The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the healthcare system in India severely. Many Indians are navigating a strained healthcare system, along with extended lockdowns leading to business closures and job losses impacting their livelihoods.
The second wave has abated in recent weeks with collaborative efforts by the frontline healthcare community, government, NGOs and corporates; all playing their part in ensuring a quick recovery.
To support vulnerable communities most impacted by COVID-19, Experian, the world’s leading global information services company, rallied together in a global employee fundraising drive.
The fundraising drive resulted in INR 5.5 crores being raised for communities impacted by COVID-19 and various non-government organisations (NGOs) that are helping vulnerable communities navigate the pandemic. Experian also matched the employee fundraiser with a corporate donation.
Neeraj Dhawan, Managing Director, Experian India, said: “At Experian, we have a mission to create a better tomorrow. Throughout the pandemic, Experian adopted a ‘people first’ approach – by supporting communities, empowering consumers, protecting employees, and enabling individuals and businesses to get easier access to credit. We partnered with NGOs to reach affected communities across the country. To alleviate their anxiety in managing their finances during these times, we are offering consumers free and unlimited Experian credit report downloads to check their Experian credit scores and better manage their financial health. We are also providing various forms of support for our employees, including a dedicated Employee Relief Fund for medical and other emergencies, and recently conducted vaccination drives for them and their families.”
Experian’s two-pronged approach to support India’s recovery includes:
Supporting vulnerable communities in India
Experian has been working with several frontline NGOs for COVID-19 related support activities. These non-profit organisations have been identified to ensure Experian supports the most vulnerable populations end-to-end – from providing masks as a first step, to supplying emergency oxygen support and adding beds in hospitals, to ensuring financial stability and security for lower-income families in the longer-term.
UNICEF
Experian has partnered with UNICEF to provide critical medical supplies to patients as part of their US$21 million plan to help build 40 oxygen generation plants, supply 3,000 oxygen concentrators, 300 RT-PCR machines and 100 RNA extraction machines.
Give India
Collaborating with Give India to provide life-saving equipment for hospitals at Narkhed, Nagpur and rural districts in West Bengal including Nadia, Bardhaman, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Hooghly.
KVN Foundation
Working with KVN Foundation in its “Mission Million Air” initiative to provide 1,600 oxygen concentrators as emergency oxygen to patients.
Nirmaan
Supplying Home Isolation Kits to 1,000 underprivileged families.
Goonj
Providing dry rations, toiletries, and other household essentials to over 800 lower income populations.
Srujna Charitable Trust
Distributing masks and sanitation kits to over 10,000 people across Mumbai slums, assist COVID-19 patients with medicine, groceries and sanitary kits to over 2000 families, and empower women with livelihood opportunities by making masks.
Sri Chaitanya Seva Trust
Supplying ventilators, defibrillators, ECG, monitors, oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators and medicine to people in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh.
Education for Employability Foundation
This is a part of the Rapid Rural Community Response to COVID-19 (RRCR) mission to manage Village Isolation Centres (VIC) for three months by providing medical supplies, home isolation kits, transport for critically ill patients, training and tele-medicine consultations across three blocks in Uttar Pradesh.
PRADAN
Working with PRADAN (Professional Assistance for Development Action) to minimise the spread of COVID-19 in the rural areas of Abu Road and Pindwara blocks of Sirohi district, Rajasthan, providing relief to frontline workers and COVID-19-affected families.
Sudhir Sahni, Director (Partnerships), PRADAN, said, “COVID-19 has been a massive challenge, especially the second wave, for the poor and marginalised communities that we work with to enhance their livelihoods and alleviate poverty. We are extremely grateful for the support received from Experian, which has been over and above our regular project funds, despite PRADAN being a recent partner for Experian for community development work.”
Strengthening consumers’ financial health during the pandemic
The pandemic has caused financial hardship for a large portion of India’s population. Experian India is empowering consumers by providing free, unlimited credit reports. Individuals can check their Experian credit score for free via Experian India’s website to track their financial statuses and alleviate any anxieties arising from changes in their financial situation.
At Experian, we believe that financial health plays a critical role in enabling access to credit, which opens the door to opportunities for people to transform their lives, the company said.