Infostretch has partnered with INDIASHIELD, India’s emergency response service, to expand citizen-led COVID-19 support services in India.
The Infostretch-INDIASHIELD partnership builds on Infostrech’s Ignite philanthropic program.
INDIASHIELD is run entirely by volunteers — currently over 500 individuals — all of whom are committed to reducing the impact of the ongoing pandemic. With over 100 partners, the service aids citizens across 150 cities and towns. Support services include providing accurate information about vaccination options, locating nearby hospitals with vacant beds, and more.
Further enhancing this platform, Infostrech has developed intelligent software that lets volunteers and support groups connect with those in need.
Using said software, INDIASHIELD handled 114,000 requests for help, 74,000 of which came in over the last two months as India dealt with a Delta variant of the virus. INDIASHIELD is supported by Amazon Web Services (AWS), WhatsApp, the government of Maharashtra, Zoho, Make My Trip, Haptik, and TEDxGateway, and others.
“Catastrophes can bring out the best in people and we have seen that first-hand with the heroic work that INDIASHIELD’s volunteers have been undertaking,” said Rutesh Shah, CEO and founder of Infostretch.
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“We knew we had to help and what we could provide was a data and communications infrastructure that would remain stable and would support them for the duration of the crisis. We are proud that we could play a part in helping them as they help thousands of people in need.”
INDIASHIELD founding team member Yashraj Akashi said, “If ever there was a time to pull together and work for the common good, it is now. It is sadly not an exaggeration to say that lives have been lost due to information not reaching the people who need it. Our role is to fix this information gap and that’s why the support of companies like Infostretch has been invaluable. It allows us to provide a reliable service and connect the dots at a local level so that people get the information and medical attention that they need.”
As the pandemic worsens, Infostretch continues to support global and Indian initiatives to reduce the impact of the pandemic. Earlier this year, Infostrech hosted a global digital hackathon called HACK2VAX to investigate new and innovative approaches to solving the global vaccine distribution challenge.
