There is hardly anyone in the community here whose families or friends back home have not been affected by the pandemic, says a statement by the Indian Crescent Society of Australia
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — The Indian Crescent Society of Australia (ICSOA) has compiled a list of organisations in Australia which are raising funds to help ease the sufferings of people devastated by Covid in India. “As far as we know, they are doing good and honest work,” said Abbas Raza Alvi, President of ICSOA, a federal networking platform for Indian Muslim migrants in Australia.
The ICSOA was formed in 2016 to facilitate Indian Muslims’ integration with mainstream Australians as well as mainstream Indian community in Australia. There are close to 85,000 Indian Muslims in Australia, according to the website of the platform. Following are brief descriptions of the organisations engaged in relief work for the suffering masses in India.
Australian Kashmiri Association (AKA)
AKA just launched a campaign to raise funds for “Help ease CV19 induced suffering in Kashmir cause”. Their goal is to raise $20,000.
https://www.mycause.com.au/p/250803/help-ease-cv19-induced-suffering-in-kashmir
Australian Malayalee Islamic Association (AMIA)
AMIA is fundraising for life-saving ICUs and Oxygen plant for IQRAA Hospital which is in the process of arranging additional ICU/HDU facilities at Kozhikode and Wayanad in Kerala, in addition to the facility at IQRAA Hospital. Also, they are in the process of building an Oxygen plant to treat poor and needy people for free of cost. To accommodate the new project, AMIA has increased the target to $17,500. AMIA NSW is now a registered charity organisation with ACNC, and all the donations are tax-deductible. https://amiansw.org/
AMU Alumni Australia & AMU Alumni Victoria
AMU alumni has appealed for urgent help for providing an oxygen plant at AMU hospital in Aligarh. $150,000 has been raised. Target is $200,000.
https://www.amualumni.org.au/
Gujarati Muslim Association of Australia (GAMAA)
Helping Covid-affected areas (overall India and Gujarat state significantly). Benevolent tasks like medical help, ventilator/BiPAP/oxygen help, food ‘langars’, plasma help and financial help are undertaken by following four organisations in various districts: Ummat Manavta Welfare & Charitable Trust; Baroda Muslim Doctors Association; Shaheen Foundation; and Badmer Muslim Community (rural Covid-affected poor Muslim community in Rajasthan).
GAMAA is collecting Zakaat & Lillah funds to help these four organisations in Gujarat
https://www.gujaratimuslims.org.au/
Human Appeal
https://www.humanappeal.org.au/campaign/an-urgent-call-to-help-our-brothers-sisters-in-india/
Contact www.humanappeal.org.au
Imam Hasan Center Sydney (IHC)
IHC has secured 140 oxygen concentrators to ship to India – each one costs $595 air freighted. All donations are Tax Deductible and DGR receipt issued
https://imamhasanfoundation.org.au/appeals/india-oxygen-concentrator/
Jamia Alumni-VIC
Jamia Alumni initiated this fund-raising campaign to help the underprivileged people with Covid resources in India. They have raised $12,162. Their target is $15,000. Zakat money may also be given.
ICSOA Expresses Solidarity with Covid-hit Countrymen
Meanwhile, the Indian Crescent Society of Australia has expressed its solidarity with the people of India in this hour of health crisis. “Our thoughts are with the people of India and all over the world. Our prayers are for all those who have suffered and departed from this world,” said ICSOA President Abbas Raza Alvi on the eve of Eid wishing happiness to everyone’s families.
In a statement on Wednesday, the ICSOA said that the pandemic continues to threaten millions of lives around the world. There is hardly anyone from the Indian community in Australia whose families or friends have not been affected by Covid. India is facing an unprecedented coronavirus crisis.
The statement notes that medical infrastructure throughout India has collapsed. In spite of the continued denial by the administration, the hospitals throughout the country are facing a critical shortage of oxygen supply, due to which many unnecessary deaths are occurring. India is going through one of the most difficult phases of our time, and the community is in dire need of continued health/medical infrastructure/provision.
The statement further says that during this current Covid time in India where millions are affected, people do not have space for the burials and last rituals for their loved ones; dead bodies are thrown into the river due to lack of wood and money for cremation. Meanwhile, the Indian government is investing US$340 million in the construction of the new parliament, Prime Minister’s house, VP’s house, etc. Rather than devoting time and money to building places of comfort and public show, at this moment, there is a high priority need to invest and raise funds for saving human lives.
“I express my thanks to all those individuals, families, associations, organisations, NGO’s and community bodies who have come forward and raising funds to help ease the present catastrophic climate. Global support and solidarity are more urgent than ever.
“Covid is not dividing humanity into religions or faiths or social-economic status or in borders, as demonstrated by a very few. Enough division of religions, caste, borders has been planned and propagated by few; now this is a time when we should work as a united world family,” ICSOA President Alvi said.
