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One year on: India Recovery Fund helps over 2.3 million people to recover and rebuild

Over 2.3 million people have received help to recover and rebuild their lives following the launch of the British Asian India Recovery Fund last year. 

In May 2021, India was at the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, accounting for 46% of the world’s cases and recording more than 400,000 deaths due to the coronavirus.  

The British Asian Trust, with wide support from the British public and several Trusts, Foundations, and corporates, quickly galvanised support and raised £9.3 million to help those most affected by the pandemic with a three-pronged strategy ‘response, recovery, rebuild’.   

Our Oxygen Appeal was launched to address the immediate health crisis affecting India by providing oxygen concentrators, essential medical, food, financial and educational resources to the most vulnerable communities in the country.  

In the immediate response phase, we were able to: 

  • distribute 6,302 oxygen concentrators in areas most acutely impacted by the oxygen shortage with help from partners Swasth and United Way Bengaluru 
  • provide PSA oxygen plants (generators) to three hospitals in Bengaluru and Rajasthan with partners ACT Grants and United Way Bangalore  

provided two 100 patient bed centres in these two locations, along with an additional 30 bed ICU in Ambikarpur with partner Doctors for You  

  • support 62,000 children with learning resources and hygiene products in Gujarat and New Delhi with partners Gyanshala and SARD 
  • distribute COVID-19 care kits including emergency food rations, and basic medical and hygiene supplies to over 1,600 female artisans and their families – total 8,265 people – across seven states with partner Swasti  
  • raise awareness of and provide testing and treatment kits to 600 tribal villages in Andhra Pradesh with partner Naandi Foundation. 

In June 2021, we launched the India Recovery Fund to increase access to vaccinations and medical care in hard-to-reach communities, support the wellbeing and safety of children and rebuild livelihoods for ‘last mile’ communities to address rapidly increasing poverty, particularly amongst young people and women. 

One year on, we have: 

  • vaccinated 899,424 people in hard-to-reach communities (we are projecting to reach over 2.9m people by December 2022) 
  • reached 301,046 children with targeted interventions to meet their socio-emotional and educational needs 
  • improved livelihoods and food security of 49,358 people in last mile communities.  

Chief Executive Richard Hawkes said: “This shows the level of impact which can be achieved by mobilising and engaging the diaspora, businesses and government. Thanks to a joined-up approach and innovative ways of working, we have been able to help millions of people to recover and rebuild quickly from a pandemic that had a devastating impact on India.  

“We could not have achieved this without the support of our many partners and supporters including the Indian High Commissioner to the UK HE Gaitri Kumar, Lord Karan Bilimoria President of the CBI and senior representatives from leading businesses from the UK and India including BT, Accenture, HSBC, Diageo, Reliance, JSW Group, Croda Foundation, Finolex and UBS Optimus Foundation.  

“Our local delivery partners in India have also shown agility and innovation in the way they have responded – adapting quickly to respond to changing community needs. 

“Our work is not yet done – we are there for the long haul as we continue work to address inequality, particularly for women and young people.”