There is a saying "It's better to give than receive". In this case the chance to save lives from Covid 19 is the ultimate gift. You may remember me talking about one of my ethical suppliers, a man called David. I have also written previously about some of the people and companies alongside David whose goods Jack In the Green ethical gift shop sells. One such person is Mr Chatterjee and orphanage he supports. Here, David and Mr Chatterjee are working together to help save lives.
Mr Chatterjee has a cotton and jute factory in the town of Serampore in West Bengal that in normal times supplies many ethical products including non-plastic packaging. Right now the factory is closed, the town is in lockdown and many of the workers are effected by Covid one way or another.
Mr Chatterjee says it is very bad there and his two sisters contracted Covid, but have now fortunately recovered. However many friends and local people he knows have not, the Ganges is nearby and says that it's true what you hear about dead bodies drifting by. He says now that his family are OK and now he has been vaccinated he can focus on helping others.
Oxygen is the big problem - the hospitals don't have enough so families buy their own supplies to take with them to the wards. Of course those without work cannot afford to pay the market price. A cylinder now costs about £200 - and Mr Chatterjee says he has a contact at a factory that can do refills for about £5.
There are no free beds in the hospitals in Serampore, the seriously ill are put on a waiting list, and many (especially those without oxygen) don't make it.
David has set up a Go Fund Me, please help. Even if you cannot afford actual money, you can go to the link Go-Fund-Me click on the share button and send to all your friends on all your social networks.
Within a few hours of David setting up this Go Fund Me account small ethical shop owners had raised enough to buy 5 tanks of refillable oxygen, which is five lives helped.
As David says "Think of the good karma points you will be accruing - and feeling you get from giving the ultimate gift."
Every £250 will effectively help one person survive this dreadful disease. Please give whatever you can afford, even £5 will enable a refill of a tank. Every penny will go where it is needed most.
We are not an island we are part of a global community. Trading fairly means treating people fairly and helping each other when we can. Remember when you shop ethically you are helping to support making the world a better place.
Blessings
Amanda x
PS Did you know that trees help combat Covid 19? I wrote full report on Corona Virus and Trees - How trees can help save us from Covid 19.