Indian-American non-profit body raises USD 7 million for India COVID-19 crisis

HOUSTON: An Indian-American non-profit body has said that it has reached the 101,000-donor mark and raised over USD 7 million towards COVID-19 relief efforts in India from its Facebook campaign within 10 days.

Started with a goal of USD 500,000 on April 25 as India started seeing a drastic increase in the number of cases reported daily, Sewa Internationa's ‘Help India Defeat COVID-19' campaign on Facebook has grown in strength.

Based on rapidly changing needs on the ground, Sewa moved the campaign's fundraising target thrice, to USD 1 million, USD 5 million, and then to USD 10 million, responding both to the felt need for medical equipment in India, and the emotional commitment of donors to alleviating the suffering of millions.

"It is heartening to see Americans generously donating to help India face the challenge posed by the COVID-19 second wave," said Arun Kankani, President, Sewa International.

Sewa International representatives in India have received 1,466 oxygen concentrators this week.

Its partner organisation, Sewa United Kingdom, has sent another 50 oxygen concentrators.

Sewa volunteers transported all of them to their warehouse in Delhi for distribution to cities and hospitals across the country.

The Sewa India team has also received 139 oxygen concentrators from the United Arab Emirates.

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"Sewa teams from many different countries are working with their local communities to raise funds to help India in the current COVID-19 crisis," Kankani said.

"We are receiving requests for ventilators, and right now, 256 co-ventilators are in transit to Atlanta, GA. We are placing orders for 150 ventilators with Philips in India, and Philips is donating another fifty. We are procuring another fifty in the US soon," said Srikanth Gundavarapu, who is leading the Sewa Procurement Team.

"Sewa has procured 1,688 oxygen concentrators in the US in addition to the 2,584 we have already sent to India. Our procurement team is acting fast to obtain more of these machines. We are seeing an increasing demand for many lifesaving equipment, and we are placing orders for 140 Bi PAP machines soon," Gundavarapu said.