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Use tech to help the poor

Technology providers need to come forward to build social network platforms that facilitate such mutual aid. We should not wait for another crisis.

There are strong blizzards in Antarctica. At such times, it can become the coldest and windiest place on earth, with winds roaring at the speed of 300km per hour. The winds scoop up the fallen snow that blows along the ground, limiting visibility to less than a metre. The emperor penguins know exactly what to do in such times. My son who had travelled to Antarctica saw this firsthand. To endure the icy cold winds, the penguin colonies shelter in place, huddling together, constantly changing formations to give everyone the warmth. Notably, they keep their most vulnerable, the little chicks in the centre to give them the much-needed warmth.
Our Covid-19 lockdowns were also meant to protect the most vulnerable, the elderly, those with underlying health conditions. But many others at the bottom of the economic pyramid were left out as economies went into a deep freeze. The paradox is nowhere more visible than in India. While the extended lockdown was widely applauded, the migrant workers who flock to cities to work as daily wagers, had no money, no food, no home once landlords started to evict them. Facing the prospect of starvation, they decided to do the impossible, walk across the country to their homes in remote villages. Some carried children as young as a few months.
In the US too, one in seven persons have lost their job, making basic subsistence a challenge. This was particularly severe for economically vulnerable people such as African Americans, indigenous people, people of determination, and undocumented people.
The Indian migrant workers were left to fend for themselves. But ordinary people did come forward to support them with food packets, groceries, and hygiene kits. People-to-people assistance has provided some sustenance to the workers. Self-organised voluntarism has blossomed as biker groups, banker groups, sportspersons, community kitchens stepped up. A 99-year-old woman packing meals for migrant workers is just one of the many heart-warming stories about the kindness of strangers. These are people who do not seek public attention.
In the US, vulnerable groups formed informal networks to survive. A few restaurant employees formed a self-help group to raise money to provide daily stipends to hundreds of thousands of out of work restaurant workers. In the UK, volunteers have been shopping and deliveries grocery parcels for people who cannot get out.
Industry professionals have banded together to cook and distribute meals to the vulnerable through initiatives that would start with WhatsApp group messages. This then evolved into hurriedly created websites that allow volunteers and beneficiaries to sign up. The pandemic has amplified mutual-aid, self-help and self-organisation like never before. Mutual aid provides an opportunity for digital platforms to help cohorts in creating such networks on short notice. The small size of the network reduces the possibilities of misuse.
Many digital platforms allow the giver and the receiver to connect at a national and international level. However, mutual-aid networks tend to be informal and local, service-oriented, allowing for scheduling and rotation of volunteers, and actively involving people who need help. The networks can even be built entirely by people who come together to help themselves. These networks grow because of personal experiences and relationships.
In my own experience of raising funds for an education-oriented non-profit organisation, I found that individuals were far more receptive to helping us than large endowed institutions. Individuals hesitate to give to large institutions because they are unsure if the money would go to the people who need the help. There is a certain richness when individuals connect with other individuals in this circle of kindness, where both the giver and the receiver stand to benefit.
Income inequalities were always present. The Covid-19 lockdown has served to expose the sheer depth of this inequality. In the next decade, we need to build social networks that allow ordinary folks to help reduce this gap.
Like the emperor penguins, we did shelter in place and huddled with our families in our homes, but as a society we need to do more to protect our economically vulnerable. Technology providers need to come forward to build social network platforms that facilitate such mutual aid. We should not wait for another crisis.
Shalini Verma is CEO of PIVOT technologies