In 2020, COVID-19 began its relentless impact as a global health crisis—one that killed people and attacked societies at their core.

We focused on how to get to those desperately in need of help through efforts that addressed multiple elements, from medical treatment and vaccinations to providing basic needs, financial support, and psychological counselling.

In India, we started with donations to governments—₹10 crores ($1.3 million) to the Indian Government’s PM CARES Fund and ₹3 crores ($400,000) to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund. Amma also opened the doors of Amrita Hospital in Kochi, Kerala to provide free treatment for COVID-19 patients.

Doctors and scientists at Amrita University began work to develop emergency aid solutions for essential health workers. This included items from nano-fiber face masks to plastic shield protectors to 3D-printed masks. The university also set up a 24-hour mental health hotline staffed by trained professionals.

To bridge the econonic impact, Amma especially reached out to women with our Amrita SREE women’s self-help groups, which had 200,000 members during the pandemic. This included basic supply kits and financial aid that came to support worth more than ₹85 crores ($10 million).

We also strengthened outreach in India’s villages and remote tribal areas to inform them about safety measures, medical treatment, and vaccinations. Through our AmritaRITE tutoring centres across rural India, we worked with local authorities to continue educating the children while schools remained closed.

During India’s devastating second wave, volunteers with AYUDH, our youth wing, ran medical helplines to assist patients and their families. They actively worked to locate hospital beds, oxygen cylinders, and other essential medical supplies for COVID-19 patients. This included connecting donors with those in need.

These initiatives inspired our volunteers in 150 countries to sew cloth masks at home during lockdowns so they could in some way help people in need in their communities – from the elderly in care homes to the homeless in city streets. Soon after, they also began preparing food packages to deliver to people out of work and running low on income. They especially connected with the poor, isolated, and people with disabilities.

We also led tree-planting campaigns to express humility and servitude to Mother Nature, asking for forgiveness for all the harm humankind has heaped upon her.