Crowdfunding on rise: Covid patients breathing a sigh of relief

New Delhi In this hour of need, individuals and organisations are looking at breathing a ray of new hope in the Covid-19 battle through crowdfunding campaigns. Milaap, a crowdfunding platform witnessed hundreds of people embracing crowdfunding to give/receive help during a crisis. Last year, during this time, when the pandemic had set in, Milaap witnessed a three-fold increase in the number of campaigns. The outpouring of global solidarity and the response has resulted in raising a whopping Rs 139 crore for Covid-19 causes from 3.5 lakh donors, Milaap said. The donors varied from individuals to CSR projects.

It has now announced partnership with Amazon.in to crowdfund and raise financial aid to support Swasth Digital Health Foundation and ACT Grants's mission to procure oxygen concentrators.

The partnership with Amazon which went live on May 2 has already raised close to Rs 50 lakh within opening hours which will benefit close to 1,00,000 people. "Amazon users can either donate by clicking on the banners that have been added to the Amazon application and website or by visiting the fundraiser page on Milaap: milaap.org/amazon," a statement said.

"Swasth Alliance and ACT Grants are mapping demand for oxygen concentrators across the country and then supplying them at scale to hospitals and care homes. Over 16,000 donors have already supported this initiative to procure oxygen concentrators. The fundraiser has so far raised over Rs 9 crore. Our partnership with Amazon has undoubtedly strengthened our mission to provide timely assistance for the supplies needed on ground," says Anoj Viswanathan, co-founder and president, Milaap.

"Covid-19 has impacted India in unimaginable ways. We are touched by the numerous requests from those concerned about how to support during these trying times. We are supporting this crowdfunded initiative to enable all of us to make a real difference on the ground through generous contributions. We stand firmly with the country, and continue to explore every meaningful way to help," shares Amit Agarwal, Global SVP and Country Head, Amazon India.

In 2020, the preliminary purpose of fundraising was for food, meals and ration, followed by funds for medical and personal protective equipment for healthcare and other frontline workers. This year, there is an overwhelming demand for procurement of oxygen supply.

"The process of distribution of oxygen concentrators will be transparent and published in the public domain so every donor can see the impact it has created. The effort has already secured 10,000 oxygen concentrators for immediate deployment and is currently raising funds to procure more," the statement said.