Reliance Foundation's video: The First Responders - Women who led India through the pandemic

During the covid-19 pandemic, many people and organisations stepped forward to help steer communities and societies through the crisis. Especially, women from the grassroots showed tremendous grit and led their communities through these challenging times. Yet, many of these stories remain unknown and under reported. The First Responders, which is published by Reliance Foundation (RF) and Observer Research Foundation (ORF), is an effort to document the untold stories of women leaders in the pandemic who worked at the grassroots in India to provide vital support. It spotlights 25 stories of women leadership sourced from across the RF and ORF ecosystems and NGO partner organisations, to increase geographical and sector/ theme spread. The publication showcases their relentless efforts towards ensuring the welfare of their communities through their own tumultuous journeys. Along with narrating these journeys, the publication also draws key political, developmental and policy lessons from these stories that could be applied to other contexts.