Indian American NGOs raise more than $5 Million for Covid-relief in India

Sewa International USA, a Houston, Texas-based nonprofit that works in the areas of disaster recovery, education, and development has launched a ‘Help India Defeat COVID-19’ campaign to ship oxygen concentrators to Indian hospitals.

As a second wave of COVID-19 overwhelms India’s healthcare system causing an acute shortage of oxygen, ventilators, and hospital beds across the country, several Indian-American organizations and individuals have sprung forward to help.

Sewa International says it has raised $5,784,807, as of April 29, in its $10 million goal in a fundraiser started on April 23, 2021 on Facebook. The funds are being used to procure medical equipment supplies, as well as getting the equipment and essential supplies to hospitals, institutions, and individuals in India, News India Times reported.

Some 2,584 oxygen-concentrators have already been shipped to the country.

Sewa is also providing food and medicines to about 10,000 families and more than 1000 orphanages, and senior citizen centers across the country, according to a press release from the organization.

Sewa’s Vice President for Marketing and Fund Development Sandeep Khadkekar, responding to the overwhelming support for their fundraising campaign said, “We are deeply moved by the response we have received from all of you for our fundraiser. Sewa appreciates your willingness to donate for a cause that would save many lives in India. Our top priority is to procure and ship oxygen concentrators to India as soon as possible.”

The American India Foundation, a leading non-governmental organization in the United States has dispatched 500 oxygen concentrators to Delhi as of April 29, 2021. Meant to “swiftly shore up supplies of oxygen in India’s capital” the supply is in response to the oxygen S.O.S. by the Delhi State government, NIT said quoting an AIF press release.

The concentrators are expected to reach during the coming weekend of May 1. “Every day counts. Now more than ever,” the AIF declared. “We continue to work with our partners to source and deploy thousands of concentrators to hospitals in states across India,” AIF said.

The organization has developed a three-pronged intervention strategy to address the latest crisis that include Health Facility Interventions, Frontline Health Worker Interventions, and Community-centered Interventions.

The Health Facility Interventions include providing oxygen concentrators to primary care facilities in rural areas, where there has been a dire shortage; procuring and ensuring the installation of ventilators in states that have expressed a need; adding portable hospitals to address the shortage of beds; and procuring and ensuring installation of cold-storage equipment as vaccine production ramps up.

The Frontline Health Worker Interventions include community screening and home-based management by providing pulse oximeters to state governments and Personal Protective Equipment to these workers.

Community-centered Interventions include an awareness campaign and ensuring nutrition of key vulnerable groups via cash tranafer.

India is in the throes of an unparalleled emergency with the world’s highest tally of covid cases and number of deaths, each day, AIF noted, appealing to supporters to help “in this fight to save lives.”

In 2020, during the first phase of coronavirus, AIF reached out to more than 500,000 people with protective gear and close to 900,000 with prepared meals and ration kits, through its mass awareness and prevention drive, the organization said

“Now, we ask you to join us again to help us shore up supplies of medical oxygen amid rising demand for beds, as a fast-spreading second wave of coronavirus devastates through the country,” it said.

The AIF is working with local governments, hospitals, and stakeholders to understand the needs from cities to rural villages.

“Our 20 years of working within these systems and our expansive network allows us to quickly direct equipment to where it is needed,” it assured those who wish to donate. (aif.org)