This piece is shared as part of Pledge 1%’s #GivingTuesdayNow campaign, which highlights how Pledge 1% members and the business community are coming together as a force for good to combat COVID-19.
The rapid spread of the novel COVID-19 has created an atmosphere of uncertainty for all of us. Reports from across India have solidified the grave impact that this pandemic has had on vulnerable communities. Large-scale migration of workers and laborers back to their villages and increasing reports of violence against women has increased challenges for communities across the country.
As a grant-making organization, EdelGive Foundation‘s first response was to ensure that our 43 NGO partners spread across 14 states are safe and able to cope with the situation. Our endeavor from the beginning was to ensure that their work with marginalized and vulnerable communities in some of the most remote locations of India, is not hampered. In the span of 3 weeks of the declaration of the lockdown, we were able to influence over INR 3 crore to support these organizations. We have also committed INR 10 crore for the first quarter to our NGO partners.
Simultaneously, we continued to reach out to the larger philanthropic ecosystem, connecting them to initiatives that were aiding poor, displaced and vulnerable communities. We understood early on that the need of the hour was to collectivize our efforts; being strategic, but timely with our funding; and ensuring we are leveraging our networks at both ends (funders and NGOs) optimally. This also paved way for the formation of the ‘Common Charter for Indian Donors and Philanthropic Community’, which EdelGive is Founding Signatory too. Vidya Shah, CEO, EdelGive Foundation along with Rohini Nilekani, Founder and Chairperson of Arghyam; Rishad Premji, Chairman, Wipro Limited; Amitabh Behar, CEO, Oxfam India and Ford Foundation, have developed and signed this charter, pledging support to their civil society partners, by introducing flexibilities and undertaking measures in their grant-making and monitoring mechanisms.
Through this engagement, we were also determined to share our learnings from our partners on the ground to others within the sector. We highlighted these learnings in two pieces, one titled, ‘How to approach your funding during COVID-19’, written by our COO, Naghma Mulla and published in India Development Review which explores the ways in which funders can be more empathetic and strategic when dealing with NGO partners; the second titled, ‘Will women bear the brunt of COVID-19’, written by our CEO, Vidya Shah which explores the increasing cases of domestic violence against women and the need for our relief initiatives to adopt a gendered approach.
Through all our initiatives, Edelweiss Group has continued to be our largest support system. Additionally, Edelweiss has contributed INR 2 crore to the PM-Cares fund and INR 50 lakh to the Chief Minister Relief Fund in Maharashtra respectively. Employees across Edelweiss have also been able to come together and raise over INR 12 lakh for our NGO partners in providing relief to over 35,000 families from vulnerable communities with cash transfers, food grains, and safety equipment. Individually, our employees are also doing their small bit towards helping those in need by providing financial aid to their house help and security guards, supporting senior citizens and participating in community kitchen activities.
Even with the unending challenges, we believe this pandemic has also given us a rare opportunity to stand in solidarity with each other. It has reflected the human spirit of giving, which shines through in these times and is a strong catalyst for change.
“As governments, businesses and civil society continue to play their respective parts in this crisis, there is also a lot we can individually do to support these communities in their time of need. Be it financial contributions, support to our house-help, or just leveraging our networks to spread useful information forward – all are small steps that will go a long way in curbing this situation.” – Vidya Shah, CEO, EdelGive Foundation
“By no means, is this an easy time for governments or civil society; there are too many complex, inter-related health, economic and humanitarian challenges. However, I do believe that Including a women-centric response to the crisis by supporting civil society organizations with knowledge and expertise will lead to a better-gendered approach to the crisis.” – Vidya Shah, CEO, EdelGive Foundation
“While large commitments to manufacturing masks and sourcing ventilators are welcome—and much needed, we (funders) also need to think about those who are on the brink of vulnerability to the virus and struggling with hunger and homelessness. Rehabilitation would ensure that the homeless, hungry, and jobless get self-employed or re-employed and have access to food and income security. Thus, large funders should set aside some of their energies and funds for the longer haul.” – Naghma Mulla, COO, EdelGive Foundation
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