In a heartwarming gesture, around 2,000 sex workers from Maharashtra have donated around Rs 100,000 (approximately $1,500) towards relief work for the Chennai floods.
The women, who belong to the Ahmednagar district in the western part of the state, collected the money from their meagre savings and survived on just one meal a day to put the funds together, according to a report. They handed the donation to the district collector, with the help of the NGO Snehalaya, which focuses on AIDS and human trafficking.
“These women were restless when they came to know of the deluge in Chennai. They decided that they should do something to help residents there," Snehalaya founder Girish Kulkarni says. The NGO primarily works with women, children and LGBT groups.
In the last two weeks, Chennai and coastal parts of Tamil Nadu have been battered by heavy downpour, bringing several areas under water. Thousands of people were left stranded after their homes were flooded, and forced to move to relief camps. While the waters have now receded, rehabilitation for the people who were displaced after their homes and belongings were washed away, remains a big challenge.
Actor and Chennai resident Siddharth, whose home was also flooded with water, has been spearheading relief and rescue efforts in the city through Twitter. Several other celebrities have contributed generously towards the relief efforts, including actors such as Shah Rukh Khan and Rajnikanth, and sportspersons such as MS Dhoni and Saina Nehiwal.