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5 Ways to Help India During Its Current COVID-19 Crisis

A nurse in Kashmir, India, prepares to administer a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
A nurse in Kashmir, India, prepares to administer a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. | Yawar Nazir/Getty Images

India is currently battling a disastrous wave of COVID-19, with new cases numbering well above 300,000 per day and daily deaths in the thousands. It’s possible that new variants are partially to blame, and vaccination rates are still low—according to The New York Times, less than 2 percent of India’s entire population has been fully vaccinated. As countries mobilize to provide aid on a large scale, many smaller nonprofits are working to meet the immediate needs of health care facilities and individual citizens. Here are five organizations to donate to.

1. Making The Difference

Mumbai-based nonprofit Making The Difference is currently distributing supplies to hospitals and nursing homes around the city. You can choose specific items—hand sanitizer, face masks, PPE gear, pulse oximeters, etc.—you’d like your donation to go toward here.

2. HelpNow

HelpNow is a ’round-the-clock transportation service founded by a group of students who recognized the dire demand not only for more ambulances, but also for vehicles that could transport health care workers, medical supplies, and people who need to get tested for COVID-19. They’re operating in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Pune; and they’re hoping to expand their reach. Donations will go toward new vehicles, PPE for drivers, and other necessities. You can contribute here.

3. Feeding From Far

Feeding From Far assembles meal kits for daily wage workers who’ve been out of work during the pandemic. The kits, which include staples like rice, wheat, oil, and turmeric powder, are given out in Govandi, a neighborhood in eastern Mumbai. You can make a donation here.

4. Breathe India

Indian Institutes of Technology graduates have teamed up with the SaveLIFE Foundation to purchase oxygen concentrators for Delhi hospitals. They’re also looking to expand their support, both in terms of what they’re donating and where they’re donating it. You can contribute to the fundraiser here.

5. The Hope Foundation

The Hope Foundation’s HOPE Hospital in Kolkata is currently treating COVID-19 patients who don’t have access to the city’s government-run medical facilities. The hospital is collecting funds for PPE kits, hand sanitizer, surgical masks and gloves, food, oxygen tanks, and more. You can donate here.

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