PROJECT COMPLETED
Our local partners activated a network of churches across India to bring COVID-19 relief to families seeking immediate healthcare and grief counseling as the country experienced a second wave of cases.
In May of 2021, India experienced a surging second wave of COVID-19 infections, with hundreds of thousands of new cases and more than 3,000 deaths per day. The volume of cases overwhelmed healthcare systems and left hospitals and clinics with a shortage of beds, oxygen, and medicine. Across India, there was an atmosphere of panic and heartbreak as many families watch loved ones succumb to the virus. Since the start of the pandemic, India tracked more than 27 million cases of the coronavirus— though many public health experts believe this number was even larger.
THE PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION
The devastation caused by COVID-19 in this country has been overwhelming. Not only did the people of India suffer physically and economically, the uncertainty and panic also took an emotional toll. To tackle the ramifications of the crisis, our local partners activated their network of churches across India to care for their local communities, bringing about tangible, large-scale relief.
OUR PLAN
Our partners assisted families with limited access to healthcare by establishing makeshift care facilities with oxygen, medical care, and isolation and recovery units. To build immunity, they also distributed COVID-19 vaccines and provided transportation to vaccination sites.
For those with loved ones who were suffering or passed away from COVID-19, the local church also established a prayer helpline to provide support in a safe and attentive manner. In addition to grief and trauma counseling, they also cared for children whose parents contracted COVID-19.
Finally, to further prevent infections, our partners also assembled and distributed food, water, and preventive care packages filled with masks, sanitizer, thermometers, soap, supplements, and other items. Ultimately, the plan aimed to be holistic in nature, addressing preventative, curative, supportive, and redemptive care aspects of the COVID-19 surge.
DESIRED IMPACT
The goal of this relief project was to help restore health and hope to communities in India as the country persevered through the second wave of coronavirus cases. Although the impacts of the pandemic are far-reaching, this was a critical moment for the local church to be God’s vessel to serve these communities. Our ultimate desire was for God to be glorified and for new believers to come to faith through the loving care they received.
OUR IMPACT
- Preventative care packages were distributed to 3,243 people.
- Hundreds of people were prayed for through the trauma counseling and prayer helpline.