New Delhi [India], September 12 (ANI/NewsVoir): The COVIDActionCollab (CAC), with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Skoll Foundation, and its 350+ partner organizations, has successfully provided 24.9 million service instances to the vulnerable communities of India during the pandemic. To celebrate this journey and the collaborative effort of the last two and a half years, CAC and USAID curated a photo exhibition titled, 'Onward Together', between September 1st - 3rd, 2022 in Delhi at the India Habitat Centre to reflect the impactful stories and recognize the efforts of key stakeholders.

COVIDActionCollab (CAC) was established with the aim of bringing together a multi-stakeholder framework between governments, civil society, and key organizations in the areas of health, livelihood, and disaster risk reduction. By empowering and equipping vulnerable communities with resources across India, the CAC helped build resilience in these communities during the pandemic.

Through its initiatives, CAC has reached communities such as trans people, sex workers, migrants, construction workers, farmers, the elderly, the urban poor, and survivors of gender violence, among others. Some of the initiatives undertaken to dispel doubts and build resilient communities include vaccination drives, health counseling sessions, and the facilitation of livelihood opportunities. Some of the recent work that showcases the humanitarian narratives and on-ground transformation of the communities along with our partner support includes VaxNow, Pandemic Plastic, Precision Health Surveillance initiative, and Telecare.

With the support of adept photographers, Jaisingh Nageswaran and Satish VM, the COVIDActionCollab was able to tell this pictorial story; celebrating collaboration and the facilitation of impact.

The event also provided an opportunity for the collaborative to announce plans to expand its efforts beyond the pandemic. CAC shared its plan to continue to support the community and join forces for a better tomorrow. Re-christened as the "Community Action Collab", the initiative, along with its partners, is preparing for a more resilient future!

Speaking about the event, Shiv Kumar - Founder, COVIDActionCollab shares, "Over the last two years, the pandemic has adversely affected India's marginalized and vulnerable populations. CAC in collaboration with USAID, grassroots organizations, civil society bodies, and the government were able to successfully provide 24.9 million services to vulnerable populations with food, vaccination, ration, and other emergency relief. Having hit several milestones since our inception, we are pleased to showcase the power of collaboration to the public in the form of a photo exhibition. Utilising impactful images, we aim to outline the impact of the collaborative, thereby growing our reach and building on our existing work. This timely exhibition also celebrates our renewed and refreshed focus towards the community; we pledge to go above and beyond to prepare for a better tomorrow through Community Action Collab!"

Veena Reddy, Mission Director, USAID shares, Overall, the event brings forth the resilience of the vulnerable communities and individuals through a visual platform as well as the support of the partnering organizations who have been pivotal in executing it and enhancing measures to support vulnerable communities across the country's regions and territories.

USAID is the world's premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. USAID's work advances U.S. national security and economic prosperity, demonstrates American generosity, and promotes a path to recipient self-reliance and resilience.

The COVIDActionCollab (CAC) is an all-India collaborative, united to provide relief, recovery and build resilience among the most vulnerable communities. The collaborative consists of Organizations and Networks working together to support these communities during the period of crisis and enable them to secure their future. The 359 partners strong collaborative that has provided 25 Million+ services instances. The Collaborative envisions a world where vulnerable communities are empowered to survive and thrive during a humanitarian crisis. CAC aims to achieve synergy among its partners at multiple levels in order to accelerate impact, in keeping with the needs of these communities.

Catalyst Group, the incubator is facilitating the formation and operation of the collaborative driving its success along with eminent partners such as USAID and the Skoll Foundation.

Website: covidactioncollab.org.

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