Nagaloka is a Buddhist training and conference centre located in Nagpur, India. It is home to the Nagarjuna Training Institute, which provides a residential training course in Buddhism and social activism. At the moment the Nagaloka team is responding rapidly to the coronavirus outbreak by focusing on reducing human to human transmission and providing people with the basic needs - such as food, napkins, soap, masks - and supporting people in the most vulnerable communities in India. 

According to the Global Hunger Index, India ranked 102 out of 117 in 2019, behind its neighbours, Pakistan and Bangladesh. According to UNICEF, malnutrition causes 69% of deaths of children below the age of five in India in “normal” times, and every second woman is anaemic. Millions of Indians live in shanty towns under extremely poor conditions. There is high levels of unemployment and homelessness and many have little or no access to education or medical care. 

They need many essential goods such as flour, grain, vegetables and milk. But purchasing them requires money, and due to the lockdown, millions of people have little or none.

These same vulnerable people also suffer terribly from caste-based discrimination and corruption. It is a fact that people who are lower on the caste ladder get less than their fair share from government relief funds.

Migrant workers are very common in India, and millions of workers leave their villages constantly to find employment in the towns. The sudden nationwide lockdown in India left many migrant labourers without enough food for even one day. The situation was made worse by the closing of state borders and the closure of all public transport. Hundreds of thousands of people, if not millions, are stranded not only without jobs but without food. Many have had no option but to walk several hundred miles to their homes, often carrying young children.

The Nagaloka team is currently working in 8 states, and a total of 15 districts have been covered so far. They are receiving many offers of help not only from their alumni but from other volunteers. They are expanding their efforts to 11 additional states covering 26 districts where their alumni along with other volunteers will distribute ration kits to severely affected families.

The Nagaloka Team come from many different states across India, and mostly from discriminated and vulnerable communities, and so know very well the needs of these communities. They first identify the essential required of the communities through a baseline survey and inform the coordination team of what is required.

The Nagaloka team will cover the states of Telengana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra-Pradesh and Orissa, where they are in contact with many of the stranded workers. They will provide these workers with rations for two weeks, masks, sanitizer, and Rs.1500 cash so that they can buy other basic necessities like milk for their children, fresh vegetables, emergency medical support, and sanitary pads.

So far the Nagaloka team have reached 1,452 families and 7,260 people have benefited from their relief work. You can help today by donating whatever you can.

Support via the Just Giving page (if you are based in the UK).

Donation outside India                                                           Donation in India 
Name: Nagarjuna Training Institute, Nagpur                            Name: Nagarjuna Training Institute
Bank A/C No. 2010 8156 866                                                  A/C No. 5099 10 100 1710
Bank of Maharashtra, Nagpur Sitabuldi Branch                      Canara Bank, Bhilgao, Nagpur Branch
Swift Code: MAHBINBBNGP                                                   ISFC Code: CNRB 0005099