In just a few months the pandemic has changed everyone’s lives, in some cases lightly, in others, unfortunately, in a very painful and upsetting way. For the first time in history, an emergency has struck the entire planet and humanity has been forced to face its vulnerability, brought to its knees by a virus.
The work of ASIA has also been affected by the coronavirus. Not only because we all found ourselves working from home, in Rome, in Kathmandu, from Xining to Ulaanbaatar, but above all because we found ourselves facing a totally new emergency situation, which hit us Italians first and foremost.
And so, after the first days of reflection during which we asked ourselves how we could help in these complicated circumstances, we planned our intervention in two directions: that of the Asian continent where we have been engaged for over 30 years, and that of the country where ASIA was born and where it has its headquarters, Italy. Here we distributed oximeters, headgear, and protective glasses to the Santa Corona of Pietra Ligure hospital, and we are continuing to raise funds in collaboration with the Bonomo Gallery, which launched the May Italian Art initiative, a charity sale of works by 15 Italian artists, extended until the end of June (asia-ngo.org/italianart). With the proceeds of the sale we are contributing to the research on rare forms of the neurological effects of the Covid-19 being carried out at the Santa Corona Hospital and, together with the Maestri di Strada association, we are helping the most disadvantaged young people in the suburbs of Naples with the distribution of “Parcels of provisions for the mind“, which contain teaching materials, stationery, and tablets.
In Myanmar and Nepal the situation is very different. In both these countries, the health system is extremely fragile and their governments are not prepared to deal with the dramatic consequences of the pandemic.
In Myanmar we started a prevention activity against the spread of the virus among the population of the rural area of Chin, we distributed 10,000 masks and 5,000 pairs of gloves, and we are continuing to provide other safety materials to hospitals and health centers.
In Nepal we are intervening on several fronts: prevention and social emergency. Here, unfortunately, if on one hand the cases of Covid are increasing every day and the count of victims begins to assume alarming proportions, on the other there is a serious social emergency going on. The population, very poor, already exhausted by 11 years of civil war and by the 2015 earthquake, has been in lockdown since March 19 and has no means of livelihood.
In these days we have launched a fundraising campaign to respond to the request for help that we received from the Manasarovar School, which since 1999 has offered primary education to Tibetan children living in the Boudhanath district of Kathmandu and is an important reference point for families in this area.
The two people in charge of the school, Tsultrim Sangmo and Bhijaya Khanal, are very concerned about the serious consequences of Covid-19 that will go well beyond the end of the pandemic and turned to ASIA, which supports the school with the distance support project (adoptibet.org).
“We know that, in any crisis, children and the most vulnerable suffer disproportionately” – they told us – “and this pandemic is no different. It is our responsibility to prevent suffering, save human lives and protect the health of every child. We must also ensure that all safety measures are guaranteed within the school.”
In addition to the investments that will be needed to reopen the school – which has 550 students and 34 school staff members – what worries Tsultrim and Bhijaya is the serious food crisis that has affected the families of the students. To date, 106 families have no means of purchasing the food necessary to feed their children and have turned to the school for help.
We know that the pandemic has affected everyone, both from a health and an economic point of view, but we also know that there are people who have extremely difficult living conditions for which our help can really make a difference.
For this reason we ask you to contribute and help us spread the fundraising campaign to support the school and the families of Manasarovar. You can find all the information on
CHOOSE YOUR DONATION
– Bank Transfer
Beneficiary: ASIA onlus IBAN: IT31L0521603225000000013004
SWIFT BIC: BPCVIT2S
Currency: EUR
Bank Name: Credito Valtellinese
– Credit Card and Paypal https://asia-ngo.org/en/what-you-can-do/donate/
Reason of payment: Covid 19 Manasarovar School
* Tax deduction is possible for donors paying through ASIA’s offices in their countries according to national tax laws (USA, France, Germany).
