Habitat for Humanity Great Britain, a charity focused on long-term poverty alleviation through affordable social housing, has received funding from M&G, a leading savings and investment company, to deliver an urgently needed COVID-19 medical centre in the Maharashtra region of India. The funding is part of the wider India COVID-19 Emergency Appeal launched by Habitat for Humanity GB to help with the situation currently taking place across the country.
The funding will enable the charity to create a Habitat COVID-19 Care Centre with 150 much-needed beds. On the ground, and in partnership with local government providers, Habitat for Humanity India is working to deliver ‘COVID-19 Care Centres’ to equip underused healthcare or government buildings to significantly increase the capacity of:
- Oxygen systems,
- Drinking water,
- Hygiene facilities,
- Beds and mattresses
- PPE for healthcare workers
Habitat COVID-19 Care Centres will boost existing medical infrastructure and support vulnerable individuals to isolate or quarantine, keeping families safe and preventing transmission. The facilities are designed to help alleviate some of the extreme stresses that are being placed on healthcare systems across India, especially at an intensive care level.
Tum Kazunga, CEO at Habitat for Humanity Great Britain, said: “We are deeply saddened by the situation currently unfolding across India. With a daily surge of hundreds of thousands of new cases, existing facilities are being overrun without enough beds, staff or equipment to look after everyone. With our urgent appeal, we aim to boost current capacity to help alleviate the pressure that ICUs and hospitals are facing. Our thoughts are with the families and communities that are currently suffering from this disease and its impact.”
Jane Rawnsley, Group Head of Corporate Responsibility at M&G plc, added: “At M&G, we are committed to helping communities across the world throughout the pandemic. We have provided funding to several national and international emergency appeals so far and are supporting charities which are providing frontline services across the globe. The UK Government has already committed to delivering vital supplies to India and we are supporting Habitat for Humanity GB’s India COVID-19 Emergency Appeal to help establish Covid care centres in some of the worst hit regions in India.”
