Dear Friends,
The second wave of the vicious COVID-19 virus is nothing short of devastating. By all projections, the situation is going to be worse in the second week of May. The crisis has escalated to a point where Government help alone will not suffice.
This is where our NGO partners in India have stepped in with their grassroots network of volunteers and workers who are able to reach deep into the communities needing help.
We are getting reports that volunteers are helping provide food, medicines, transportation, make-shift COVID facilities, in some cases since the pharmacies have run out of drugs, they are offering homeopathy medicines to mitigate the suffering of those afflicted. We are working with organizations who are able to send equipment to hospitals quickly.
Rather than watch helplessly from here, we can each play a valuable role. We can collect funds and send them to these wonderful charitable organizations who are at the forefront, providing relief. We must act now. Please reach out to family and friends and have them support these NGOs.
ICA is sending funds directly to NGOs to reach families who need help and to hospitals who need critical equipment. Let's all reach out and support the NGOs.
Stay safe and may your family and friends stay healthy.
With prayers,
Reshma Nigam
Devastating COVID-19 Second Wave in IndiaIndia is seeing a devastating second wave of COVID infections with hundreds of thousands of new infections daily, mainly in northern and western India. As we feel overwhelmed by the news, the words of singer and songwriter Joan Baez can give us strength and resolve: "Action is the antidote to despair." Our NGOs are taking action, and have sent us their approaches to mitigating this catastrophe.
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Cotton sanitary napkins manufactured by BNGVN Reusable Cotton Sanitary Napkins
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Women's Leadership Initiative
The Women's Leadership Initiative starts its 2021 program with a 2-day virtual workshop titled "Train the Trainer" in mid-August 2021. Geared towards small- to medium-sized NGOs in India, this virtual workshop is aimed at organizations looking to enhance the skills of their staff, volunteers, managers and their community coordinators exploring topics that will make a positive difference in building and increasing their capacity. |
ICAs First FORUM event of 2021: March 5, 2021
The first Forum event of the year had a record attendance of around 90 people, and was streamed live on Facebook. The guest speakers were Dr. Ravi Chopra, and Zubin Sharma, two social entrepreneurs, who relocated from the US to India to initiate social change at the grass-roots level. These two individuals from different generations and different decades shared a vision: to live and work with the vulnerable segments of India's population to bring relief to them. |
Apply for the Youth LEAD program!
Given the deteriorating situation in India, Maharashtra and Hemalkasa with regard to COVID, we have decided to call off the youth "LEAD" (Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Action, Development) Program trip for the summer of 2021. |
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2020-21 Executive Committee
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Indians for Collective Action (ICA) |