The coronavirus is ravaging India. Here’s how you can help
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A health worker wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) walks through a banquet hall temporarily converted into a Covid-19 ward in New Delhi.
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CNN
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India is experiencing the world’s worst coronavirus outbreak.
The country has had more than 17.6 million cases since the pandemic began last year. But experts fear the the real number could be up to 30 times higher.
Grieving families are struggling to keep themselves and their loved ones safe amid an overwhelmed health care system, and medical workers are stretched thin as some hospitals run out of oxygen and supplies.
You can help, too. Here’s how. To donate to any of the charities mentioned in this article, click the button below or here.
Provide PPE
Photos: India's Covid-19 crisis
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A young man receives a Covid-19 vaccine in Guwahati, India, on Saturday, May 8.
Photos: India's Covid-19 crisis
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Police in Shimla patrol the streets of the Lower Bazaar area during a curfew on May 8.
Photos: India's Covid-19 crisis
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An elderly woman wears an oxygen mask that was provided at a Sikh temple, also known as a gurdwara, in New Delhi.
Photos: India's Covid-19 crisis
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A medical worker observes patients inside a Covid-19 ward that was set up inside a sports stadium in New Delhi.
Photos: India's Covid-19 crisis
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A health worker administers a Covid-19 test on the outskirts of Amritsar on May 3. Police in rural areas launched a free cab service for villagers so they could get tested and vaccinated.
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Volunteers stand next to burning pyres at a crematorium on the outskirts of Bengaluru on May 2.
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Officials in Chennai prepare to open postal ballots for state elections, which have taken place during this second wave of Covid-19.
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A worker at a mass crematorium carries logs of wood for funeral pyres as people perform the last rites for some Covid-19 victims in New Delhi on May 1.
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A woman hugs her son after arriving to receive free oxygen in New Delhi on May 1.
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A health worker administers a Covid-19 test in Siliguri on April 30.
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Flower garlands, fruits and a pair of sandals were placed on a spot where a woman was cremated in New Delhi on April 30.
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Police personnel hold placards on their motorbikes during a Covid-19 awareness rally in Chennai on April 29.
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People wear protective suits while watching a relative's cremation in New Delhi on April 28. Their loved one died from Covid-19.
Photos: India's Covid-19 crisis
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Workers prepare beds for a Covid-19 isolation center that was set up inside a stadium in Srinagar on April 27.
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Multiple funeral pyres burn in New Delhi on April 27.
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A health worker administers a Covid-19 test at a hospital in Noida on April 26.
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Umar Farooq mourns at the grave of his mother, a Covid-19 victim, in Srinagar.
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Health workers turn away an ambulance at the main entrance of the Lok Nayayak Jaiprakash Hospital in New Delhi on April 25.
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A worker digs a grave for a Covid-19 victim in Guwahati on April 25.
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A relative of a Covid-19 victim is consoled by another during a cremation in Jammu on April 25.
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People wait to refill their oxygen cylinders at a refilling station in Allahabad on April 24.
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A man inspects an intensive-care ward after a fire broke out at a Covid-19 hospital in Virar on April 23. At least 13 Covid-19 patients were killed in the fire.
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This aerial photo, taken with a drone, shows a mass cremation in New Delhi on April 22.
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Ambulances carrying Covid-19 patients line up outside a government hospital in Ahmedabad on April 22.
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People line up for vaccines at an indoor stadium in Guwahati on April 22.
A Hindu priest puts a face mask on an idol of the Goddess Ashapura during Navaratri celebrations in Beawar on April 13.
Photos: India's Covid-19 crisis
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Hindu holy men wade into the Ganges River during the Kumbh Mela religious festival on April 12. People also packed the streets of Haridwar for what is the largest religious pilgrimage on Earth, and the massive crowds created concern.
Photos: India's Covid-19 crisis
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Protesters wearing protective suits lie on a street near the Election Commission office in Kolkata on April 7. They were calling for a stop to the ongoing state legislative election and its associated campaign rallies.
Photos: India's Covid-19 crisis
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Children wear face shields at a martial-arts class in Kolkata on April 5.
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Supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party wear masks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election rally in Sonarpur on April 3.
