RITU JHA
The non-profit organization Give India has been associating with several Indian and international celebrities recently to raise funds for Covid-19 relief in India.
TiE Silicon Valley and TiE Global have joined on the bandwagon to help raise support through the The Ind-US Entrepreneurs fraternity.
They are now attempting to raise $1 million through a virtual fundraiser that will stream simultaneously across Facebook, Instagram and YouTube as well as at the TiEcon 2021 virtual conference.
The virtual event, I Breathe for India: Covid Crisis Relief, will stream on Sunday, May 9, from 6pm to 8pm IST, TiE Silicon Valley president AGK Karunakaran told indica News. It would be live at TiEcon as well on May 8.
Karunakaran urged all the TiEcon attendees and members to pledge to support the cause.
“The Covid crises are affecting everyone in India and worldwide we need to support,” he said. “We can apply an entrepreneurial mindset to solving some of the ground problems, and people are coming in with innovative solutions for ventilators techniques and distribution.”
Also, he stressed, “we just need to keep saying again and again to follow Covid safety guidelines.”
All funds raised will go towards procurement and distribution of medical supplies including oxygen concentrators, oxygen cylinders, oximeters, ventilators and ICU beds and oxygen plants. These will be distributed through the government, directly to verified hospitals and through verified on-ground NGOs, Karunakaran said.
He said that through the fundraiser, they are partnering with artists, sportspersons, corporates and philanthropists of both Indian origins as well as global personalities.
Supporting the cause are celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, AR Rahman, Anupam Kher, Anil Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Karan Johar, Shekhar Kapur, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishab Pant, Sania Mirza, Rana Daggubati, Samantha Akkineni, Lara Dutta, Mahesh Bhupathi and Boman Irani, among others.
They will also be providing direct cash support (Rs 30,000 per family) via verified NGOs for those affected by the Covid-19 crisis and loss of primary bread winners.
As a key event donor, to support every rupee donated, TIE Global will match every rupee raised up to $1million.
