Twitter has donated US Dollars 15 million for microblogging to help deal with the Covid-19 crisis in India, a fight against the second unprecedented wave of the deadly pandemic.
Jack Patrick Dorsey, Chief Executive Officer of Twitter, tweeted on Tuesday that three NGOs – Care, Aid India and Sewa International USA – had been donated.
While USD 10 million was awarded to CARE, USD 2.5 million were received each from Aid India and Sewa International, USA.
“Sewa International is a Hindu faith-based, humanitarian, non-profit service organisation. This grant will support the procurement of lifesaving equipment such as oxygen concentrators, ventilators, BiPAP (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure) and CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machines as part of Sewa International’s ‘Help India Defeat Covid-19’ campaign,” the San Francisco-based company said in a statement.
“Equipment will be distributed to government hospitals and Covid-19 care centers and hospitals,” it said.
Sandeep Khadkekar, Vice President Marketing and Fund Development of Sewa International, thanked Dorsey for his generous donation and said that Sewa’s work was recognised with gratitude.
“We are a volunteer-driven non-profit organisation, and we believe in serving all, following the sacred Hindu benediction, ‘Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah’ — ‘May all be happy’,” Khadkekar told PTI.
“Our administrative costs are about five per cent, meaning that every dollar a donor offers, we spend 95 cents of it on the work that it is earmarked for. In these past two weeks, we have seen how overwhelmed India’s healthcare system is, and we want to do as much as we can to come to the aid of people who are deeply affected. Twitter’s generosity will go a long way in helping us do the work we want to do, and that we need to do,” he said.
Sandeep Khadkekar, Vice President Marketing and Fund Development of Sewa International, thanked Dorsey for his generous donation and said that Sewa’s work was recognised with gratitude.
So far, Houston-based Sewa USA has raised 17.5 million U.S. dollars to support India Covid-19.
CARE is a leading global poverty fighting humanitarian organisation.
Twitter said that granting USD 10 million supports urgently CARE’s action to help tackle the deadly second wave of India’s devastating Covid-19 infections.
“Funds will be used to supplement government efforts by setting up temporary Covid-19 care centers; providing oxygen, PPE kits and other critically needed emergency supplies for frontline health workers; and addressing vaccine hesitancy and helping ensure that people get vaccinated, particularly in remote, marginalised communities in India,” it said.
The Association for India’s Development (AID) is a volunteer organisation dedicated to promoting long-term, equitable, and just development in India.
