Coronavirus Relief Fund

As you continue to care for your family and community, we want to share what your donations have meant for people on the front lines of COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts around the world. Thanks to your generosity, GlobalGiving has made rapid response grants to nonprofit partners in more than 20 countries. In addition, we continued our support to nonprofit partners in Europe through a new partnership with JPMorgan Chase. Here are a few highlights of the work being carried out right now by our nonprofit partners who are leading the effort to defeat COVID-19:

GlobalGiving partners continue to support the brave women and men treating patients at hospitals and clinics—nurses, doctors, technicians, as well as workers cleaning and disinfecting medical facilities. International Medical Corps reached 11 hospitals in New York, Los Angeles, and Puerto Rico with emergency medical units, equipment and/or volunteers. They’re also conducting specialized trainings and delivering medical protective equipment. They have plans to continue deploying this support to hot spots across the U.S., focusing on under-resourced communities. The Spanish Red Cross has activated its emergency response services, including actively monitoring at-risk populations such as the elderly and immuno-compromised who are socially isolating at home. Nearby in Germany, Aktion Deutschland Hilft e.V. is supporting hospitals and health care facilities, as well as building and managing screening centers and screening vehicles.

Waqful Waqifin Foundation (Gift of the Givers) has established COVID-19 testing sites, including drive-through facilities, across South Africa. Their teams are providing hospitals with triaging capability. They’re also managing feeding programs at temporary shelters set up for people experiencing homelessness and delivering food to rural areas. Experts in disaster response, Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT Foundation) medical teams are hard at work delivering life-saving treatment across Indonesia. ACT Foundation is also providing food, medical protective equipment, and hygiene materials to vulnerable families. In Burundi, the Association of Volunteers for Awareness, Promoting Human Rights and Sustainable Development is delivering test kits and crucial protective supplies such as masks  to health care providers.

But we know all too well that this pandemic is creating additional life-threatening conditions that extend beyond the impacts on our health, and are hitting the already vulnerable especially hard. That’s why we’ve sent your dollars to World Central Kitchen. Their teams are working with community leaders to deliver meals to children and their families, healthcare workers, and the elderly. In the U.K., we partnered with St. Mungo’s— one of the largest providers of services for thousands of people experiencing homelessness across 300 centers in the U.K. Their team is working diligently to help people who are sleeping on the streets or in hostels to self-isolate, providing food and support for their well-being. In addition, The Trussell Trust, which operates a national network of food banks, is coordinating an emergency response effort to help vulnerable populations access food, including the elderly and children who typically rely on free school meals. And in Spain, Amigos de la Calle continues to serve people living on the streets in Valencia, increasing their services to deliver much-needed food, hand sanitizer, masks, and other life-saving materials. 

Across all disasters, children are especially vulnerable, and this pandemic is no exception. Operating in low-income New York City communities, Children’s Aid is providing testing and treatment options in their health clinics. They are conducting in-person and virtual home visits and academic services for nearly 700 youth in foster care, helping to secure permanent housing for anyone who is at risk for homelessness, and distributing food families, and offering remote counseling. Aldeas Infantiles de España offers protection and well-being for 1,155 children in eight villages including through their foster programs. They’ve been providing emergency aid to meet the basic needs of vulnerable families, including delivering food, hygiene kits, health services, and cash vouchers. In Germany, Die Arche Christliches Kinder-und Jugendwerk e.V. is supporting children and their families during the national lockdown by delivering boxes of fresh and non-perishable items. Morocco has one of the highest numbers of infections in the African continent, and our partner, SOS Children’s Villages Morocco is providing safe accommodation, food, and health services to close to 1,000 children and their families.  

Because of sheltering in place mandates, survivors of violence are experiencing even greater risks to their safety and well being and their access to support services is significantly reduced. The Safe Horizon team is committed to supporting survivors of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault across New York. Their message is clear, “You are not alone. We are here to help you.” They’re continuing to operate shelters, helplines, and child advocacy centers, which means survivors have somewhere safe to go during this difficult time.

In areas already enduring humanitarian crises, the spread of the novel coronavirus is extremely concerning. GlobalGiving partners are committed to seeing their communities overcome these mounting challenges. The Middle East Children's Alliance team is providing emergency medical care for children and families across the Gaza Strip. With a focus on women, girls and the elderly communities, Improve Your Society Organization (IYSO) is providing hygiene kits and awareness trainings as well as delivering medical protective supplies. GlobalGiving is also supporting SMEPS and SANID to deliver humanitarian aid and livelihood training to Yemeni communities. 

