Ali Kurji, Chief Executive of the Heart of England Co-operative Society
Wednesday, July 07, 2021
The Heart of England Co-operative Society has donated £11,500 towards the fight against Covid in India.
The donation has been put towards an appeal organised by Co-operatives UK in partnership with SEWA (Self Employed Womens’ Association).
Organisers had originally hoped to raise £70,000 through the appeal. The Society’s donation took the monies raised to £100,000 with the final reaching £102,000.
The first £70,000 was used for the purchase of emergency items such as household kits with masks, sanitisers and paracetamol. It was also used towards the purchase of critical supplies such as oxygen and the setting up of helpline to give information and guidance.
The UK Co-operative Movement will work with SEWA to determine how exactly the remaining £32,000 should be spent, to support co-operative business recovery in the medium to long term after the pandemic.
The donation comes as India records almost 30 million cases of the coronavirus and almost 400,000 deaths.
It is the second highest tally of Covid-19 infections in the world, behind only the United States.
Over the past couple of months India has been blighted by a surging death toll as the country was hit by a devastating second wave.
Ali Kurji, Chief Executive of the Heart of England Co-operative Society, said: “The images coming out of India, where patients have struggled to breathe, have been distressing but have thankfully spurred communities across the world to act.
“The Heart of England Co-operative Society is delighted to donate from its purse to help India in its fight against the coronavirus which continues to ravage hospitals and cemeteries alike.”