Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Ollywood actor Sabyasachi Mishra who formed a network of around 12,000 volunteers has now successfully extended 24X7 assistance to people who require assistance across the country.
According to the report, the actor stated that he has received a request from an Odia woman who is staying near Surat in Gujarat and informed him that she and her child needs food for her husband who was admitted to a hospital for Covid-19 treatment. The women are unable to provide accurate details of her address but Smile Force volunteers managed to deliver food to her residence.
The report further stated that another Odis couple who is staying in New Delhi has a 10-year-old child and unable to look out for cooked food as they have been infected by the Covid-19. The couple has isolated themselves and later approached Smile Force, whose volunteers arranged food for the family in Delhi.
The Smile Force’s volunteers also delivered oxygen cylinders to Covid-19 patients in remote villages of western Odisha recently.
Because of numerous requests from across the country and to ensure timely intervention, Sabyasachi recently uploaded a Google form on his Twitter handle and later appealed to people to join his organisation –“Smile Force’ as volunteers.
In the last four days, 16,000 to 18,000 volunteers, mostly Odias, have filled the form but around 6,000 of them were not selected keeping in mind their safety as they are less than 18 years of age.
Mishra stated that there are two options for volunteering- one can either stay at home and attend distress calls and managing the database, or provide services on the ground. He further stated that it is very very encouraging to find out that over 80 per cent of volunteers opted to help the needy by attending to them in person.
Even people in the United States and the United Kingdom have also welcomed the organisation’s initiative and have also extended their support to the group. The organisation on average is receiving around 300 requests on its various social media accounts.
Apart from receiving SOS for medical needs, the group is also filled with requests for ration, cooked food, and demand for jobs among others. Some of the volunteers are also doctors and mental health experts and have reached out to people who need assistance regarding mental health.
Image Source – Google
