our response to covid-19 in india
Written by: Marketing & Communications Coordinator, Madelyn Anderson
Over the past months, we have continually reached out to the larger Saving Moses community to raise additional funds in response to the COVID-19 health crisis in India. New cases being reported daily have thankfully dropped from their terrifying peak in May. However, this crisis continues to have significant impacts on much of the country’s most vulnerable populations.
Your support has been vital in addressing the needs of the babies and toddlers we work with. The parents of these little ones already struggled to provide them with the care they needed before a pandemic, let alone amid the second wave of infections, lockdowns, and deaths.
Life-saving supplies and support have been provided thanks to generous friends like you
With your help, Saving Moses has been overjoyed to be able to provide two lifesaving infant breathing machines, set up a local ICU, establish a clinic for pregnant mothers and their babies, distribute care boxes to over 50 babies and toddlers, and see 30 infants born during the pandemic needing medical attention. We eagerly anticipate receiving 30 more little ones from surrounding areas in just the next couple of weeks! Additionally, we have workers traveling to more rural area villages to inform parents of babies and toddlers in the broader community that help IS available for their little ones!
The medical center mentioned above is CRITICAL to the health and lives of the babies we work with. For the people living in this community, it is their only option to receive essential medical care, as the local major hospital in the area is overflowing with COVID-19 patients. You may have seen reports that hospitals are so overwhelmed, patients have been dying in the streets waiting for a bed, with family members taking to social media to beg for relief for their loved ones or waiting in line for days in hopes of getting maybe just one small tank of oxygen, only to be told that yet again there is none to be had. We are saddened to confirm that these accounts are true.
Putting it all in perspective
To put the essential support you have helped us to provide into perspective, one of our team members on the ground shared the following about the impact just the clinic has had:
“The mothers are very happy for our medical center as before they had to travel [very far] to go to the hospital for any medical needs. Even in some extreme cases, babies die on the way, as local transport is very poor, and it is very hard to get any local transport vehicle.”
You have helped SAVE LIVES! Not only do these mothers have hope for their babies, but now their babies can have hope for a future and a life beyond the deadly pandemic surging through their vulnerable community.
The fight to combat this crisis continues
We need your support to carry on – we must continue to meet the needs of babies where help is most needed and least available. Although some metrics continue to improve across the country, we know this fight isn’t over yet.
Just last week, the BBC reported that the COVID-19 death toll in India had surpassed 400,000 lives, second only to the U.S. and Brazil. With less than 5% of the country’s population vaccinated since the initiative began in January, experts warn of an impending third wave. This crisis is acute and ongoing, even as we return to large celebrations and various mask-free social gatherings here at home.
With the daily new case counts continuing to hover around 40,000 cases per day, widespread lockdowns continue, leaving many who were already on the edge of poverty with no work or income to provide for their families or themselves.
These babies still desperately need our help! Will you join with Saving Moses to continue caring for these little ones?
