Wednesday 19 May 2021

Grief.

When someone asks you how are you these days ..

is it ok to say I am grieving ?

Even if on the outside you seem to be totally fine

Even if the other person's grief maybe more than yours ?

I am just tired. Tired of bad news. Everyday and everywhere.

Feel like I am a part of a war where I see bodies lying around

and cant do anything about it.

Even if this passes, so what ? what about the people who suffered and died ?

their suffering will carry on for years..ages..their whole life.

time heals many things..

but time doesnt heal the loss of a parent

time doesnt heal the loss of a child

time doesnt heal the loss of life.

2.79 Lac Deaths in India so far, due to covid. 

due to mismanagament, due to irresponsibility, due to lack of foresight.

due to the 2nd wave, due to lack of facilities, due to lack of resources.

due to sheer bad luck. 

that is permanent. you never get over it. you just learn to accept it. 


Tuesday 18 May 2021

List of NGOs working for COVID Relief in Mumbai

Hey everyone. Putting together a brief list of NGOs working in COVID relief in Mumbai, at the moment - mentioning the exact aid they provide, and a link. I was looking for a city wise list and couldnt find one online, though there were a few posts here and there. So decided to do some research and put this together for anyone who is looking for such a list - for donation / volunteering / reaching out for help. 

The idea of donating to an NGO working in your own city / town / village 1st is to increase the chances of :
1. equitable distribution of resources 
2. efficient utilisation of the donation as one can personally enquire & see the impact of their relief work at a local level.

If you still have resources left after making such a donation, you can help out other cities/ towns / villages. Request you to please make a small research on your end as well before donating anywhere.

MUMBAI :

1. Project Mumbai .

a. Medical supplies and equipment to public hospitals which are already overburdened.

b. Currently providing free oxygen cylinders to BPL ( Below Poverty Line ) Members of society + also Househelps, watchmen, drivers etc.

c. Their project : Khana Chahiye, started in March 2020, distributes meals to migrants, labourers who are out of work, senior citizens living alone, covid positive patients who are home quarantining. 

Their website : https://projectmumbai.org/

Donation link : 

i.   Medical equipment : https://www.ketto.org/fundraiser/better-health-infra-for-mumbai

ii.  Khana Chahiye : https://fundraisers.giveindia.org/projects/646


2. Making a Difference 

a. Supplies oxygen cylinders , oxygen concentrators, hospital beds and medical kits to public hospitals and frontline workers

Their website : https://makeadiff.in/

Donation link : https://www.donatekart.com/MTD/Save-Patients/


3. Doctors for you

( pan India organisation, registered office in Mumbai, working mainly in Mumbai, Delhi, Patna & Bangalore ie cities with high population density )

An NGO founded by Doctors & medical students in 2007, works in disaster relief programs. Currently working on setting up Covid Care Centres, & supplying Medical equipment like Oxygen concentrators, cylinders & multiparameter monitors. 

Their website : https://doctorsforyou.org/about-us.php

Fundraiser link   : https://www.donatekart.com/DFY/Help-Doctors-For-You/


4. Hemkunt Foundation 

(based out of Gurgaon, works in NCR, Delhi, Uttarakhand & Mumbai )

Oxygen supply to the needy : concentrators and cylinders. They are also setting up Oxygen centres.  

Their website : https://hemkuntfoundation.com/

Donation link : https://www.donatekart.com/Hemkunt-Foundation/Give-Oxygen-Cylinders/


5. Panvel Gurudwara 

a. Free Oxygen cylinders to the needy

Donation link : https://www.donatekart.com/Panvel/Help-Viky-Thomas/

                        https://www.ketto.org/fundraiser/SupportPanvelGurudwara


6. Meds for More 

This is a special campaign started by a Doctor couple in Mumbai, to redistribute leftover / unused, unexpired medicines to the ones who need them. They are looking for Covid relief medicines, and not exactly money as thats not the purpose of this campaign - they have tied up with NGOs to distribute these medicines to rural areas, so as to gap the shortage. 

Read more here :

https://yourstory.com/2021/05/c-camp-receives-mbrdi-csr-grant-oxygen-concentrator-deployment/amp

You can help their cause through this website : https://www.medsformore.org/



( List is not exhaustive )

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


1. Fundraisers supporting projects in Mumbai :

 https://fundraisers.giveindia.org/fundraisers/join-my-campaign-to-help-our-healthcare-heroes-face-the-second-wave-of-covid-19

( Fundraisers started by Govind Iyer who is a board member of the crowdfunding platform Give India )

Will raise funds for the NGO - PROJECT MUMBAI which will be working with several public hospitals to provide them with life-saving healthcare equipment and supplies, to cope with the significant stress on the hospital system.


2. Fundraiser for members of the Indian Chess Community. 

The All India Chess Federation has started a fundraiser to support members of the indian chess community with financial assistance and medical guidance in regard to Covid relief. 

Donation link : https://prs.aicf.in/pay

Details of the fund : https://aicf.in/checkmate-covid-action-plan/

                                 https://aicf.in/donate/


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

P. s.  How to decide how much to Donate ? : 

1. 1st of all its completely voluntary and a personal choice - no pressure, no guilt tripping ! :) 

2. The idea is to genuinely help someone so make sure to do your due research while chosing which NGO to donate to.  I did some brief research on all the NGOs mentioned here, though it was all online, and I dint call up anyone ( except for the AICF fund ).

3. I usually set aside a fixed sum to donate - after making sure I have enough to be self sufficient, have savings to help myself and family on a rainy day, and then have some more to help people I personally know and care for in their time of crisis. 

4. Does Donation help ? Yes. Money usually solves a lot of problems. 

5. Isnt the current problem of lack of supply and co - ordination rather than lack of money ? This is a thought that bothered me too, but money will also help fix the supply problem to a great extent. For eg, if there are no oxygen concentrators - money can help set up new oxygen concentrator plants, import them, transport them on a urgent basis to faraway rural areas, etc. So donations do help.