Emergency Food Support for Indian Village (COVID)
Donation protected
As we all know, India is currently in a state of emergency as COVID tears through urban and village areas. There are so many wonderful causes to contribute to - and I'd like to put forward another one.
12 years ago, I walked into a tiny Indian village called Anagalapura, full of good intentions and totally ignorant to the complexities of village life. A local villager, Sandesh Kumar (or Sandy), was a gentle and charitable man and he took me under his wing. Sandy was well educated and about my age, and for 3 months we shared many meals together and learnt about each-others cultures. Since then Sandy and I have worked on many projects together and this is a friendship that I still cherish to this day.
Last week I called Sandy to check in on how he is given the COVID situation. He shared how dire the situation has been but thankfully he, and his family are safe. Then I asked him about the people of Anagalapura… he grew quiet for a long time before speaking.
Anagalapura is a tiny village North-East of Bangalore. There are hundreds of thousands of villages just like this one in India. Of the 560 occupants, about 130 are relatively well to do, 130 are middle class and about 300 (or 85 families) live in poverty. COVID has hit Anagalapura hard with 15 current positive cases and the first COVID death last week. With harsh lockdown laws, many families are down to little or no income. Funds from the local government have dried up and many local villagers either can't afford food, or are taking loans from loan-sharks (at interest rates that might never be paid off) to feed their families.
I asked Sandy what we could do and he was very clear - the people of Anagalapura need food supplies for at least the next 2 - 3 months. Sandy has consulted the community and estimate the cost of food rations per family per month - which amounts to 4,050 Rupees (approximately $74 AUD). Basic food rations for 85 families for 1 month will therefore cost about $6,290. We're setting out to fund the first month of food supply for the people of Anagalapura while we seek out other donors to cover months 2 and 3. All donations of any amount are welcome and appreciated!
12 years ago, I walked into a tiny Indian village called Anagalapura, full of good intentions and totally ignorant to the complexities of village life. A local villager, Sandesh Kumar (or Sandy), was a gentle and charitable man and he took me under his wing. Sandy was well educated and about my age, and for 3 months we shared many meals together and learnt about each-others cultures. Since then Sandy and I have worked on many projects together and this is a friendship that I still cherish to this day.
Last week I called Sandy to check in on how he is given the COVID situation. He shared how dire the situation has been but thankfully he, and his family are safe. Then I asked him about the people of Anagalapura… he grew quiet for a long time before speaking.
Anagalapura is a tiny village North-East of Bangalore. There are hundreds of thousands of villages just like this one in India. Of the 560 occupants, about 130 are relatively well to do, 130 are middle class and about 300 (or 85 families) live in poverty. COVID has hit Anagalapura hard with 15 current positive cases and the first COVID death last week. With harsh lockdown laws, many families are down to little or no income. Funds from the local government have dried up and many local villagers either can't afford food, or are taking loans from loan-sharks (at interest rates that might never be paid off) to feed their families.
I asked Sandy what we could do and he was very clear - the people of Anagalapura need food supplies for at least the next 2 - 3 months. Sandy has consulted the community and estimate the cost of food rations per family per month - which amounts to 4,050 Rupees (approximately $74 AUD). Basic food rations for 85 families for 1 month will therefore cost about $6,290. We're setting out to fund the first month of food supply for the people of Anagalapura while we seek out other donors to cover months 2 and 3. All donations of any amount are welcome and appreciated!
Organizer
Tony Tow
Organizer
Tamarama, NSW