Vendors in India Regain their Livelihood
Street vendors are a common sight all over India. Lining up the busy streets, street vendors have added colour, vibrancy, and life to our cities for generations. From fruits and flowers to shoes and shirts, they sell a wide variety of products and have visibly occupied public spaces since times immemorial. The importance of street vendors in India can also be felt in the economic sector. These micro street entrepreneurs form an integral part of the economy. As a part of the informal sector, they have a parallel turnover of around 80 crores per day. They also provide jobs, offer affordable and convenient services to the urban poor and middle class, and emerge as a strong link in supply chains. However, despite their positive contribution to society, the life of street vendors is filled with unimaginable challenges. They continue to be stigmatised and neglected, and their struggles have multiplied tenfold since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Why the Street Vendors in India Need Your Help Today
The COVID-19 lockdown has been unforgiving on the street vendors, impacting the lives and livelihoods of millions of self-employed men and women who form the crux of India’s local entrepreneurial spirit. Already neglected and overlooked, the street vendors in India during COVID-19 were faced with hunger and hopelessness. The lockdown deprived them of their income by taking away the most essential element of their work – access to the public space. They did not have the privilege of working from home and exhausted their savings in order to feed their families. High-interest loans, selling of household assets, debt traps, and lack of healthcare became the new norm for them as they grappled with the pandemic. In the initial weeks, around 90% of street vendors lost their work, and even when restrictions were lifted, restarting from scratch was tough as they had already used up savings for survival. Moreover, there is also a continued hostility towards street hawkers in India from the police, the authorities, and local powerful men. Seen as encroachers, they are harassed, evicted, and their valuable carts snatched in the name of law and order. Bribes and ‘hafta vasooli’ take away a major chunk of their income. While phenomenal on paper, the Street Vendors Act of 2014 has not been successful in significantly changing the landscape for the vendors either. Women street vendors face a myriad of problems as well. Apart from the lack of sanitation facilities, they have no access to proper childcare, face health problems, lack of support and opportunities, and poor working environments – all of this while also dealing with the responsibilities of being a housewife, a mother, and a vendor. It’s an uphill battle for street vendors in India during COVID-19, but you can help.
Tigoona Street Carts – A New Solution to help Street Vendors in India
Many street entrepreneurs are looking to recover from the losses and rebuild their lives. However, they’re earning a meagre Rs. 200-400 per day and surviving on a hand-to-mouth basis. Their broken and battered makeshift carts render them immobile, incapable of moving to other localities and expanding their business. Many women don’t even have a cart and sit down with a plastic sheet on the roadside. Making a profit is a distant dream; they’re struggling to make ends meet. These street vendor problems needed an all-encompassing solution. This is where Tigoona, and you, play a role! Tigoona is working towards providing functional and energy-efficient pushcarts to street vendors, each equipped with solar-powered lamps and a folding umbrella. Tigoona Carts are user-friendly and offer better mobility, storage, and coverage, making it easier for street vendors to travel long distances with their carriage.
The Tigoona Carts combine people-centric designs with functionality to tackle the financial, social, climatic, physical, and mobility challenges faced by street vendors in India during Covid-19. Tigoona also presents an opportunity to empower women and physically weak street vendors to become self-reliant and independent. Under our ‘Drive the Change’ campaign, we are inviting you to join us in our efforts to empower street vendors to get India’s urban economy moving.
3 Ways You Can Help Street Vendors in India with Tigoona!
If you’re looking for ways on how to help street vendors and offer your support so they can recover from pandemic-induced losses, join hands with us. With Tigoona, you can give these vendors a new source of optimism. Here are three ways you can help street vendors affected by COVID-19:
#1: Become a Sponsor:
Sponsor Tigoona for Street Vendors in India and help them get back on their feet. A Tigoona Cart is comfortable, customizable, and offers endless opportunities. You can sponsor a street vendor cart in part or in full. No contribution is too small and no amount too little. Promote us at your company, and include Tigoona in your CSR efforts and give the gift of livelihood that will keep on giving.
#2: Refer us to Potential Sponsors and Partners:
Join us in our efforts to reach out to potential sponsors. If you know someone in your network that can be a partner, refer them to Tigoona. Every lead can make a huge difference and can potentially transform the lives of some of the many street entrepreneurs of India.
#3: Spread the Word:
Do your part in providing a solution for street vendors for their problems. Support them in their journey towards self-reliance by putting in a good word for Tigoona in your circle. Champion the cause of street vendors in India and help us amplify our impact by assisting us in reaching out to more people.
Your efforts will go a long way in ensuring that a street vendor is able to live with respect and dignity, and is able to put food on their table every day. Let’s work together and empower the men, women, elderly, and physically weak street entrepreneurs to regain their sense of independence, mobility, and livelihood.
Drive the Change with Tigoona! Contact us here.
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