A second wave of COVID-19 infections is causing a crisis in India as the country faces a surge in cases amid shortages of hospital beds, oxygen, and medications. Several groups are rallying support for the country, and the Globe has compiled a list of several efforts below.
American India Foundation: Headquartered in New York, AIF has a Boston chapter with 100 members. The group has received $20 million in India COVID relief commitments in just over a week, with corporations including Bank of America, BlackRock, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Oracle contributing. The foundation has been using the money to purchase oxygen concentrators, which are portable devices that filter room air into 90 percent oxygen, as well as provide fully equipped hospital beds.
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Association for India’s Development: The non-profit volunteer movement has 36 chapters in the US, including Boston. Their COVID Relief to India fund provides food and protective equipment to its 30 partner organizations across the country.
CAF India: This organization is part of a global network working on initiatives to combat the COVID-19 crisis, including providing personal protective equipment, hygiene kits, and food to those in most need.
Desai Foundation: The Bedford nonprofit’s mission is to help women and children in India, but it has pivoted temporarily to focus on COVID care. The group is setting up 10 centers in mostly rural areas where infected people can isolate from their families and has created a “help desk” to assist families of those who have succumbed to COVD from filing a death certificate to applying for aid. The nonprofit is actively raising money to pay for these new efforts.
Give India’s COVID-19 Response Fund: The fund has provided meals and raised money for health care groups and nonprofits helping India during COVID.
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Indian Red Cross: The organization is collecting and distributing oxygen concentrators, ventilators, and other medical equipment.
Hope Foundation: This foundation is currently providing 50 beds for COVID patients at HOPE Hospital, but they need help with costs with running the temporary COVID wards.
International Medical Corps: The International Medical Corps is a nonprofit relief organization that responds to world emergencies.
Navya: Dr. Naresh Ramarajan, a Cambridge emergency room physician, and Gitika Srivastava are the cofounders of Navya. They have a 10-year fund-raising relationship Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai, an academic hospital. Donations can be made through Community Partners International.
Path: Among other relief efforts in India, Path is focusing on expanding access to medical oxygen.
Oxygen for India: Founded by director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan, Oxygen for India is a collective organization raising funds to provide medical oxygen supplies to hospitals and citizens in India in dire need.
Uday Foundation: Founded by social activist Rahul Verma, the Uday Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in New Delhi that works to serve underprivileged communities in India.
UNICEF: The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund is on the ground in India working to curb the spread of coronavirus in greatly affected communities. The agency has provided 3,000 oxygen concentrators and critical medical supplies to overwhelmed health care facilities in India, according to a press release.
Material from Boston.com and New York Times was used in this report
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