India Direct Covid-19 Appeal

India Direct Covid-19 Appeal

In India, a country where 60% of the population were already living below the poverty line and medical access is limited, the potential for devastation from Covid-19 is significant.

India Direct remains vigilant in protecting those in our care. The children spent the initial lockdown safe within the walled compounds, with incoming staff and deliveries strictly monitored. Unfortunately, more recent local government regulations forced the children back to their families in the villages.

Although our primary concern always remains protecting the children, we have also been delivering food and hygiene parcels to many of the poorest families in the local area, where many of the staff and their families live. Whilst the children are away from the homes, we have maintained regular deliveries of much needed essentials to them and their families. 

This support comes at a cost, and we continue to liaise with our trustee partners in India to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our children and staff. We’re appealing to our supporters to contribute towards our response Covid-19 response in India.

This will enable us to continue providing food and hygiene parcels to all of the children and their families. As always with India Direct, 100% of your donation will go directly to our Indian projects, making a real difference to the children we support every day.

April 2021 Update

News reports show the heavy toll that Covid-19 is taking on families and communities right now in India. While the focus of current media is the worst hit areas in Delhi and Maharashtra, the devastating effects of Covid-19 are being felt across the country, as hospitals are overrun with patients and experiencing a severe shortage of essential oxygen supplies.

Our partners in India describe the huge pressure on hospitals in Tamil Nadu, where families are mourning the loss of loved ones who were unable to access the care that would have saved their lives, either due to  a lack of money to pay for it, or shortage of supplies at medical facilities. 

As we all continue to distance ourselves as protection again the virus, in the communities we support self isolating means no work and no money. The food and hygiene parcels our partners in India have been taking directly to families in these communities have been essential to their survival for months, and even more so now. 

As a charity, we would love to do more for poor children and their families in India, but we are limited by the cost associated with delivering care remotely and so far have had to focus our diminished resources on providing basic essentials to the families of children already in our care. As a small local charity, we have seen our usual fundraising options in the UK significantly reduced by the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, and have had to budget accordingly.

We are so incredibly grateful to all those who have found India Direct and donated to our cause for the first time. Your support for our charity in direct response to the news from India will enable us to do more than we have been able to so far: supporting more families in the community with food and hygiene parcels, enabling more children to access vital education for their future, and providing healthcare (including vaccines) for those who can’t access it. 

As always, every penny you donate to India Direct goes directly towards helping those in India who need it. Thank you. 

May 2021 Fundraising Update

One of our fabulous supporters has suggested that our UK supporters might want to 'pay forward' their NHS funded vaccine. 

Your two NHS vaccine doses are free. In India, they cost up to £25 (though some of the poorest will get them free).

Could you pay forward your dose, to help us support those in India?

23rd May 2021 News from India

This week we met virtually with the Trustees of our Indian partner charity (Love and Care Charitable Trust), who are responsible for our operations in India. 

Their stories of the situation on the ground are tragic, with thousands of people dying due to a lack of oxygen or hospital space. The lockdown in India has left those in poverty struggling for all the basic necessities: rice, vegetables and clean drinking water, let alone hygiene and medical supplies. Our trustee partners continue to deliver provisions to the familes of the 135 families from our Homes, enabling those families to isolate and protect themselves.
We are also focusing on education, as most children have had no formal teaching for over a year due to school closures. India Direct has always been keen to ensure that we provide a 'step out of poverty' by providing a good education and skills-based training to all in our care. We have been delivering different forms of learning as we can throughout the pandemic, and continue to look at ways to develop their skills in this challenging environement.  

Without your help India Direct could not support as many families as we have.