Like always, we are once again ready to welcome a new year and bid farewell to the old. The last two years have been tough. It is hard to forget the grief and fear we all underwent during the horrific second wave of the pandemic this year. As we all get ready to welcome 2022, the threat of third-wave due to the emergence of Omicron looms large. Though we remain cautious and better prepared this time, it is going to be a testing time for all of us. Yet, we are certain that together we will be able to sail this as we have done so far. We will continue to watch out for each other.

At TA, this year was a little special for us. Having officially been started in 2015, we went dormant for years in between. This year, we decided to reassemble and reboot. We gathered our strengths and resources to continue with the original vision we had six years back. We regrouped to connect with our well-wishers, seniors, and advisers to help us devise a plan.

All of this enabled us to take tiny steps and implement some encouraging projects. We launched a COVID Legal Support Network (CLSN) during the second wave of the pandemic with the aim of providing free legal support to those in need. CLSN received a very good response and our volunteers worked hard to assist people on issues concerning online harassment, hospital fraud, adoption procedures, queries on death certificates, COVID compensation and more. The team was also able to implement a four-part article series on simplifying the laws and procedures regarding domestic violence with senior lawyers and researchers.

We were also able to implement a small perception survey on the critical issue of workplace sexual harassment. We thank all our participants for the same. Lastly, our core team was able to file crucial RTIs on issues concerning human rights and gender justice, on which we continue to work and hope to share some significant insights soon. Our team was able to pull out a key COVID-19 updates summary each day during the peak months of the second wave. All of this was accompanied by two major awareness campaigns on the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week and Poshan Maah. Lastly, our team was able to post some really interesting Twitter threads that helped us reach more new audiences and enhance our engagement efforts.

All of this helped us reach a landmark figure of one lakh viewers consecutively for three months. Our engagement rate and followers doubled on Twitter. Our website was able to get more than five thousand new visitors and more importantly, we received some really heartwarming feedback on our hard work.

This year has moved us. It has made our commitment for TA even stronger. Going in 2022, with our small team and limited resources, we remain determined to strengthen our editorial practices, learn from past initiatives and bring beneficiaries to the center of our model. In the new year, we also expect to raise funds and stitch new partnerships to ensure that we are able to grow stronger and make an impact together.

With new hopes and energy, wishing you all a very happy new year.

Team TA