India’s second wave has officially reached a breaking point, with the country’s healthcare system overrun by a whopping 350,000 new cases per day. Millionaires are fleeing on private jets with the rest of India’s population in a COVID crisis. So, what can we Aussies do to help?
Images of bodies piling up -— up to 2,800 daily — have flooded the world press in recent weeks. Indian tycoons and wealthy families are now reportedly fleeing the nation for boltholes across Europe, the Middle East, and the Indian Ocean destinations. Unfortunately, the situation remains dire for the rest of the nation’s 1.4 billion population who don’t own private jets.
The pseudo-apocalyptic scene asks: What can we Aussies do to help?
Australia’s federal government met this week to discuss sending excess ventilators to the struggling nation, but there are things the average citizen can do, too.
Aussie cricketer Pat Cummins turned heads on Tuesday after donating $50,000 to Indian hospitals. Vowing to see out the Indian Premier League as other Aussies flee home, Cummins said he was “touched by India’s passion and generosity”, contributing some of his Knight Riders pay packet to purchase oxygen supplies for the country’s most challenging hit areas. While most Aussies don’t have a spare 50 grand to throw around, there are still ways we can help our mates in the subcontinent going through the worst coronavirus wave on record.
Here are some charities you can donate to to help save lives across the pond.
Ketto
Indian online crowd-funding website Ketto has set up a campaign to help hospitals nationwide get immediate access to oxygen concentrators. “As the COVID situation is getting worse by the day, there is a shortage of oxygen. Your support can help hospitals save their patients’ lives,” the website tweeted on Saturday.
Donations can be made here.
GiveIndia
Give India is an NGO based in Mumbai organizing free hospital oxygen supplies. The charity has also set up a campaign called “Lockdown 2.0, Mumbai Needs You”, which plans to distribute 5000 emergency ration kits to civilians who don’t have ration cards or cannot access government support in Mumbai.
Donate to GiveIndia here.
Milaap
Milaap is another charity organizing food for the most vulnerable in the hard lockdown, delivering food to COVID patients across Delhi and distributing over 1000 daily food packets to homeless people.
Donate to Milaap here.
Khalsa Aid
NGO Khalsa Aid is one of the world’s largest non-profit humanitarian organizations, delivering free oxygen concentrators to COVID-19 patients stuck in isolation in the national capital of New Delhi. Khalsa Aid has set up a hotline on 91156 09005 for anyone needing a concentrator.
Donate to Khalsa Aid.
Hemkunt Foundation
Don’t let the name fool you; the Hemkunt Foundation are top blokes. Based in Mumbai, this NGO deals in oxygen cylinders and needs all the help it can get as India faces dire shortages. Volunteers have even set up a “Free Oxygen Cylinder Drive-Thru”, prioritizing people needing oxygen.
