Help the People of a Small Indian Town Affected By COVID-19

I flew down to India about a month ago to see my two grandmothers. While I’m happy to be able to spend time with them, the ambiance around town isn’t exactly jolly, all thanks to COVID-19.

I'm currently staying in a small town in the Tiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu, which is where my family is from. A lot of people I know here, including extended family members, have been financially-impacted by the pandemic. Many have lost their jobs and cannot afford even the most basic needs. While I know I cannot help every single person, I want to be able to help those who need it the most.

There are a handful of people I know who are in dire need of monetary help. One of them is an extended family member with kidney failure who spent his entire life savings on dialysis treatments and doesn't have much left to afford a life-saving kidney transplant.

Another person is the Imam of a local mosque who is determined to help his daughter realize her dream of becoming a surgeon, but falls short of US$3000 to pay for the last 2 years of her medical school. A lot of people he has turned to for help gave him the cold shoulder and backwardly told him to marry her off instead of spending on her education.

Another one is my domestic helper for whom even the cheapest doctor consultations and treatments available for her grandson's cerebral palsy are luxuries.

Unfortunately, the list goes on.

I'm a 26-year-old who has had the privilege of living in a first-world country. We have an excellent public healthcare system, free housing for those living under the poverty line, and monthly handouts for a defined period of time for unemployed people who are actively looking for jobs. I have lived my entire life with a back-up plan to fall on in case things don't go as planned, but the people of my ancestral home don't.

I have set aside US$1300, which is the most I can contribute at this point in time, and collected US$798 from friends to help those I mentioned above and more. As you can already tell, that amount is not at all enough, which is why I'm here to ask if you’d be willing to donate a small portion of your wealth to help those in need as well.

There’s no minimum limit—you can donate however much you like. A little goes a long way.

No pressure—you don’t have to donate if you’re unable to. Everyone has their own battles to fight, and I wish you all the courage and strength to fight yours.

Thank you!