The second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, which struck India suddenly in the second half of April 2021, is having a heavy impact on the entire country, especially in the states of Karnataka and Kerala. These two states in particular are witnessing a relentless rise in the number of positive cases of infection and deaths. More than 35,000 new cases of infection are being reported every day. In order to prevent the spread of the disease, a fifteen-day lockdown was declared, which has far-reaching negative consequences. A large number of workers have been left without jobs and their families have no means to survive. Some of them returned home to surrounding villages, but if they are infected with the virus they have no chance of seeking medical help. Most villages and slums in the state of Karnataka have no quality hospitals or healthcare facilities to treat infected patients; equipment such as oxygen, medical kits and the like is also missing. In the state of Kerala the healthcare facilities are of relatively good quality, but because of the rise in infected people they are reporting a shortage of medical equipment and staff. Infected people desperately seek help in overcrowded hospitals where, due to capacity, they cannot be admitted. The healthcare system is collapsing, which is why civil society is also doing everything it can to help. India is turning to the whole world with a plea for help. Help those who are suffering in India together with us.

One of the main activities they are carrying out is the distribution of food to poor families and to infected patients who remain in home quarantine. These people, who depend on a daily wage, have no way of regularly obtaining food, as in many cases all family members are in quarantine for safety reasons. They cannot go to work to earn money to buy the basics for the household. In cooperation with the Don Bosco centres, BREADS is reaching out to these families and people and distributing cooked meals or food packages directly to their doorstep, in order to prevent the spread of infection. The food packages contain rice, flour, vegetables, eggs, oil and hygiene supplies meant to last the 2 weeks of home quarantine.

Another activity is the distribution of packages containing medical supplies for patients receiving treatment at home. Many of them cannot afford to buy the basic supplies needed to treat and ease the symptoms of Covid-19. The package will contain basic medication (ivermectin, vitamins, zinc, cough syrup), a pulse oximeter, inflatable mattresses and disinfectants. The Salesians in Bangalore are at the same time creating a space for online consultations and conversations for people who, because of the pandemic, are suffering from trauma.

Many Salesian centres and schools are being turned into treatment centres where care is provided to patients with Covid-19 who have mild to moderate symptoms. Hospital staff (doctors and nurses) are being assigned to the centres, but basic supplies for protection against infection, hygiene items and food packages are still in short supply. This need has arisen because the state and private hospitals are already overcrowded and therefore cannot provide adequate medical care. Even though the public and private healthcare systems are doing their best to fight this situation, cases of infection and the mortality rate continue to rise.

Part of the support activities are also youth volunteer groups, which help with the distribution of basic packages to households and actively get involved in providing help in hospitals, where they bring joy and comfort not only to patients but also to front-line workers. They also help spread awareness of hygiene rules and of the option of — and the need for — getting vaccinated.

The staff of BREADS and the Salesians in India are also turning to us with a plea for prayers and financial help. The expenses associated with carrying out the activities are high, since their goal is to help as many people and families as possible.

Join us too and support the activities that help people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in India:

• by a deposit or transfer of a financial gift directly to the account number:

IBAN: SK5511000000002626853119

Variable symbol: 2105035878

India

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• By postal order

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SAVIO o.z., NPP-12820573, DESIGNATION: India

Thank you to all donors!

The 14th edition of the Tehlička public fundraising campaign for 2019 was entered in the register of public collections of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic on 7 November 2018 under number SVS-OVS2-2018/34156.

The gross proceeds of the collection amounted to 137,141.07 euros. The costs of running the collection were 21.68%. The net proceeds were 107,409.57 euros. The collection was carried out to help repair flood-damaged houses in the Indian state of Kerala and to rebuild those that had been destroyed altogether. The project aimed to give priority to families from economically weaker areas living below the poverty line. The civic association SAVIO works with the local Salesians of Don Bosco, who have been present in Kerala since the early 20th century.

Directly involved in the collection were 95 kindergartens, primary and secondary schools,  22 Salesian youth centres and other communities, 13 parishes and also 2 companies in towns and villages across Slovakia.  All participants received promotional and background materials, which served not only the campaign for the collection but also as resources for education and awareness-raising in the area of development cooperation. As part of the collection, schools — with our consent — carried out their own activities serving its purpose.

In cooperation with the development organization BREADS, based in Bangalore, India, the collection made it possible to provide help to people in the Indian state of Kerala who were hit by devastating floods in August 2018. These were the worst floods in the past 100 years — they claimed the lives of nearly 500 people, around 24,000 people were placed in humanitarian camps, there were 35 landslides, the water devastated 57,000 hectares of agricultural land, destroyed 20,000 homes and left thousands of people without a roof over their heads. Thanks to the Tehlička 2019 collection, it was possible — through construction or reconstruction — to return a home to 23 poor families. In the first phase of the project 9 new homes were built and 3 homes were repaired. In the second phase another 5 homes were built and 6 homes were repaired. In total, 14 homes were built and 9 homes repaired.

The most destitute beneficiaries were selected for the project — people who had not only been left homeless but had also lost their source of livelihood because of the floods. Help was provided to families from economically weak areas who would not have survived the consequences of the floods without outside help. After the families were selected for the project, a planning meeting was held with representatives of all 23 families. Before construction work began, an agreement on the provision of the grant was signed. The construction and reconstruction of the family homes was carried out by partner companies under strict supervision and consistent monitoring by the partner organization BREADS. While providing assistance, coordination was ensured between the regional government, local authorities and the non-profit sector in order to avoid duplication of support to the final beneficiaries. The families themselves also took part — to the extent of their abilities — in the construction and reconstruction of the homes.

THANK YOU TO ALL DONORS AND PARTICIPANTS FOR SUPPORTING TEHLIČKA 2019