Combating India's Covid-19 Crisis 2021 | Islamic Relief Canada

Combating India’s Covid-19 Crisis IMPACT REPORT | 2021 I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0

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Our Work in the Region Islamic Relief has been on the ground in India since 1994, and to date has reached over 165,535 individuals through our programs across the country. We work predominantly through local partners to address needs such as emergency relief, water, living essentials, and development.

India is one of the most disasterprone countries in terms of the number of disasters, people affected,

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and related mortality and economic damages. Droughts, cyclones and floods often destroy or damage shelter, infrastructure and livelihoods and have a long-lasting impact on affected populations.

Throughout the past year, Islamic Relief responded to numerous floods through the provision of food and water and sanitation hygiene. We implement development programming in India by establishing

schools in rural villages and supporting livelihood opportunities for female-headed households, including survivors of gender-based violence.

Through increasing income generation, vulnerable households are better-enabled access to shelter, healthcare, protection, education, and food. Currently, Islamic Relief Canada donors support 489 orphans through the Orphan Sponsorship Program.

Crisis Background The first case of coronavirus in India was reported on January 30, 2020, and a nationwide lockdown of schools and colleges was imposed. On March 23, 2020, the government ordered a nationwide lockdown that was lifted on May 30, except for high case level zones where the lockdown was extended until June 30.

The lockdown left millions of migrant workers unemployed and disrupted food supplies. In some locations, curfew and military checkpoints have made it harder for humanitarian aid and medical supplies to move in and out, leading to a shortage of healthcare personnel and ventilators.

In April 2021 cases began surging by hundreds of thousands per day, hitting record peaks with health services completely overwhelmed.

People were left fighting for their lives. Hospitals and health centres across the country were unable to cope, with hospital beds, essential drugs and oxygen running out, even in large towns and cities. Relatives were desperately battling to find care or source oxygen cylinders to help treat loved ones at home.

With the COVID-19 outbreak, lockdowns have closed businesses and schools, limiting livelihood and education opportunities.

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Your Impact EMERGENCY MEDICAL SUPPORT In support of UNICEF, Islamic Relief helped to increase access to life-saving oxygen by procuring and installing oxygen generation plants in hospitals to treat severe and critical Covid-19 cases.

An oxygen generation plant can provide enough oxygen for a 500-bed hospital and will continue to be used beyond Covid-19 with a lifespan of 20 years. These continue to be installed in Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Nagaland, Maharashtra, Meghalaya and Tripura.

TOTAL BENEFICIAR IES

20,592 Indiv iduals

This response also included providing rapid, accurate testing machines in some of the hardest-hit districts, and supporting the ongoing distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.

The testing machines will support an increase in testing capacity and can last up to 10 years, providing support beyond the pandemic. This is part of a larger effort supplying testing machines to 73 laboratories.

We continue to work with local partners across India to speed up the identification and treatment of cases and support critical health systems and capacity in the face of the pandemic.

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EMERGENCY FOOD & HYGIENE SUPPORT With your support, Islamic Relief is helping to provide immediate lifesaving needs to people in Gujarat through food, living essentials, and hygiene items. This effort is being implemented in partnership with a local partner on the ground with whom we have a longstanding partnership.

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Urgent food assistance is provided to help the most vulnerable meet nutritional requirements. This is especially important to aid in fighting infections and expediting recovery.

Food kits are designed based on the local diet and cultural staples and include rice, wheat, lentils, spices, oil, tea and sugar.

In order to tackle the ongoing sanitation problem, we are distributing hygiene kits to all beneficiaries. These hygiene kits include items such as bath soap, washing soap, disinfectant, sanitary napkins, and reusable cloth masks. This project has prioritized the most vulnerable groups,

including migrant labourers, femaleheaded households, the elderly and persons with disabilities.

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Challenges in India Operating as a not-forprofit organization in the international sphere presents its own unique challenges. Currently in India, all not-for-profit organizations are facing challenges in operating and distributing funds, with the changing political and governmental regulations.

In 2020 the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill was introduced in India, which aims to regulate and monitor the usage of foreign funds by individuals and institutions.

This has affected the entire not-for-profit sector, a challenge we continue to navigate going forward.

This bill puts a cap on administrative expenditures, which limits certain programs that rely on human resources such

as work with disabled people, and violence against women. The bill also impacts partnerships by prohibiting sub-grants from not-for-profit organizations to grassroots organizations. This means foreign funds received by a not-for-profit are not allowed to be transferred to local organizations that are experts in particular communities and programming types.

Despite the challenges, Islamic Relief is committed to transparency and to ensuring your donations reach the most vulnerable throughout India. We work within the restrictions to still deliver aid and ensure all funds are allocated to those most in need through short-term emergency responses and long-term development projects.

“ Islamic Relief is committed to transparency and to ensuring your donations reach the most vulnerable throughout India.”

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Community Impact Story OXYGEN PLANTS REACHING GUJARAT Jamnagar is a district in the southwest of Gujarat, neighbouring Ahmedabad, Surat, and Vadodara.

Jamnagar did not have the same standard of health infrastructure as other cities in Gujarat, and with the onset of Covid-19, there was a huge increase in the need for oxygen.

People from rural areas began moving towards cities such as Jamnagar in search of better health infrastructure, making Jamnagar a hub for Covid-19 care.

Due to the lack of timely oxygen supply, more Covid-19 patients were unfortunately dying, which

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only increased with case numbers and new variants arising.

Procuring an uninterrupted supply of oxygen was of the utmost importance to control mortality rates in Gujarat. In support of UNICEF, Islamic Relief helped fund the procurement of Oxygen Generation Plants (OGP) to support hospitals across India, including the Guru Govind Singh Government Hospital in Jamnagar.

These oxygen plants work to support many areas across the hospital including operating theatres, ICUs, and

neonatal care. Through Canadian donors, we were able to provide an OGP that not only allowed them to meet the emergency need for Covid-19 care but also help the hospital in the long term in strengthening the health care system.

On June 1, 2021, the OGP became fully operational, meeting a desperate need in Guru Govind Singh Government Hospital. As a hub for Covid-19 care, timely oxygen support was critical in saving lives, your donations ensured that lives were no longer lost because of oxygen shortages. This OGP will continue to support the

hospital in a sustainable manner, changing the standard of healthcare infrastructure available for the most vulnerable!

We at Islamic Relief rely on your generous contributions and our partners to be able to respond to emergencies around the world.

Lifesaving supplies and services such as oxygen generation plants are provided to those most in need through your consistent support.

Thank you for saving lives!

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Thank You Jazakum Allahu Khairan for your continued support and kindness for the world’s most vulnerable. In the worst moments of this crisis, you helped us respond quickly. Throughout the crisis, your donations helped deliver aid to countless in India, helping our efforts to end this pandemic, quickly and equitably.

“Whoever relieves the hardship of a believer in this world, Allah will relieve his hardship on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever helps ease one in difficulty, Allah will make it easy for him in this world and in the Hereafter..."

– Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ We could not have done it without you, thank you.

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