Sewa International is a Hindu faith-based organization helping Atlantans support India.
By Allison Joyner
With the number of cases of COVID-19 spreading at an alarming rate in India, a metro Atlanta chapter of a global nonprofit organization has been helping to send relief to those in need.
“A lot of people are suffering right now with this sudden surge in the covid pandemic,” said Vivek Srivastav, Joint Coordinator for Sewa Atlanta. “There’s a shortage of supplies and resources and the medical system has a lot of cases coming in.”
Sewa International Atlanta is one of the non-profit’s 43 chapters in the U.S. that specialize in disaster relief and volunteerism. Their latest fundraiser is raising money for supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE) and lifesaving medical tools like oxygen concentrators and ventilators.
The UPS Foundation is supporting Sewa Atlanta with its efforts. They have used their resources to deliver supplies and equipment to India.
The machines are first sent to Delhi and then distributed across 31 northern cities across sixteen different districts in India.
Srikanth Grundavarapu, president of Sewa Atlanta, told India Today he has seen a critical need for medical intervention in rural areas of the Asian country.
Srivastav said over 100,000 people have made contributions to their Facebook campaign and Sewa International U.S.A.’s Facebook page also totaling over $4 million. Because of the donations, Sewa Atlanta has secured almost 8,000 oxygen concentrators and has shipped 3,000 so far.
In addition to financial support, Srivastav encourages Atlantans to continue the efforts of following CDC guidelines to stop the spread of COVID-19.
India isn’t alone in its struggle. Brazil and Peru have also seen surges in covid cases. “We need to continue practicing the safety measures” to prevent the U.S. from seeing another surge as well, Srivastav said.
Credit: Sewa USA
An estimated 300,000 Indians are diagnosed with COVID-19 per day and the numbers continue to climb.
“We have a very strong ground base in India,” Srivastav said. Sewa International also set up 140 isolation centers, 19 covid saver centers and provided over 10,000 beds to help treat patients.
Srivastav concluded, “anything that comes in terms of support and donations, and it helps our ability to be more effective on the ground.”
To find out more about Sewa U.S.A.’s efforts to help people in India recover from COVID-19 or to make a donation, log onto their website for more information.
