SOTE HUMANITARIAN APPEAL HITS £50,000!

Dear Supporters,

We are delighted to let you know that the fund has now passed £50,000 including gift aid contributions (£50,469). This amount has far exceeded our expectations and we cannot thank you enough for your generosity.

Every penny of this fund will go to our three partner organisations in Tamil Nadu without any deductions. We have distributed £ 37,471 so far and have commissioned further spending of £10,400 by the end of the year. We are holding the balance for the time being because we expect further hardship because of the virus.

Most of the money has been used to provide food aid especially for vulnerable people such as those who are not entitled to government aid. Money has also been spent on soap, facemasks, and sanitisers. PPE equipment has been provided for all the field workers. We are now also funding school meals and some educational support for our sponsored and other vulnerable children. Schools have been closed since late March and here is no sign of them opening yet. Children have been particularly affected by the shutdown.

CRUSADE Women Self Help Group members, packing pulses for food parcel distribution

Tamil Nadu has been one of the worst infected states and two of our three partners area of operation are still in lockdown. Mercifully, the rate of infection has been low so far compared to the urban areas. However, the prolonged lockdown has impacted severely on employment and therefore income because of the effects of the movement restrictions. Public bus and train service remain shut down and farm owners are finding it difficult to get their produce to markets.

Throughout all this the staff of our partner organisations have been bravely operating as best they can in supporting the several hundred villages that they serve. We have been deeply impressed by their commitment and effectiveness. They have been granted special permission to move around and have received and responded to requests for help from overextended local government agencies. They are working very hard and are most grateful to and motivated by the success of the appeal fund. They send you their profound thanks.

MASARD Staff photographed with Children in Rampura village, receiving their daily cooked meal, in replacement of their missed school dinner.

Thank you again for your support which has helped tens of thousands of people in a situation that is hard for us here to contemplate. The pandemic has not yet peaked in India and our partner organisations are going to need more help in the coming months. We are, therefore, keeping the appeal open.

With very best wishes,

The SOTE team, and NGO’s; MASARD, CRUSADE, and CARE.