EFI Covid Relief Update September 2021
Greetings from the Evangelical Fellowship of India,
The world is still dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. There have been fresh outbreaks in nations where the virus was thought to be under control. The world has lost over 4,700,000 people to the disease and the countdown goes on every day.
India remains second in the chart behind the United States of America and even though the daily cases are coming down, people are still grappling with the disease and with the circumstances that come along with it, especially poverty, unemployment, hunger, and mental and emotional trauma.
India witnessed one of the sharpest drops in GDP growth rate among emerging economies due to the Covid-19 pandemic. India, which was already suffering with economic inequality is expected to rise further in this disparity. Poverty doubled in India in 2020 and most of the burden of this economic contraction was borne by the poor.
EFI believes that we must bring hope in these circumstances through relief, trauma care and other initiatives. So far, with the help of kind and generous supporters like you we have been able to reach out to over 4100 families i.e., over 20500 beneficiaries with much needed food kits that can sustain them for over 3 weeks.
Our food relief activity is expected to go on till the end of October and we hope to reach over 6000 families.
Please find below some of the stories of people in whose lives your giving was able to make a difference. Thank you for enabling us to serve the poor, marginalized and needy.
Please continue to support us as we plan to reach more families with the much-needed food supplies, especially during the festive season.
May God bless you richly,
Rev. Vijayesh Lal
General Secretary
Stories of Hope
Manish Kumar, Punjab
Manish Kumar from Saharanpur district, moved to Ludhiana five years ago. Having lost his mother last year and father, this year, he lives with his wife and younger brother in Ludhiana. He came to Ludhiana for better prospects and started a food stall. The small-scale business was doing good, however he had to shut the stall due to the pandemic.
To make the ends meet, he started working as a daily wage labour but due to the closure of all activities, there was not much work. It was getting difficult for him to manage the grocery for themselves, it was then that he got to know about the EFI Relief activity. He reached out for help and was provided with a ration kit which will last for 3-4 weeks.
Manish was very happy and thankful to receive the grocery kit.
Achma Sam, Delhi
Achma Sam lives with her husband and 2 children in Dilshad Colony, Delhi and works as a nurse at a private clinic.
During the second wave of Covid, her husband and a child contracted covid19, as a result, she had to take leave and tend to them. Subsequently, she also contracted covid19 and this led to her being away from work for more than a month. Moreover, as her husband was covid positive, he also could not attend work for a month. Due to this the couple did not receive salary for more than a month. It became very difficult for them to ensure that the children had enough to eat and did not go hungry.
Through a local relief volunteer of EFI, Achma came to know about EFI’s COVID relief scheme and she requested help. The family was provided with a relief kit with essential items of dry ration which will sustain the family for 3-4 weeks.
She was full of gratefulness for the timely help provided by EFI.
Mrs. Hrangneikim, Manipur
Mrs. Hrangneikim lives in Manipur. Her husband passed away in February 2010 and her son who was married, also passed away in 2017 leaving behind his wife and four children. Her daughter works with a private school and with the little income, they take care of the seven-member family.
However, due to this pandemic, the schools are closed, and her daughter is receiving minimum pay because classes are going online.
She is very grateful to EFI for this relief, which help her family with proper food for 2-3 weeks. “She expressed her heartfelt gratitude for the timely help received.”
Sweety Scot, Delhi
Sweety Scot is a tutor in a local tuition centre teaching students below 8th grade and a resident of Rohtash Nagar in Delhi. She lives with her husband and a son. Until a year back, her husband was working as a driver but due to undergoing a medical operation, he could not continue with the work.
Because of the lockdown enforced by the government due to COVID19 pandemic outbreak and surging number of cases, her tuition centre had to be closed, leaving Sweety without a Job.
Through local relief volunteer of EFI, Sweety found out about EFI’s COVID relief scheme and was provided with a relief kit with essential items of dry ration. The ration kit could sustain her family for three weeks.
Please donate generously using the following details for contributions from India only:
Account Name: Evangelical Fellowship of India
Account Number: 909844182
Bank: Indian Bank, Nehru Place, New Delhi-110019
IFSC: IDIB000N044
For Indian Donors: Please mention covid relief or general donation in your transaction. Please also send us your PAN Card details, your email address, phone number, as well as a screenshot of your transaction (if possible) at this email: donate@efionline.org You can also visit us at https://efionline.org/get-involved/give to give via Credit / Debit Cards, UPI, QR Code, Wallets etc. For Contributions from United States and Switzerland, please click BELOW to donate. Your contribution will have tax benefits.
For Contributions that are not from India, United States or Switzerland please contact us at donate@efionline.org