PAANI, LLC. invites you to join their crowdfunding effort to produce masks for the prevention of COVID-19 in the United States and in India. To help, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/paani–covid19-masks
“We understand that there is currently a shortage of personal protective equipment across the globe and want to be a part of helping the many communities in need,” says co-founder Nikita Chatterjee ’20 (Maxwell).
PAANI is a global health company that focuses on providing access to clean water in low-income communities starting in India. It started as a project that won first prize in the Invent@SU program and then continued its product and business development working the LaunchPad.
“We have engineered a filtration system into the traditional sari cloth and are refining the traditional water practices that exist in India,” says Chatterjee. “Although we are focused on providing access to clean water, in an uncertain time like now, we must ask ourselves questions. What does washing hands mean for people with no access to clean water? How do we stay safe in an environment where resources are not readily available?”
She continues, “We also have to consider the millions of people who are currently out of work during this time. Urban unemployment rates rose to 30.9%, bringing the overall unemployment rate to 23.4% in India. Common household jobs for women have been removed, and families are struggling. We want to support these women, so a portion of donations will go towards supporting the salary of women in India.”
“We have recently partnered with a local NGO in Mumbai, India with over 20,000 women working together to provide safe and environmental friendly, reusable face masks using traditional cotton material,” said PAANI co-founder Brianna Howard ‘20 (Falk). “With your donation, you can help us support the salaries of women who are currently working to create these masks.”
“We are asking that you please donate what you can to buy materials for the cloth masks to be made,” added Chatterjee. “We are aiming to raise $7,500 to produce thousands of masks. An air filter will also be included to filter out viruses and bacteria. It is an important time for us to come together and help communities survive this pandemic.”
Donations to PAANI’s crowdfunding campaign will help in the production of masks which will be donated to local organization in the Tri-State Area and India, and also help support the salaries of women in India.
Learn more about PAANI initiatives at www.paanisolutions.com or @paanisolutions on Instagram.