In Dark Times, Your Kindness Gave Hope To Millions
In the darkest of times, we always find a light. In this difficult year, you were the light for millions of people. As massive job losses, business closures, and lockdowns swept the world, we were all thrown into a new ‘normal’. This complete unsettling of life did have one silver lining though — it brought us together. After all, we’ve all suffered in one way or another, big or small, this year.
According to reports, charitable giving increased by 7.5% in the first half of 2020 and this trend has been sustained even as the year draws to a close.
At Donatekart, we’d like to show you just how much of an impact you have created with your generous donations.
Here’s a glimpse of how the country came together in 2020:
1. You’ve been there for the daily wage workers
Daily wage labourers were hit the hardest by the pandemic. While many lost their livelihood, most didn’t have any savings or exhausted them, and we saw migrant workers brave a 900 km march back to their home because of the nationwide lockdown.
But, you didn’t let them go helpless. Thousands of people stepped up and we received donations worth a whopping Rs. 2,68,52,034 which went towards providing the daily wage labourers and their families with groceries and essentials. Thanks to your contributions, countless daily wage labourers have been able to survive these trying times. Your donations reached every corner of India, from Delhi to Tamil Nadu, Gujarat to the north-east.
This campaign has climbed the charts to grab the second position on our most-donated campaigns list of 2020. The impact created is immeasurable; beyond just essentials, you have given people hope and strength.
2. You ensured that Dabbawallas didn’t go hungry
The Dabbawalas of Mumbai are an iconic part of the city. For generations, they’ve pedalled through the city to deliver thousands of lunch boxes, in any season without fail and without error. The lockdown completely shattered their lives. But they weren’t alone- thousands of donors stepped in and decided that this time, we will care for the Dabbawalas. This massive effort saw Rs. 2,54,50075 worth of grocery kits provided to Dabbawalas and their families. And with that, you’ve made this campaign the 3rd most donated campaign of 2020.
Team Making The Difference even reached Pune, where most of the Dabbawalas were residing during the lockdown, to personally deliver the grocery kits!
3. You extended your compassion to helpless, stray animals
Stray animals like dogs, cats, and even cows have always depended on people being around to feed them. But with everyone at home and no one stepping out, these animals had no one to look out for them. Most were left to starve on the streets, alone and scared. Again, in dark times, it is our duty to be beacons of light and this is exactly what thousands of donors did for these defenceless animals. You helped over 10 NGOs across cities like Bengaluru, Delhi, Jalandhar, Agra, and Hyderabad feed stray animals with nutritious meals.
Your love has not only touched their hearts but changed their lives for the better.
When it came to caring for stray cows, Satyam Shivam Sundaram gaushala’s campaign has emerged to be our most-donated campaign of the year raising Rs. 4,13,84624 worth of fresh fodder. These cows had been rescued from slaughterhouses and the streets but since the lockdown, caring for them was an uphill task until donors stepped in to help.
4. You ensured that no one was left unprotected- especially the elderly
The elderly were at a high risk this year due to the Coronavirus. It was of utmost importance to keep them safe and healthy and our donors didn’t disappoint. The campaign for DAVO shelter home raised a staggering Rs. 2,05,66433 worth of food and sanitation kits that were distributed to over 200 homeless and frail elderly people in this shelter home run by Mr Dev Giri Goswami.
One of our other top-performing campaigns this year was for another elderly shelter home called Second Chance Trust run by Jasper Paul. Our donors raised Rs. 76,88,546 worth of groceries that were then provided to the helpless elders in this shelter home. Many of these older people have been abandoned by their families. but you ensured that they were never alone in their struggles.
5. Your support brought the Sadhus and widows out of the shadows
Varanasi is one of the oldest and holiest pilgrimage places in India. For centuries, sadhus and widows have flocked to this holy city to live out their lives. They depend entirely on the kindness of donations but with the pandemic, there was an abrupt and complete halt to this. Left penniless and often homeless, the situation seemed bleak. Here too, our donors came forward to extend a helping hand. Umeed Ki Kiran Foundation raised Rs. 1,56,04926 worth of grocery kits for the Sadhus. For months now, they’ve been feeding the Sadhus across Varanasi ghats.
This generosity reached the lives of widowed women in Vrindavan as well. During Janmashtami and Radhashtami, your donations fed over 6000 widows across the city. International Gaudiya Vedanta Trust kept serving these women with grocery kits even after the festivals were over. This was possible only because of your support. Once again, we ensured that no one was left alone in these difficult days.
6. Festivals were muted but never silenced.
The festival season this year was vastly different- quieter, emptier, and lonelier. Artisans and idol-makers who rely on this time to make a majority of their yearly earnings were left in the lurch. Many questioned if they would be able to make any sales at all, and how would they support their families then? You heard their appeals and ensured that festivals would remain happy for all and helped the Making The Difference team raise Rs. 59,63,125 worth of grocery kits. Here’s a detailed account of how our donor family changed their lives:
Kindness goes a long way, indeed.
7. The children are our future- and you ensured they were safe this year
Snehalaya is a safe space for hundreds of HIV+ children. These children needed extra protection this year- with poor immunity, they were at very high risk of severe Covid infection. They urgently needed PPE kits and other hygiene essentials. Our generous donors heard their call and enabled Girish Kulkarni to provide 3 healthy meals every day for 350 women and kids along with hygiene products to prevent viral spread. The impact of this kindness is immense. Thanks to our donors, these underprivileged women and children have been kept healthy and safe, with hope for better days ahead.
As the harsh winter dawned on us, we turned our attention towards homeless and abandoned children. Living on the streets, these kids barely have clothes to cover them, let alone warm clothes or blankets. They live and sleep in the shivering cold with no protection. They fall sick very often, have sleepless nights, and end up catching deadly diseases. You stepped up to help NGOs like Voice of Slum, Asha Kuteer, Sphoorti Foundation, etc. across cities in India that reached out to these poor children to keep them warm. Truly, no one was left behind.
8. You made the world a better place for the transgender community
Transgender people are among the most marginalised and disenfranchised people in our society. They are deprived of basic human rights, ostracised, harassed, and treated with hatred and contempt. The lockdown only amplified their suffering- many lost their jobs, many were evicted onto the streets, and almost all saw their lives descend into turmoil. In this time of trouble, you stood behind them and supported the eminent transgender rights activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi and fed thousands of transgender people. Your love and support for them reached every corner of the country.
Society has been cruel and unfair to transgender people but you helped them continue their fight for a dignified life.
Changing the world doesn’t happen suddenly. It takes sustained effort and countless small acts of kindness like what you have done for those in need this year. Even in these dark times, you have shown that humanity, kindness, and compassion can move mountains. No disaster, no obstacles, no misfortune can match the outpouring of support and generosity we have seen from donors this year. Thank you for making the world a kinder place, one donation at a time!
