Coronavirus: Rebuild Lives in India and Nepal

This support means that we can continue getting urgent food and health supplies to the most marginalised communities affected by the coronavirus crisis.

To add to the worsening situation, you will have also read about the devastation caused by Cyclone Amphan to communities across West Bengal. The image here is of a woman clearing debris from her home that was taken by one of our community leaders.

One of our flagship projects outside Kolkata, Nishtha, has suffered significant building and flood damage. Electricity and phones are out, roads are blocked by fallen trees and many homes, particularly those of the poorest, have been demolished, like the one pictured. It's hard to imagine the chaos that natural disasters like these will cause those already suffering a difficult lockdown. We are acting fast to support them as new information gets to us and you will be receiving information on an appeal for this project shortly. Despite these difficulties, there are still stories of hope emerging from this crisis in India and Nepal.

In Nepal for example, Lalita, 11, has been supported by the Karuna Strong Girls project which aims to keep girls in school. The project has come up with an innovative solution to ensure these girls don't miss out on their education during the lockdown.

The project has started broadcasting an educational radio programme and supplies radios for girls living in remote villages who do not have access to one so they can continue their learning at home.

This means that the dreams that girls like Lalita have are still in reach. 

“I feel bad for girls that marry young. I want to study and learn more so I can become a nurse and help people like my mother,” Lalita (pictured below) tells us.

In India, one of our project managers, Amitayus, and his team have worked hard to make sure the supplies raised by the crisis appeal are reaching the right people.

“We have created an outdoor distribution centre with social distancing markers to prevent overcrowding," Amitayus says.

"People are registered and given a coupon. They then visit the centre where there is hand sanitiser and a temperature check. A good number of team members means people are available for guidance or to answer questions. People can take up to 11 items of their choice; this personal choice helps contribute to people retaining a sense of dignity. The City authority has praised the way we have set this centre up.”
 

To see a video Amitayus and his team operating this outdoor centre, click here. 
 

None of this is possible without your donation. Thank you for what you've given and continue to give. 

If you haven't had the opportunity to donate yet, please do so below. While we are only beginning to scratch the surface of how we can provide support, for those we do reach, that support is everything.

Thank you. 

Ciaran Maguire
CEO

I am overjoyed to be able to report that we are now more than halfway to our target for the Coronavirus Crisis Appeal, thanks to your support. 

With your help, an astonishing £130,000 has been raised in just over a month - and it just keeps rising!

With 100% of your donations going straight to projects, thousands have already begun getting urgent support. 

We have focused on providing emergency food, sanitation packages, hygiene equipment and medical information and support to the most affected communities. Though there is so much work left to do, we're having a real impact already. 

To give you an idea in numbers of just how much you’ve done so far:

- 24 projects have already received support

- 7,000 families have been reached, or 35,000 people

- We're currently active in 5 of the most in-needIndian states and 2 regions in Nepal 

We are so grateful to have been able to respond so quickly and effectively to those in need, thanks to your support.

Here is Sangita, who works with our partner NIRMAN, with a message about how much your donation has already impacted her life:

I'm Sangita, I'm 21 and residing in Indapur, India. I was married at a young age and also widowed shortly after that.

In the community that I live in, [Karuna working with NIRMAN] actively helped me to start my life again. They helped me to purchase a sewing machine and find a small shop to rent. They have been helpful since then and continue to ask about my well being, as well as encouraging me to work hard.

Due to the spread of the coronavirus, I have lost a lot of work and have no income. I have really been feeling despair. NIRMAN has responded again by providing me and all other households in our community with food parcels that include enough for us all to eat well. It is because of this generous act that we are all able to feed ourselves and our families.

They have always supported our community and stood by us in our good times and bad. 

It's wonderful to hear from women like Sangita about the difference this urgent work is making to her life. Yet, we know there are still thousands more like her who we still need to reach. That's why we need to keep going and make our full target of £200,000 - and with your help, we are going to get there. 

If you haven't yet made a donation, and would like to, please do so on our website using the button below - and please share the appeal with your friends and families if you can and remember: 100% of anything you or they donate will go directly to our beneficiaries. 

Thank you and best wishes, 

Ciaran Maguire, CEO