During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people cannot obtain essential medical assistance and daily life need and turn to social media for help. In Kolkata, India, Mr. Dibyendu Tarafder noticed that people were posting pleas for help as well as offers to help on social media. Mr. Tarafder had the idea of consolidating the information he found on WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook. He got in touch with people who posted on the social media platform to ensure that the items and offers were still available at fair prices. Then, he entered the information in his online database and encouraged others to call him 24/7 to be connected to another party who can help.

His initiative became popular quickly. Soon, his personal network (70 volunteers recruited just in a few days) began to help him take care of the high volume of calls and online messages. They responded to calls and messages and helped people identify and verify offers from others who offered to help. All information was ultimately entered into a master spreadsheet.

To learn more about Mr. Tarafder’s idea and his team’s hard work, visit https://wamu.org/story/21/06/03/how-two-dancers-a-mom-and-a-life-coach-help-out-in-indias-covid-crisis/