As India battles the second wave of deadly pandemic, microblogging giant Twitter has donated $15 million to help address the Covid-19 crisis in the country. The amount has been donated to three non-governmental organisations in India.
Twitter CEO Jack Patrick Dorsey said the amount donated will be split between non-governmental organisations namely Care, Aid India, and Sewa International USA. Of $15 million, Care has been given $10 million, Aid India and Sewa International USA have received $2.5 million each, he tweeted.
In a statement, Twitter said that the grant of $10 million to CARE, a humanitarian organization fighting poverty, will support urgent action to help address the devastating situation in India amid the pandemic. The funds will be used to supplement government efforts in setting up Covid-19 care facilities and centres like providing oxygen, PPE kits, emergency supplies for frontline health workers. It will also be used in addressing vaccine hesitancy ensuring that people get vaccinated particularly in remote, marginalised communities in India.
In AID India, the grant will help underprivileged communities in identification of Covid symptoms, prevention of spread, accessing care and treatment. The donation will benefit them with medical equipment including oxygen, oximeters, thermometers, protective gear and vaccination, and help them survive lockdowns, regain livelihoods and will strengthen hospitals and NGOs that serve rural and low-income communities, Twitter said.
With the help of funds, Sewa International, which is a Hindu faith-based, humanitarian, non-profit service organisation, can be supported with the procurement of lifesaving equipment such as oxygen concentrators, ventilators, Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machines as part of Sewa International Help India Defeat Covid-19 campaign. The procured equipment will be distributed to government hospitals and Covid care centers and hospitals, said the San Francisco-based company in a statement.
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Sewa International’s vice president for Marketing and Fund Development Sandeep Khadkekar extended gratitude to Dorsey for his generous donation, saying it is gratifying that Sewa’s work has been recognised. We are a volunteer-driven non-profit organisation, and we believe in serving all, following the sacred Hindu benediction, ‘Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah’.
Khadkekar said, Our administrative costs are about five per cent, meaning that every dollar a donor offers, we spend 95 cents of it on the work that it is earmarked for. In these past two weeks, we have seen how overwhelmed India’s healthcare system is, and we want to do as much as we can to come to the aid of people who are deeply affected. Twitter’s generosity will go a long way in helping us do the work we want to do, and that we need to do, he added.