British Asian Trust launches Oxygen for India Appeal
The British Asian Trust, a Prince of Wales’ Charity, has today launched an emergency appeal ‘Oxygen For India’ to aid the deepening COVID-19 crisis in India. Rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths in India are rising at a hugely alarming pace, with India setting new world records for the daily rise in number of cases. India’s hospitals are overrun, have stopped admitting patients and are running low on vital supplies and equipment including oxygen, leaving people helpless as they watch their loved ones die on stretchers outside the hospital doors.
British Asian Trust’s ‘Oxygen For India’ emergency appeal will raise funds for oxygen concentrators, and together with local partners in India, will rapidly deploy them to the hospitals and patients that need them most. Having consulted with the Indian and UK governments, the British Asian Trust’s advisors and programme partners in India have outlined a package of support that will compliment what industry, government and other charities are doing to help. All funds raised by the ‘Oxygen For India’ emergency appeal will go towards providing as many oxygen concentrators to hospitals as quickly as possible. Oxygen concentrators are alternate devices to oxygen cylinders – while cylinders contain a finite amount of oxygen supply, a concentrator continually recycles oxygen from the air and delivers it to the patient.
A donation of £50 will provide oxygen for 40 patients struggling to breathe, £450 will provide low-flow oxygen concentrator to help 900 patients and an £830 donation will provide high-flow oxygen concentrator to help 550 of the most seriously ill patients.
Hitan Mehta, Executive Director, British Asian Trust says: “We have seen the terrible impact of the pandemic worldwide but the devastation in India currently is one of the worst points of the last 12 months. The astronomical numbers of Covid-19 cases and deaths in India are frightening and we fear there is still a peak to come. What we can do now is provide essential support as quickly as possible to help those most in need. Our ‘Oxygen For India’ emergency appeal has been set up to provide vital supplies and equipment to save lives. We simply cannot stand by and do nothing.”
British Asian Trust Ambassadors such as Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal, Nitin Ganatra and Isa Guha have supported the launch of the appeal on social media, whilst Sunrise Radio, the UK’s biggest and most-listened to commercial Asian radio station will support the Appeal pro bono with round the clock airtime. The Appeal will also be supported by advertising agency Here & Now 365 and Indian TV channel NDTV 24x7.
Actor and British Asian Trust ambassador Nitin Ganatra shared his thoughts on Twitter: “Devastating scenes in India where people are dying in the streets due to Covid-19, please take a look at the British Asian Trust’s emergency appeal. Please share. #OxygenForIndia Please give generously.”
Tony Lit MBE, Managing Director, Sunrise Radio adds: “It is crucial that we work together to do whatever we can to support India in this time of national crisis. The pandemic is destroying Indian families and communities and we must do everything to help and support them as quickly as possible. I am proud that Sunrise Radio is partnering with the British Asian Trust to launch the Oxygen For India emergency appeal and alongside Here & Now 365 and NDTV 24x7 we will be donating substantial advertising space across radio and television to help raise the vital funds required to support those most in need in India.”
Manish Tiwari, Managing Director, Here & Now 365 adds: "This is a vital appeal to provide emergency support to those in India suffering the most during one of the worst periods of the pandemic. Working alongside Sunrise Radio and NDTV 24x7 we hope to raise as much awareness and funds as possible to support the British Asian Trust's Oxygen For India appeal."
The Oxygen For India Emergency Appeal is being supported by the British International Doctor’s Association (BIDA) who have partnered with the British Asian Trust to help raise funds, with a target of raising £100,000.