Emergency Appeal for India and Nepal
This second wave of Covid-19 is spreading like fire. It is the most vulnerable and marginalized people who suffer the most; from Covid-19 itself and through lack of access to income, food and sanitation.
Your donation will help with the following relief:
Distributing emergency supplies, food kits and sanitation equipment
Communicating accurate information on preventative healthcare, (including physical distancing, use of PPE and sanitizers, and vaccinations) for vulnerable communities
Working closely with local Governments to ensure emergency relief and welfare support reaches the most vulnerable
Protecting women and girls vulnerable to increased risk of violence during lockdown
Supporting a team of 200 medical doctors working with 900 covid patients and their families in the slums of Nagpur providing food, medical kits, oxygen
Supporting people in hospitals, at home or at the newly established Nagaloka Care Centre
We are doing everything we can to meet the rapidly escalating needs in India and Nepal. We urgently need donations.
All donations made will be tax deductible. This emergency appeal of KARUNA USA is being fiscally hosted by Triratna NY 501(c)(3) charity number 51-0670801 while we do the work of establishing a new charity.
________
From 2005-10, I spent five years working in India with some of the poorest, most marginalized communities. They lived in the cramped informal settlements of major metropolises of Mumbai and Pune, in remote villages with little access to water, education or decent livelihoods. Many became and remain friends.
When Covid-19 first hit, I was certain that these communities would suffer badly. I was relieved that much of the developing world had escaped the ravages of the pandemic. The initial lockdown in India seemed to bring about more hardship to poor people than the virus itself, as more people were pushed into poverty. Around this time, a Buddhist non-profit, Karuna UK, launched a Covid-19 appeal and raised over $700k. They were able to deliver emergency relief, including 29,820 food parcels and 22,580 medical kits, to an estimated 143,000 people from marginalised communities across 6 Indian States and 3 districts of Nepal. Watch this video for more about the work.
And now, this second wave of Covid-19 is spreading like fire. The worst fears have come true, and their proportions are epic. Even the most conservative estimates report over 290k people have died, and 4,000 more deaths each day. I have friends and members of my Buddhist Order who have died or are in severe crisis. It is the most vulnerable and marginalised people who suffer the most; not just from Covid itself but through the lack of access to income, food and sanitation that the crisis makes worse.
Then, just a few weeks ago, I received approval from the Karuna UK Board to establish a branch of the organization right here – Karuna USA. Karuna USA will support established programmes in India and Nepal, while also supporting causes in the USA that address discrimination, exclusion and the marginalisation of the most vulnerable. It felt wholly appropriate to act now to support the crisis and raise funds for emergency relief using whatever measures I can.
So much sooner than planned, I am reaching out to seek your support for the crisis! As I write, Karuna UK are making a further round of urgently needed emergency relief to unemployed migrant workers, children out of school, women at risk of violence, and people suffering directly from virus infection. Many of the projects that Karuna funds are run by incredible grassroots and local organizations. They are a part of Karuna’s wider family of organisations who work for excluded and minority communities in India and Nepal. They all need our help now.
If you’d like to make a contribution to this appeal, please donate here. All funds received will be sent to India & Nepal as part of Karuna’s emergency relief.
Ananta