Association of Medical Doctors of ASIA, founded in 1984, Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC since 1995

Responding to the call for solidarity in the fight against the novel coronavirus, Jeanamitabh, a philanthropic NGO based in Bihar, India, asked AMDA for assistance in distributing food supplies to the poor.

In the poorest Indian state of Bihar, the lives of the impoverished families have become extremely difficult due to the resurgence of COVID-19. Jeanamitabh has run a free boarding school in the Buddhist sanctuary of Bodhgaya for children who cannot attend school for financial reasons. It has been a few years since the NGO has started collaborating with AMDA.

In response to the request, AMDA in collaboration with Japan India Friendship Medical Center Trust immediately decided to provide financial assistance to Jeanamitabh in supplying food and other necessities to hundreds of families living in poor villages. On 24 July, Jeanamitabh organized an aid distribution effort in the courtyard of its own boarding school, where the entire staff and students took part in handling out the relief supplies to those gathered at the venue.

The goods included rice, beans, flour, cooking oil, potatoes, soybeans, salt, pepper and others, as well as non-food items such as soap and disinfectants. They were packed in a large bag as a separate set of supplies to be distributed to each household. The donation drive received wide media coverage, helping local people to familiarize themselves with AMDA’s activities.
 

Jeanamitabh secretary Mr. Anand Vikram said, "In Bodhgaya where tourism is the main source of income, tourists have not yet returned for the past two years. Those who have lost their jobs have been finding it very hard to feed themselves every day. I would like to thank AMDA supporters for their kind cooperation, and hope for their continued support as we strive to grasp immediate needs on the ground.”

On the 28th, Jeanamitabh conducted another relief operation in a suburban village about 30 kilometres away from Bodhgaya’s city centre. "We will continue monitoring the situation closely and assist as many villages as possible,” Mr. Vikram said.