Urgent Appeal

May 5, 2020

11421 comments

News

Dear AIS member,

It has been some time since I have used the contact list of the Amroha International Society, outside of updates of our activities, as I felt we had raised sufficient funds to run our various eye clinics, cleaning events and educational scholarships and wanted to focus on running these activities rather than raising more money – which, to be honest, is quite tiring!

Sadly, the plight of many in my home town of Amroha has become dire over the last few weeks due to the severe India-wide lockdown. Indeed, it has been brought to my attention that there are people in Amroha who are now dying of hunger and malnourishment as their sources of income have completely disappeared since the lockdown began. The scale of the need has exhausted local charities and there are no adequate government support schemes to help. This is not typical for Amroha which is situated in the middle of an agriculture producing region but highlights the scale of impact across the country.

The lockdown has been extended until the end of May and there are real concerns that more could die of starvation over this period and this is assuming that the lockdown is not extended further. Hence, I have decided to use some of our existing funds to provide emergency food rations to those in most need for the next two weeks until the lockdown eases and people can start returning to work. Each food parcel costs Rs,500 (A$10/US$6.50), and can feed a family unit for a week. Below is a photo of the first lot of parcels that we sent.

It is true that the sheer scale of the problem in India, as with almost everywhere in the world currently, makes any single effort seem inconsequential. However, I have always believed that even if I can help 1 person then that effort has been worth it. At this difficult time, there are many worthy charities doing great work locally and around the world and I am sure that many of you are helping which is wonderful. However, should you wish to donate to this particular mission to provide food parcels in Amroha then I can assure that you are saving some people from starvation. Having founded and run AIS for over two decades (and working previously at Save the Children, Oxfam and Freedom from Hunger), I make sure that every cent of your donation goes into the cause as I personally cover all administrative and other expences and we deliver all programs through with the same small circle of local groups and individuals with whom I have worked for over two decades. Please view information about my charity at:
www.amrohainternationalsociety.com
Our charity is registered in Australia with the ACNC – ABN: 53349312121.

You can donate in the following ways:

1. PayPal on Amroha International Society_Donation (AUD)

2. Bank Transfer: to the Amroha International Society CBA account (BSB: 067105 Account Number: 10253899).

3. Send a cheque in the name of the “Amroha International Society” by post to me at 295 Tinderbox Road, Tinderbox 7054.

Please keep well

Ikram( Ike) Naqvi