Photos: India's Covid-19 crisis
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Social distancing was not easy to achieve as people walked through a busy market in Old Delhi on March 27.
Americares is helping provide PPE including gloves, face shields and masks for front line workers. The organization is also supplying ventilators and pulse oximeters in addition to helping with community education.
Care India has an urgent call out for donations to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) – like suits and masks – to frontline health care workers.
Project HOPE is working with government officials to deliver medical supplies, including PPE, ventilators and ICU equipment, to areas of greatest need.
UNICEF USA is supporting India’s health care workers by providing critically needed supplies like oxygen concentrators, testing systems, PPE kits and personal care products. To donate, click here.
Help supply oxygen
People wait to refill oxygen cylinders for Covid-19 patients in Allahabad.
Among the organization’s Covid-19 relief efforts, the non-profit is accepting financial donations to provide oxygen concentrators to India.
Direct Relief says it is helping India by also supplying the country with needed oxygen concentrators and medical resources. The organization has committed an initial $5 million dollars in emergency relief efforts.
Oxygen for India distributes medical oxygen to vulnerable people. The organization is not a registered 501C3, but donations can be made to the group through the global non-profit Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP).
Path is helping test for Covid-19 in India. The group is also helping upgrade India’s oxygen generation and procurement.
Airlink is launching “rapid response” airlifts of humanitarian aid, including oxygen and other PPE and medical supplies, to all corners of India.
Give donations for meals, medication and medical equipment
American India Foundation is taking donations to pay for equipment like hospital beds and medical oxygen.
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) is partnering with other groups to support the coronavirus fight in India. In addition to providing medical equipment and oxygen, the JDC is raising funds to support a telemedicine program for Indian ICU doctors.
The non-profit said donations go toward distributing PPE and providing food and groceries to impoverished families impacted by lockdown efforts.
ChildFund International is urgently prioritizing vaccine efforts for vulnerable children and their families. The organization is also providing food baskets, hygiene kits, and mental health resources.
Global Giving Relief Fund accepts donations used for various relief efforts including vaccine accessibility, sending medical personnel to hard-hit areas and shipping items to vulnerable families in lockdown. The organization also provides mental and emotional resources for frontline workers.
The Hope Foundation is urgently requesting support to respond to the coronavirus crisis in Kolkata. The non-profit said that government hospitals in the region are struggling to meet demands of the second wave. The organization provides multiple ways to give across various price points.
Donors can choose how their dollars can make an impact with options including meals, oxygen, and medication for patients. The organization also offers donation options for as little as 6 dollars, which can provide PPE for hospital staff. Larger contributions of 134 dollars can purchase oxygen cylinders. And for 1,000 dollars you can help purchase cardiac monitors. To browse the various ways you can give, click here.
International Medical Corps Is setting up temporary treatment centers and providing supplies including ventilators, monitors, hygiene products, and PPE.
Mercy Corps sends teams into rural parts of India to educate about the ways coronavirus spreads. They have been working to combat misinformation (rumors the virus was spread by mosquitoes, for instance) and teach people how to protect themselves. Workers even installed loudspeakers on top of vehicles that drove to the most remote tea farms, playing pre-recorded messages on preventative measures. They are also distributing hygiene kits and improving access to clean water and toilets.
OxFam has set up an “Emergency: India in Covid-19 Crisis Fund” to support relief work across 5 Indian states. In addition to medical equipment and PPE, OxFam is providing food and cash to meet direct needs.
Save the Children maintains “India’s COVID-19 Crisis Children’s Relief Fund.” Among its donation options, a 150 dollar contribution can pay for 2 months’ of food for a vulnerable family.
United Way Worldwide is prioritizing health care workers and the most vulnerable people within their relief work. Among the United Way’s Covid-19 response, providing essential items like food, shelter and hygiene kits.
Vibha concentrates its efforts on improving the lives of children. Donors can allocate their money to food and hygiene kits for families or to oxygen concentrators.
To learn how India is fighting a devastating second wave of Covid-19, Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains what went wrong and why it matters to everyone worldwide in this Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction.
CNN’s Impact Your World team will continue to update this list as verified ways to support India in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic become available.
