Students and staff of KNRTU as volunteers deliver medicines, food and essential goods to elderly and disabled people who are in self-isolation due to the spread of coronavirus.

The forming of volunteer groups and training sessions began in mid-March. The University closely cooperates with the Kazan volunteers' headquarters and the Council of Veterans of KNRTU. The main volunteer headquarters has enough masks, antiseptics and gloves at their disposal. Every day, participants monitor their body temperature and carry antiseptics with them. Volunteers are given badges with their phone number, name of the organization they represent, address of a destination and the task.

Applications for assistance are received by the Council of Veterans and the official website of the University in the section "Digital Volunteering". Members of the Council of Veterans of KNRTU, and curators of faculties (Institutes) made lists of those who may need the help of volunteersin advance. Among them are lonely senior citizens and those who, due to life circumstances, live separately from relatives. Tasks are distributed among volunteers so that they can visit the elderly at the nearest addresses. "We are given an application form with the address and contacts, after which we call the specified number and agree on what needs to be done, and then fulfill the request," said Roman Tonshev, the Head of the Center for Youth Policy and Student Initiatives.

For instance, a lonely and visually impaired University veteran - Aelita Zakharovna Reshetneva was in need of help. Volunteers visited the 86-year-old woman twice. Kharlampy Kharlampidi, the Head of the Department of General Chemical Technology, is constantly in touch with the blockader Ida Mikhailovna Kuznetsova — every day he contacts her by phone.

"One of the applications required a delivery of a strong drug. The headquarters arranged with the clinic that I should pick up the prescription for the medicine at the medical setting,thenI simply went to the pharmacy. This made it possible to transfer the medicine personally to the old woman in a short time" - said Roman.

There were no complaints from those who asked for help, on the contrary, they are very grateful. Subsequently, the elderly people themselves call the familiar volunteer, because they are afraid to let strangers in.

The Chairman of the Union of Students and Graduate Students of KNRTU, student of the Faculty of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnologies - Regina Yermolayeva also told about the positive reaction of the elderly people. Among the people she helped were those over the age of 80 or after surgery. For them, a usual trip to the store, even without taking into account the circumstances, is not an easy thing. "I also noticed that people apologize for allegedly disturbing us, although it is not the case at all. This shows that in our routine life we forget about them, and it shouldn’t be like that"- sheshared her impressions. During volunteering time, she realized that even after the self-isolation regime, such a program of assistance to the elderly must be continued.

Master of the 1st year of the Faculty of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers in Medicine and Cosmetics, co-chair of the mass organized Trade Union Committee Galina Sheina told about her volunteer days. Every day before and after the shift, everyone fills out health check sheets. Being in a confined space together, elderly people tend to show good attitude to volunteers — as an expression of gratitude they mightoffer treats, but then you have to explain that you can’t take anything because of the safety requirements. As a participant in these events, Galina is pleased to know that people take care of themselves, do not go out. Volunteer Headquarters #МЫВМЕСТЕ(#WEARETOGETHER) in the Republic of Tatarstan also encourages all elderly residents to stay at home and, if necessary, seek help from volunteers.

Students and staff of the University sincerely responded to the call for help when the threat to health is nationwide. This is a clear example of how important it is to not stay on the sidelines, to take care of the elder generation, but to remember the rules of safety during this pandemic.