The economic impact from COVID-19 shutdown measures is threatening millions of jobs in India and Bangladesh, affecting rickshaw drivers, garment workers, and other day laborers. JAAGO Foundation is sending medical professionals and lifesaving supplies to communities in need. The JAAGO Foundation team is also providing school meals for children who normally receive their only source of nutrition at school and delivering food and essential items to individuals and families in refugee camps. The Indian Association for the Blind is providing food, medicine, and support with rental costs for persons with visual impairments and their families.

I hope that, like me, you draw hope from the heroes across these four continents and the sheer humanity that unites us. Thank you for continuing to think of others even as you and your loved ones are touched by the impact of this pandemic.    

Alongside the rapid response grants being made from this Coronavirus Relief Fund, GlobalGiving is working around the clock to support the entirety of our nonprofit community in 170 countries through our COVID-19 Hardship Microgrants Initiative.

In gratitude and solidarity,

Sandrina da Cruz

Senior Humanitarian Response Specialist

Thank you for your generous donation to the GlobalGiving Coronavirus Relief Fund. As we come together to adapt to new realities unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic, GlobalGiving partners are already on the ground, providing medical support and meeting critical needs in communities around the world. The new coronavirus is now present in nearly every country in the world, and this pandemic has taken thousands of lives and is affecting millions of people. Today, we'd like to show you how your donation is bringing relief to vulnerable people in some of the most intensely affected areas.

With your support and contributions from our corporate partners, GlobalGiving has made emergency grants to nonprofits working hard to respond to and contain the spread of COVID-19 in China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, and the United States. The full impact of this unprecedented global crisis is not yet known. But GlobalGiving remains committed to raising and delivering funds for both immediate relief and long-term recovery. Thank you for being part of the solution! Below are a few ways your donation has already made a difference.

Amid global shortages, Direct Relief is delivering personal protective equipment and essential medical supplies to health facilities in the U.S., China, and other affected countries. In close coordination with public health officials, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector, Direct Relief has been providing much needed N-95 surgical masks, gloves, coveralls, and face shields to frontline health workers.

Hubei province in China was the original epicenter of the Coronavirus outbreak, with Wuhan city being the most acutely affected. One Foundation rapidly launched a response in late January. Their teams provided medical care and coordinated the distribution of medical supplies and equipment for health workers, and provided online consultation for local communities. Since the outbreak, the One Foundation team has supported 499 hospitals in 81 counties across Hubei Province, including maternal care and children’s hospitals.

Another Chinese GlobalGiving partner, Non-Profit Incubator (NPI), launched the "Alliance to Battle COVID-19 on Community Level” to bring together experts, activists, and researchers to address community concerns and priorities. This initiative focuses on conducting sustainable community building, resolving community problems, and cultivating volunteer spirit. The initiative began with a series of community-based interventions to drive increased attention and resources where needs were greatest. This helped mobilize resources to frontline workers and vulnerable communities most affected by the outbreak, and support residents to self-organize and volunteer safely in their communities. In the long term, the alliance aims to establish a learning network that empowers grassroots community organizations and social worker institutions, for both online and offline capacity building long after the pandemic has passed.

Italy has become the new epicenter for this pandemic, and the Italian Red Cross has been in the front lines of the COVID-19 response from day one. Their team has been providing emergency health care, psychological and emotional support, logistics, informative campaigns, surveillance activities, and health screenings. In partnership with public health entities, the Italian Red Cross is safely coordinating case management. They are triaging patients, conducting testing, and managing transportation to hospitals, if necessary, or providing medical care for non-infected patients at home. Through regional emergency units, they are supporting pre-triage activities to identify new positive cases before they enter emergency rooms and home health care services.

Relief International is acting fast to address the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Iran. Relief International is delivering protective medical gear and equipment to frontline health workers including masks, goggles, and gloves. Their teams are working tirelessly to launch preventive campaigns and deliver critical hygiene training to help stop the spread of the virus.

A mere two weeks ago, South Korea had the second highest rate of COVID-19 cases. The Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management (A-PAD) Korea has been working with local restaurants to deliver meals to children who rely on school lunches for their nutrition. The A-PAD Korea team is providing meals across six children centers in Daegu, the worst affected region in South Korea.

Hundreds of GlobalGiving nonprofit partners are mobilizing to meet urgent and evolving COVID-19 needs in their communities. Your support is crucial to their efforts and the eventual defeat of COVID-19. We will continue to keep you informed as we actively monitor this crisis and support valiant efforts to bring this global pandemic under control. We stand in solidarity with you and these amazing responders as we rise to face one of the most challenging crises in modern history.

In gratitude and solidarity,

Sandrina da Cruz
Senior Humanitarian Response Specialist

Links:

• Read our CEO's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.