India Covid crisis: Here’s how to help
India recently changed its policy of not accepting foreign aid after a gap of 16 years
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Your support makes all the difference.India is reeling under the pressure of a severe second wave of Covid-19, which is wreaking havoc across the country.
In the past nine days, over three million cases have been recorded with an average of over 300,000 cases every day. So far, India has recorded over 208,000 coronavirus deaths. Of the total 18.6 million cases India has recorded since the start of the pandemic, 20-25 per cent have been reported in the last fortnight alone.
The crisis has put unprecedented pressure on resources such as critical medicines, hospital beds, oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators and blood plasma.
Social media is flooded with pleas of people asking government officials or others for vital resources to help their loved ones. There are countless pictures and videos of people crying outside hospitals as they fail to secure beds or waiting for hours at the crematoriums for the final rights of those who have died.
Such is the extent of the carnage that India changed its policy of not accepting foreign aid after a gap of 16 years.
Here are some of the steps that one can take including donations to help India in this tide of crisis.
Donate to help distribute oxygen cylinders
The Hemkunt Foundation has been distributing oxygen cylinders to Covid-19 patients for free. The organsisation has also been distributing ration and food packets to people during the pandemic.
It has campaigned to highlight the amount required for an oxygen cylinder, oxygen and pulse metres, refills and associated components while seeking donations to continue carrying out the philanthropic work.
DONATE TO THE HEMKUNT FOUNDATION HERE
Similarly, Feeding India by Zomato is a not for profit organisation that has started a campaign to donate oxygen concentrators to save thousands of lives.
Zomato, a popular food delivery app in India, is providing hospitals and patients with oxygen and other supplies for free. Last year, during the first wave of the pandemic, it distributed 78 million meals for free to the poor who had lost access to their livelihoods.
The Swasth Digital Health Foundation along with ACT Grants is raising funds to procure oxygen concentrators and channel them to hospitals across India including remote areas.
It initially started raising funds for 20,000 oxygen concentrators but on 29 April revised it to 40,000 concentrators. It started the distribution of the first batch of 5,000 concentrators on 30 April.
DONATE TO SWASTH DIGITAL HEALTH FOUNDATION HERE
Donate to help relief efforts
When India was first hit by the coronavirus last year, Give India launched a Covid response fund and raised millions of pounds from individuals, foundations and corporations to carry out relief work.
As the second wave wreaks havoc across the country, it has again started a fund to provide meals and ration kits, as well as boost oxygen support and critical care for patients, including providing sanitary napkins for women.
The Khaana Chahiye Foundation is a non-profit organisation formed in March 2000 and based in Mumbai, considered to be India’s financial capital, to provide relief during the lockdowns imposed by the government.
It is supported by over 200 citizen volunteers in partnership with various organisations and focuses on providing nutritious food to the poor and vulnerable population. It claims to have delivered 4.5 million meals and 20,000 grocery kits and essential items.
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