It's not a second 'wave', it's a tsunami. With more than 324,000 cases in a single day, and people dying due to lack of oxygen tanks, this pandemic has hit India in a catastrophic way that the country will take decades to recover from. While our Indian government has been ineffectual at best, other countries (including Pakistan) have stepped forward to offer support. Shamefully, the US has not lifted a finger to help and uses the export ban invoked by Trump to selfishly boost vaccine production only in the US. India being the foremost manufacturer of vaccines, still has only vaccinated less than 1% of its population. Shame on you, Serum group in it only for the profit. Similarly, while Bollywood's elite tout platitudes, not many are actually rushing to help on the front lines. With the exception of a few, like Akshay Kumar who donated 1 crore, and Bhumi Pednekar who uses her social media status to tirelessly highlight areas of need and ways to help. I can't say good things about many others. So, the only solution left is for us common people to help each other. Warren Buffet once said, “If you’re in the luckiest 1 percent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 percent.”
Here is a list of organizations doing worthwhile work in the fight against Covid in India:
Save the Children. Full disclosure: I donate to this charity on a regular basis as their focus is on children. They also have an excellent rating on Charity Navigator, with most of your donation going towards the cause, rather than for overhead and bloated expenses.
Ketto. The crowdfunding platform is raising funds for oxygen tanks to help hospitals.
The Gurgaon-based NGO Hemkunt Foundation has been tirelessly working on the ground to ensure immediate help to critical Covid patients by providing oxygen cylinders.
Khalsa Aid. The NGO is providing oxygen concentrators for free to COVID-19 patients.
Two of my favorites to help stray animals in need, as no one thinks of them in these times are Animal Aid and We Exist.
Please share these resources, so we can get more people out there to help.