Indiaspora participates in U.S. State Department discussion on diaspora response to India's COVID-19 pandemic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Following a message from Vice President Harris thanking the Indian diaspora, Indiaspora participated in a State Department-hosted discussion on the diaspora response to the COVID-19 pandemic in India

Indiaspora Founder MR Rangaswami discussed strong American response through giving and their ChaloGive campaign

PRESS RELEASE

San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC  — May 7, 2021  — Following remarks from Vice President Harris on the United States’ strong partnership with India, Silicon Valley angel investor and entrepreneur MR Rangaswami, who founded Indiaspora, a nonprofit community of global Indian diaspora leaders, spoke about the outpouring of support from the Indian diaspora toward India’s COVID-19 relief efforts during a discussion hosted by the State Department.“The message from the Vice President about the strong and long-standing U.S.-India partnership was a reaffirming one, and we are humbled by her acknowledgement of how Indiaspora has played a critical role,” said Executive Director of Indiaspora Sanjeev Joshipura. “During a time when people are hurting, the message was clear that the United States, along with its Indian diaspora, will continue to stand with India.”Following Vice President Harris’s remarks, Indiaspora Founder MR Rangaswami spoke about the diaspora and the broader American community’s unprecedented response to India’s COVID-19 pandemic during a panel discussion hosted by the U.S. State Department, “Bolstering U.S. COVID Relief Efforts in India: Perspectives from the Diaspora,” with fellow diaspora leaders. “One of our biggest focus areas for Indiaspora is philanthropy. When COVID-19 first hit, we started a campaign called ChaloGive. This has hit everyone on a personal basis. I’m treating this as a personal emergency as well as a call to action,” said MR Rangaswami, who lost his sister to COVID-19 a few months ago. “We are grateful to the U.S. government, to the diaspora, and to the greater American community for stepping up during this time.”Moderated by the U.S. State Department’s South and Central Asia Senior Bureau Official, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Ervin Massinga, the panel discussion also included the following speakers: Honorable State Senator Dr. Ghazala Hashmi of Virginia; Gunisha Kaur, Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine, Medical Director, Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights; and Lata Krishnan, American Indian Foundation Founder and Co-Chair of the Board. In addition to remarks from Vice President Harris, the USAID's Deputy Assistant Administrator Anjali Kaur also offered remarks about USAID's contributions to the relief efforts. Indiaspora officially launched their giving platform ChaloGive.org May 3rd as a grassroots initiative for the public to donate to COVID-19 relief efforts in India after Indiaspora served as a $1 million matching partner for the high-profile fundraiser, HELP INDIA BREATHE, organized by author and podcast host Jay Shetty.The ChaloGive for India campaign facilitates giving by the global diaspora toward on-the-ground NGOs working in three areas of COVID-19 relief: the creation of urgently needed COVID care centers and makeshift hospitals through nonprofit WISH Foundation, direct cash transfer to families who have lost a primary earning member through nonprofit GiveIndia, and food relief and livelihood assistance for migrant workers and other underserved populations through EdelGive Foundation to nonprofits Goonj and Jan Sahas.Donors from anywhere in the world can either choose one area to donate to, or make a contribution that will be evenly split between all three areas. U.S. donors also receive a tax exemption.Visit ChaloGive.org for additional information and resources.About ChaloGive:Indiaspora launched its inaugural ChaloGive giving campaign in October 2019 to encourage higher levels of giving by the diaspora by partnering with more than 20 India-based NGOs, several of which are part of the India Philanthropy Alliance (IPA). Indiaspora launched its second campaign, ChaloGive for COVID-19 in April 2020 during the first wave of the COVID-19 crisis to alleviate food insecurity in both the U.S. and India by partnering with nonprofits Feeding America and Goonj, respectively.About Indiaspora:Indiaspora (www.indiaspora.org) is a nonprofit community of powerful global Indian leaders from diverse backgrounds and professions who are committed to inspiring the diaspora to be a force for positive impact by providing a platform to collaborate, engage, and catalyze social change. 

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MEDIA CONTACT:Mansi PatelIndiasporaDirector of Communicationsmansi@indiaspora.org(772) 486-0351