The COVID-19 pandemic is creating large-scale disruption to the Indian economy, and has caused extensive food scarcity for large, displaced populations as migrant workers throughout the subcontinent have lost their jobs and are forced to return home to their villages. The pandemic has also created an intense set of challenges for the country’s already-stretched healthcare sector, with lack of access to personal protective equipment, testing kids, isolation wards, and ventilators. Based on conversations with partners and civil society organizations, MacArthur’s India office is providing $500,000 in grant support to the following organizations responding to the pandemic:
Give India, $300,000 for its India Relief Fund with a focus on hunger relief efforts for migrant families who are stranded in cities like Mumbai and Delhi or have returned home to their villages.
Selco Foundation, $200,000 for work in rural areas to support healthcare partners with sustainable energy solutions for critical medical equipment and other infrastructure needs to prevent COVID-19 and isolate symptomatic patients.
