Help India Breathe!!

India is undergoing a severe second wave with the roughly 390,000 new daily cases and over 3,400 daily deaths. This surge has led to overcrowded Hospitals and healthcare providers are running out of resources in the fight against COVID-19 and the situation on the ground is dire, where patients are dying and doctors are struggling to save them.

With a new mutation that appears to be highly contagious and a healthcare system that cannot even start to cope with the number of COVID cases, India needs our help now more than ever. It is running out of oxygen and going through one of the worst COVID crises since the beginning of the pandemic. Oxygen is critically required to treat patients affected with COVID, many of whom require hospitalization due to fluctuating oxygen levels.

Suffering, pain and death - ever since the rise of COVID-19 cases in India, this is all we get to see and hear about. People struggling outside hospitals, daily wagers looking for that one person who can help them with their meal for the day, healthcare workers being overburdened and other gut wrenching sights surround us right now.

These sights of people struggling are reminiscent of last year, the beginning of this deadly pandemic.

However, along with that, are also sights of people coming together to lend a helping hand. Hundreds of NGOs and citizens are doing their bit to fight the pandemic. Now more than ever, every small bit of help counts.

Hemkunt Foundation is one such NGO working relentlessly to help those in need. Their team strives to support the distressed and needy every day. They have been active in offering disaster relief, livelihoods to the marginalised, access to basic human rights, and education to the underprivileged. Ever since the beginning of the pandemic, they have been feeding over 45,000 marginalised people every day. Last year, they distributed over 360 tonnes of cooked food to the ones in need.

Thousands Need Oxygen Cylinders Urgently

With over 2 million active cases currently, Hemkunt foundation wants to increase their efforts this year by helping people get oxygen cylinders in Delhi, NCR and Mumbai and other parts of the country. There are thousands of people dying due to the lack of access to oxygen cylinders. Street vendors, construction laborers, security guards, restaurant workers, etc. have no means of survival. They can’t afford even a single meal a day, let alone medical help.

“We get around 12,000 calls on a single day across our three helpline numbers. We also get numerous messages and requests in our social media handles. We’re in no position to reply to all of those but we sure do try our best,” - Harteerath Singh, community development director, Hemkunt Foundation. Singh adds that one of the major challenges they’re facing right now is the exorbitant price of the oxygen cylinders and finding new vendors because the situation is only getting worse.

Hemkunt Foundation has worked day and night to help thousands and thousands of people in need. During this deadly second wave of COVID-19, they need your help to continue their service. With your support, they will not only be able to give oxygen cylinders to so many more people in need but also support longer-term issues, such as mental health, housing, and providing food for the needy!

Now is the time for all of us to come together and make a difference. Your contribution will save someone’s life today.

Donation impact:

• USD 500 (approx Rs. 40,000) helps buy an oxygen concentrator.
• USD 200 (approx Rs. 15,000) supports 20-30 people in a community with food and oximeters,

As Indian citizens, the above sounds shocking and scary. We never envisaged seeing the scenes that have been shown in mainstream media over the last few days.

The money raised will help to source, refill and distribute oxygen cylinders for FREE to those in need. It will go towards housing, schooling, and grieving services for those who have lost their entire lives to COVID.

We ask all our friends and colleagues, we are so fortunate to be in the position we are, here in the US. Please donate whatever you can to this worthy cause, and we will make sure the money goes to the foundation.

Note: If you prefer, you can also donate using venmo @Amitkulkarni

About Hemkunt Foundation - Hemkunt Foundation is a non-government organization that aims to provide humanitarian aid to marginalized sections of society. The organization is built upon the most popular Sikh principle of ‘Sarbat Da Bhalla’ which means welfare for all. While the efforts of Hemkunt Foundation are in tandem with its principle, it continues to provide livelihoods, disaster relief, access to basic human rights and education to all. In 10 years, they have impacted over 10 lakhs of lives with 100+ volunteers and 12 humanitarian aid projects across India.

https://hemkuntfoundation.com/

About Us:

Amit and Ruchi are Indian citizens born and raised in Mumbai. They have a 2 year old daughter and are currently residing in NJ,USA.