Situations of crisis are when a community needs to come together. One such major situation of crisis that we as a community faced over the last two years has been the pandemic. Affecting the global population like nothing we have ever seen before, the need for people to help others in the community has been more urgent than ever.
And just like any other community, Indians also played their invaluable part by donating during the pandemic. Indian culture is rooted deep within the traits of giving and a sense of community. This was evident in how Indians came together and donated to multiple causes to make the tough times just a little bit better for others. According to a report by Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), philanthropic activities rose by a whopping 43% during the pandemic in India. So, let’s have a look at how Indians emerged as heroes during the pandemic:
1. Donating to NGOs and charities
One of the most common methods has been by donating to charities for various purposes, including but not limited to supplying oxygen cylinders, securing hospital beds, and donating food and money to the needy. Apart from such donations, people also used donating platforms like Donatekart to run specific campaigns to help those in need of medicines, money, food, or any other service. The fact that the top 5 causes for which campaigns have been started on Donatekart are COVID, animals, children, elderly and hunger says a lot about how frequently philanthropists used the platform to support COVID patients and affected families. Apart from such platforms and NGOs, central and state government relief funds also saw incredible participation from the people.
2. Volunteered for community service
Even apart from donating, Indians also volunteered for community services to collectively uplift society in tough times. Many organisations, like Boehringer Ingelheim, started their initiatives to provide food packets and regular meals to those in need. Additionally, many restaurant owners and residents also carried out food distribution drives, providing hot and fresh homecooked food to the needy.
3. Saving animals from starving
Stray animals were also affected majorly during the pandemic. With unstable food sources even in pre-pandemic conditions, the strays relied heavily on getting scraps from people, which stopped almost entirely during the pandemic. To help such helpless animals, Indians also initiated drives and campaigns to provide food to animals across multiple locations regularly. Furthermore, campaigns on Donatekart also allowed people to contribute to animal welfare while staying safe within their own homes.
4. Supporting neighbours afflicted with COVID
A major change observed in the perceptions and views of the community as a whole was in the form of not shunning those affected by the virus. Neighbours took a stand to provide the affected families with essentials, donating groceries and vegetables to help the affected survive and develop the immunity needed to deal with the condition.
While such acts of donating and helping led to India gaining considerable stability in dealing with the pandemic, the new Omicron variant implies the need to ramp up the donations. While donating face masks, sanitisers, food, blankets, and money remain necessary, donating for medical equipment to deal with the new and unfamiliar variant has also become necessary.
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