Partnership Saves Over 137,000 Lives Impacted by COVID-19 in India
The British Asian Trust, the leading international charity founded by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, launched its COVID-19 Emergency Appeal in April 2020 in response to the unfolding crisis in South Asia.
In a region already home to 27% of the world’s poorest, with 750 million people surviving on less than $2.5 a day, tens of millions of poor and vulnerable families across the region faced life or death situations. Over 400 million daily workers in India saw their livelihoods vanish overnight. With no form of income and no savings, they and their families were facing a daily fight for survival. This unprecedented crisis led to mass migration with millions fleeing – most travelling on foot - to the relative safety of their home villages, from cities where jobs no longer existed.
In response, the Randal Charitable Foundation donated over £500,000 to the British Asian Trust’s Appeal with the commitment to support the most vulnerable and marginalised communities hit hard by the pandemic and the results of lockdown across India, through provision of emergency kits.
As a result, the Foundation, together with the British Asian Trust and local delivery partners Jan Sahas and Goonj, have been able to impact some of the most vulnerable individuals in remote villages and communities across 15 states. Together, we have saved over 137,000 lives by reaching more than 27,500 families with emergency kits containing essential food and hygiene rations between June and November 2020.
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