body up for support.
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Tanu’s husband Adi was strong and loving. He was so proud of his two daughters, who were enrolled in university doing their BSc in Nursing and Bachelor of Education. Adi was convinced that giving his daughters a good education, one he never had, would help them to become self-reliant, independent young women. In a culture that valued sons, Adi did not give into the societal pressure of undervaluing his daughters.
On the 2nd of April, Adi began to run a temperature, followed by a cough. He feared the dreaded Covid-19 virus had invaded his body. With no hospital beds available in their small town, his family took him to the nearest large town with medical facilities.
Later that day, Adi was a on ventilator, fighting for his life. He passed away two weeks later.
The Vidhava Fund is supporting Tanu, and has provided an educational grant which will enable her young daughters to continue in full-time education, just as Adi would have wanted.