A London-based family run charity are supporting the vulnerable in East Africa, India and the UK to weather through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Avasara Foundation, a family-run initiative, was established earlier this year and has already provided relief to 67 families across East Africa whose lives have been disrupted by coronavirus. The charity prides itself on maximising the amount of donations that reach those in need. Currently 94p of every pound donated goes directly to beneficiaries. This year, over 7 months’ worth of food has been distributed to over 380 people in Rwanda, Malawi and Kenya at an average cost of £7 per person per month.
Led by Meenal Patel, Amit Patel and Bhavik Patel, the family, of Gujarati origin, are now settled across the South of the UK including Dorset, Swindon and London. Commenting on her motivations for starting the Foundation, Meenal said, “Having been given opportunities at different stages of our family’s history, after three generations we have been able to create a world for our family that was a distant dream for our ancestors.”
Coronavirus measures in some countries, such as Rwanda, are now easing and the food distributions have allowed families to bridge the gap while they have been out of work. Abraham, 24, from Rwanda, is a beneficiary from the programme and says: “I was alone, no one to hear me, I was hopeless. But today, I’m able to live and work hard.”
