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