New York, 4 May 2021 — Catholic Near East Welfare Association has launched an emergency campaign to rush funds to India to help the local churches respond to the escalating COVID-19 crisis, announced CNEWA President Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari.
News stories report on the worsening situation in the country — with deaths now exceeding 220,000 people — that includes mass funeral pyres, overwhelmed hospitals, a lack of beds and oxygen, and a population overcome with grief.
“We cannot watch this catastrophe unfold and not share the heartbreak and feel the need to help,” Msgr. Vaccari has written in an appeal to donors.
“When the world has needed us, CNEWA was there. And we are there now, in India, where our regional office is at work, bringing assistance however we can to those in need. But we need your help. The people of India need your help!”
Emergency campaign funds will aid CNEWA’s partners on the ground — in full compliance with recent Indian legislation regarding foreign aid — to help them distribute PPE, medical care, food packets and vaccines. To donate, please visit https://cnewa.org/india.
CNEWA has been at the service of the churches and peoples of India for more than eight decades, working closely with the nation’s dynamic Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara Catholic churches. From its offices in Kerala, CNEWA supports the many ministries of these vital communities, from support of their programs for the marginalized, including services for those with special needs, children and the elderly, to the support of the formation of priests and religious sisters.
An agency of the Holy See, Catholic Near East Welfare Association works for, through and with the Eastern churches. Founded by Pope Pius XI in 1926, CNEWA provides aid to religious sisters caring for orphaned and abandoned children; helps displaced and refugee families; offers maternity and health care to those most in need; supports the formation and education of seminarians, religious sisters and catechetical leaders; sponsors catechesis programs for children and young adults; and funds initiatives for the marginalized, especially the elderly and those with special needs.
CNEWA is a registered charity in the United States by the State of New York. All contributions are tax deductible and tax receipts are issued. Donations can be made online at cnewa.org; by phone at 800.442.6392; or by mail, CNEWA, 1011 First Avenue, New York, NY 10022-4195.
Michael J.L. La Civita is CNEWA’s communications director.