Friday 15th March 2019 Christchurch, New Zealand
Following the terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand on 15th March 2019 where fifty people were killed, Australian author, speaker and social activist wrote these words.
“Ambulances are queuing up for hours, with seriously ill Covid-19 patients waiting for beds to be admitted. While waiting they are supported with oxygen in the ambulance. Sometimes there is not enough oxygen available.” Paul Sunder Singh from Karunalaya in India writes about the current situation with Covid-19 in the country.
We received the following update via WhatsApp from Paul Sunder Singh yesterday (10th May, 2021) about Karunalaya’s current emergency response to coronavirus in Chennai. We will continue to share updates as we receive them.
Following a very generous donation from a grant-making trust last week, we have been able to send £16,000 of emergency relief to Karunalaya. If you are keen to further support their emergency response, please click here or follow the link at the bottom of the page.
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“We are continuing our frontline support at the Government General Hospital with food and water. 500 packets were distributed today. At this place we get to see the pathetic situations people are going through every day.
Ambulances are queuing up for hours, with seriously ill Covid-19 patients waiting for beds to be admitted. While waiting they are supported with oxygen in the ambulance. Sometimes there is not enough oxygen available. A waiting patient died in the ambulance after waiting for a few hours. One person who came with a patient said, “we were taken in the ambulance in the morning, first they took us to a screening centre then we were sent to this place.
Paul Sunder Singh from Karunalaya, Amos Trust’s partner in India
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Since morning we have been in the ambulance without food, desperately waiting to be called in. While waiting we saw many who succumbed to Covid-19 being stretchered out, some are well-packed in a black colour bag, some are wrapped in a blanket. Those who can pay for the bag are packed in it, others who cannot afford it are wrapped in a blanket.”
One person who came with a patient said, “we were taken in the ambulance in the morning, first they took us to a screening centre then we were sent to this place.”
In Hindu tradition, when a family member dies, rituals are performed before the funeral. For Covid-19 deaths, the body is not handed over to the family, but sent straight to the crematorium. Today a wife who lost her husband was undergoing a ritual at the hospital premises in a corner, so that the departed soul will rest in peace.
In the wards where Covid-19 patients are treated, one family member is permitted to help the patient and attend to their needs. These attending members suffer without food and water. They started looking for our food packets and are grateful to receive it. One said “I keep this pack of food for the night as we do not get anything for dinner.” One said “can I give this to the patient too as he has not eaten since afternoon.”
While distributing food packets, the ambulance drivers came to us and asked for food and water. They said that they have no time to eat and at night when we reach the hospital it is very late and they cannot find food and water. One driver insisted that we gave food and water to them too.
One said “I keep this pack of food for the night as we do not get anything for dinner.” One said “can I give this to the patient too as he has not eaten since afternoon.”
[Our team is] very sad, we meet every time we complete distribution and talk about our experiences and share our concerns. Then we decide what to do for the next day. My wife Bakiyam is in the lead, cooking the food and making sure everything is done well in time. Our team packed, took the food to the hospital and distributed. Our big boys also gave a helping hand happily.”
Paul Sunder Singh
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To support Karunalaya’s emergency efforts, please visit amostrust.org/karunalaya where you can make a donation.
Thank you.
Welcome to the first On Her Terms update of 2019. This year marks 30 years since the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This landmark in children’s rights has remained a hugely important reference point for those working for justice for children and young people.
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18-year-old Millie Rose, who first visited Nicaragua in 2015, is spending 4 months working in CEPAD’s office before starting an International Development course at University. We asked her to share a little about her impressions of CEPAD’s work — particularly after the recent flooding and unrest.
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“The idea was beautiful and crazy. The logistics alone would be an organisational nightmare. The risk assessment would run for pages. It would be a five-month, 3,300 kilometres trek across eleven countries with mountains, rivers and seas to navigate. And then there was no guarantee that the walkers would even be allowed to cross the border into the occupied West Bank, let alone reach Jerusalem.” Amos trustee Robert Cohen writes the forword for ‘Walking To Jerusalem’ – Justin Butcher’s book about his experience of walking from London to Jerusalem as part of Amos Trust’s ‘Just Walk To Jerusalem’ project in 2017.
Amos Trust
7 Bell Yard, London
United Kingdom
WC2A 2JR
Telephone:
+44 (0) 203 725 3493
Email:
[email protected]
Registered Charity No.
1164234
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