Microblogging and social networking site Twitter has donated 15 million United States Dollars to help India which is fighting the dangerous and more infectious second wave of coronavirus pandemic.
Twitter CEO Jack Patrick Dorsey on Monday, April 11 tweeted that the amount for Covid relief has been donated to three NGOs which are Care, Aid India, and Sewa International USA.
Jack Patrick’s tweet read, “$15 million split between @CARE, @AIDINDIA, and @sewausa to help address the COVID-19 crisis in India.”
CARE has been donated USD 10 million, and Aid India and Sewa International USA are provided with USD 2.5 million each.
“Sewa International is a Hindu faith-based, humanitarian, non-profit service organization. This grant will support the procurement of lifesaving equipment such as oxygen concentrators, ventilators, BiPAP and CPAP machines as part of Sew International’s Help India Defeat COVID-19 campaign,” said the company.
“Equipment will be distributed to government hospitals and Covid-19 care centers and hospitals,” further added.
On this, Sandeep Khadkekar who is Sewa International's vice president for marketing and Fund Development thanked Twitter's CEO for the donation. “We are a volunteer-driven non-profit organization and we believe in serving all, following the sacred Hindu benediction ‘Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah’ which means ‘may all be happy’, said Khadkekar.
He further added, “Our administrative costs are about 5%, meaning that every dollar a donor offers, we spend 95 cents of it on the work that 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 to do the work we want to do, and what we need to do.”
Meanwhile, Twitter has granted USD 10 million to support CARE. On this, the NGO said, “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.”
CARE will also help by addressing vaccine hesitancy and ensure that people get vaccinated, particularly in remote, marginalized communities in India.