Support COVAX Save Mankind
Need
June 2021: Close to 30bn USD is required to aid mass procurement (of over 2 bn doses) and delivery of vaccines, tests and treatments for COVID-19.
What is COVAX?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the COVID-19 pandemic is long way from over and “no one is safe until everybody is safe (in each and every corner of the world)”.
The biggest risk to make everybody safe and to end this pandemic is the global scarcity of vaccines across the world. To reduce this disparity between wealthy & middle income and lower & lower middle income countries, WHO created the COVAX program to achieve global equitable access to vaccines, particularly protecting health care workers and those most-at-risk and thereby mitigate the public health and economic impact of the pandemic all over the world.
COVAX aims to vaccinate at least a fifth of countries’ populations by the end of the year. More details about the program are available here.
How to help
I have been following this COVAX program since November of 2020, and this made me realize the privilege of living in THE greatest nation on the planet Earth, where teens like me were able to get vaccines before the front line workers in some other countries. I wanted to use this privilege to do my part and help those that are in need by contributing to this life-saving program.
My plan is to raise funds for one of the program's partners, UNICEF, during my summer break and I am kicking this off with $300 of my personal savings that I earned with peer tutoring.
Most importantly, your donation will be DOUBLED in its impact right-away. ProKarma, Inc., a leading digital experience engineering firm, has graciously agreed to match dollar to dollar up to 6000 USD of funds raised during this drive. Please donate generously for this cause using your most convenient way:
1. Online: GoFundMe
2. Text at: 402-415-3822 to get details on Venmo or PayPal payment (My dad's accounts) or to arrange for check collection
Why support COVAX?
No one was prepared for the pandemic that hit us like a ton of bricks. This is even worse for already struggling third world countries with less than adequate health system. For most of these countries, COVAX is the only hope for vaccinating their population and to get out of this pandemic. But, COVAX is falling short of its goal because of unexpected surges in rest of the world. During this tough time, it’s important more than ever, to bring out the humanity and compassion inside of us and funding COVAX can save the lives of countless families. We can help people from every background and the thought that we saved a life is more than enough satisfaction.
For most of us, it appears like the COVID-19 pandemic is over with the majority getting back to schools, offices, handshakes and hugs, but this is definitely not the situation elsewhere in the world. If people aren't vaccinated, the host virus can still survive and mutate in any corner and can travel to any corner of the world. No one is safe until everyone is safe and vaccinated. After all, the whole world is one family.
"Now more than ever, at the peak of the pandemic, we need ambitious, global solutions. When it comes to worldwide vaccine distribution, COVAX is the only initiative capable of rising to the challenge of this moment." - WHO
"Covax has been an essential tool. I think that’s pretty indisputable, They’re struggling right now...The experts I talked to identified three main problems: Money, vaccine supply, and global willingness to share have all been too constrained. But, the experts emphasized, these are solvable problems. And there are things everyday individuals can do to help." -Kate Dodson, vice president for global health at the UN Foundation
“The only way that you’re going to adequately respond to a global pandemic is by having a global response, and a global response means equity throughout the world. It's the responsibility of rich countries to help other countries struggling with Covid-19”: Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
“Close to 30bn is required to aid mass procurement and delivery of vaccines, tests and treatments for COVID-19. This isn’t charity, it’s the fastest and smartest way to end the pandemic and drive the global economic recovery” - Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO (Director-General)
"But we’re now nearly five months into the year, and Covax has delivered just over 68 million doses. In other words, it’s only 3.4 percent of the way to its goal. The nightmare has become reality. Around 1.5 billion vaccine doses have been administered around the world — yet only 0.3 percent have gone to low-income countries." - NY Times
About Me
My name is Siri Doddapaneni and I am a rising freshman at Brownell Talbot School, Omaha, NE. I started this program because I am passionate about making the world a better place for everyone and I believe that through this fundraiser, we can have a direct impact on vaccine distribution and save number of lives and families in less privileged countries. With your generous donations, we are definitely helping pave the way to a COVID-19 free world.