Credit: AEIN

Luxembourg NGO "Aide à l'Enfance de l'Inde et du Népal" (AEIN) has launched a call for donations to help the most affected victims of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in India and Nepal.

In a statement released today, the AEIN explained that the COVID-19 pandemic and current lockdown has hit marginalised and poor people in India and Nepal very hard. Low-income workers who depend on a minimum daily wage to survive have been driven to starvation, as the lockdown has forced businesses and their income-sources to shut down. Children, who depend on free or subsidised meals at schools have been going hungry, as their parents who can no longer work are unable to provide them with their basic nutrition needs.

It is in this context that the AEIN, which has been carrying out development work in India and Nepal for over 50 years, have focussed their efforts on supporting those who have been worst-hit by the coronavirus crisis in these two countries.

The non-profit is working with eighteen partners in seven Indian states and eight districts in Nepal to provide those severely impacted with the means to be healthy and financially secure during this difficult situation. Their initiatives include: 

  • Providing food and rations for children, women and families without an income 
  • Raising awareness on social distancing and good hand hygiene in villages and through a radio programme in local languages
  • Distribution of hand soap, masks, gloves and hand sanitiser to families and personal protective equipment (PPE) to health centres
  • Organising psycho-social counselling sessions in safe houses and through phone lines 
  • Assisting poor farmers with their harvest activities and in the transportation of their produce 
  • Distributing seed, animal fodder and drinking water to poor farmers 

Within days of receiving the first news from the field, the AEIN decided to commit €75,000 to assist with the most urgent needs. The NGO confirmed that it is now in contact with Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs to explore further funding avenues to continue supporting these communities in the aftermath of the lockdown.

Anyone wishing to support these efforts can make a donation via bank transfer to the account CCPL LU03 1111 0367 5084 0000, with the reference "Covid-19".

For further details, contact AEIN via email: info@aein.lu.