Here’s How to Help India

Reprinted from The Washington Post

By Antonia Noori FarzanApril 28, 2021 at 11:57 a.m. PDTAdd to list

India has seen a cataclysmic coronavirus surge over the past week, reporting more than 300,000 new coronavirus cases per day, with the real figure probably higher. The spike in infections has led to deadly shortages of oxygen, ambulances and hospital beds. Countries around the world have pledged to send aid in the form of medical supplies and vaccine doses, but urgent requests for ventilators and intensive care unit beds continue to flood social media.

As India’s health-care system buckles under pressure, here are some organizations that are providing relief.

• UNICEF

The United Nations agency is providing supplies including oxygen concentrators, coronavirus test kits and personal protective equipment to health care facilities. UNICEF’s Mumbai office has also helped to ensure that public bathrooms in densely populated neighborhoods are regularly sanitized, and the organization has installed elbow-operated faucets and promoted hand-washing in schools. Donate here.

• The Indian Red Cross

India’s branch of the international humanitarian aid organization is providing ambulance transportation and oxygen in hard-hit cities such as Delhi and Mumbai, and helping to administer vaccine doses. Volunteers are handing out masks, food and hygiene supplies in both rural and urban areas. Donate here.

• Rapid Response

The India-based disaster relief agency is supplying staple foods such as rice, lentils, sugar and salt to vulnerable communities including migrant laborers, front-line workers and the elderly. Donate here.

• American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin

The professional association is collecting donations that will be used to purchase oxygen concentrators and send them to India. Donate here to cover the costs a single machine, which costs $500, or here to contribute to the group’s efforts.

• Hope Foundation

The Irish nongovernmental organization provides health services to street children in Kolkata and has been converting its wards to treat coronavirus patients. Currently, all three covid-19 wards are full, and the group hopes to raise funds to open another. Donate here.

• Oxfam India

In addition to distributing protective equipment at health facilities, the nonprofit says it intends to make direct cash transfers to the most vulnerable households. Donate here.

Antonia Noori FarzanFollowAntonia Noori Farzan is a staff writer on The Washington Post’s foreign desk.