THIS year’s deadly wave of COVID-19 was much more ferocious than when the pandemic first hit India in early 2020. When the situation quickly deteriorated in April, we launched ICRF-2 – the second version of our India COVID Response Fund – to get to work immediately as infections and the number of deaths soared.
In many parts of urban India, hospital beds, medical oxygen and other vital supplies were running short, and the health and humanitarian crisis got more fearsome when the virus spilled over to rural areas.
The need for ICRF-2 and action
As concerns rose, there was an outpouring of compassion from within the country and around the world. After consulting our nonprofit partners, experts in the field, our board and others, we quickly relaunched our flagship giving collective started in April 2020 – India COVID Response Fund (ICRF) – to meet the new challenge. Called ICRF-2, the aim was to bring humanity together – individuals and organisations – and raise funds for the most pressing needs caused by the second wave.
From providing oxygen cylinders and oxygen concentrators to those in urgent need of them to helping with cash relief to families in financial distress after losing their breadwinners to the pandemic, the ICRF-2 catered to various needs on the ground. We worked closely with several nonprofits to deliver ration and food relief into the heart of communities where it was needed the most.
The impact of ICRF-2
Covering 28 states and two union territories, close to 40,000 oxygen concentrators and cylinders at hospitals and to individuals at homes were provided. Besides this, over 87,000 diagnostic and wellness kits, 18,000 oximeters, and 27,000 isolation kits were distributed among those in need.
Over 180 nonprofits were part of the effort. Because of our wide network of partners built over two decades, we could reach around 3.8 lakh people with food rations and the cash relief had over 3,500 beneficiaries.
While our work continues – especially in long term interventions like setting up oxygen generation plants – we have brought out an Interim Report, below, with more details and to give you an idea of the mammoth task we have undertaken with the trust placed in us.
Novel ideas to tackle novel virus
Given the scale of gaps in the health infrastructure, we had to think on our feet as the crisis took enormous proportions. One such initiative was ‘O2 For India.’ Launched in partnership with Ola, it brought the concept of oxygen banks to India. Soon, even governments adopted it. This could serve as a model for the future through which people can be given access to medical equipment at short notice.
The trust in Give
While the focus was on responding to the crisis quickly, there was no compromise on the strict due diligence process. On the strength of our transparency and robust execution of the India COVID Respond Fund-1 we were fortunate and grateful for donations from more than 5 lakh individual donors, over 20 high net worth individuals (HNIs), 17 foundations, and 147 corporates and brands.
People from diverse backgrounds came on the Give platform to raise funds for the COVID crisis. For instance, international stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas partnered with Indian-American entrepreneur Vinod Khosla through #TogetherForIndia to aid India’s fight against the virus.
Another such fundraising initiative was I Breathe For India Campaign by Lara Dutta and Shayamal Vallabhjee in association with the members and partners of TiE, a non-profit headquartered in Silicon Valley with the largest global network of entrepreneurs, investors and industry captains of Indian-origin across US, Europe & APAC.
The future
The work of ICRF-2 continues even though COVID cases are on the decline. The funds are being used to set-up long-term infrastructure in the form of oxygen generation plants, ICUs and long life medical equipment. And through our ‘Mission Vaccination For All’ we will help rural India get quicker and easier access to vaccinations and create awareness by busting myths and misinformation.
You can also donate to the Mission Vaccination For All.
Established in 2000, Give is the largest and most trusted giving platform in India. Our community of 2.6M+ donors have supported 2,800+ nonprofits, impacting 15M+ lives across India.
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