COVID-19: Israel collaborates with NGOs to help and support underprivileged people in India

New Delhi: The Embassy of Israel in India collaborated with NGOs in different parts of India to help and support underprivileged communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This collaboration was in the form of short-term social projects and was implemented across India. NGOs that were part of the first phase of this collaboration are Gulshan Foundation, Salaam Baalak Trust, Aarohan, Noida Deaf Society, Smile Foundation, Culture Monks and Navratan Foundation. 

Ambassador of Israel in India, Dr Ron Malka said, “We are proud to partner with different NGOs across India to help and support underprivileged communities in different parts of the country during the Covid-19 pandemic. We are running this collaboration during the Jewish holiday of Hannukah when we light candles for eight nights.  By bringing a bit of light into people’s lives, we hope to banish the darkness that Covid-19 has brought.  Each of us should strive to be a small light, and together we can bring great light.”

Under this collaboration, homeless families were provided weekly health checkups, medicines and sanitisation kits. Daily wage earners such as factory workers, construction workers, labourers and street vendors were given masks and sanitizers.   

In Delhi, dry ration kits containing rice, flour, pulses, oil and sugar were distributed among underprivileged women. Also, women who had lost their livelihoods in the garment industry during the pandemic received sewing machines to enable them to restart their work. 

Sanitary napkins were distributed among girls coming from economically weaker sections of the society. Women entrepreneurs returning to cities in search of work were given skill development training and personal protective equipment (PPE) kits. Women in rural areas of West Bengal were trained in poultry farming to enable them to generate income. 

Online classes were conducted for deaf children and youth, whose families cannot afford their education.