As the second wave of Covid-19 rages through the country, media and global donor attention is focused on the supply of oxygen in its variou...
As the second wave of Covid-19 rages through the country, media and global donor attention is focused on the supply of oxygen in its various forms – even as the country grapples with extreme hunger, poverty and loss of livelihoods.
The question today is, why are not global, institutional funders – many of whom are familiar with India’s development sector landscape – funding humanitarian relief during this wave? Especially at a time when nonprofits that have been embedded in communities for years are struggling to raise funds for their efforts.
These nonprofits work with vulnerable populations, many of whom have already been pushed into poverty due to the first wave of Covid-19. From March 2020 to October 2020, the number of individuals below the poverty line in India increased by 23 crore – a staggering 77%. An alarming 90% of households surveyed had less to eat. The second wave seems to have exacerbated the problem as primary breadwinners in these communities succumb to the virus.
International donor attention however has been entirely focused on the supply of oxygen in Delhi, and now to some extent, Bangalore. The rest of the country seems to have faded into the background despite 533 of India’s 700 districts showing a positivity rate of more...
