Sozosei Foundation Awards $100,000 to American India Foundation (AIF) COVID-19 Response Fund

Grant will support key responses to India’s ongoing COVID-19 crisis

PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#COVID--The Sozosei Foundation, a charitable foundation funded by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc., awarded $100,000 to the American India Foundation (AIF) COVID-19 Response Fund. This grant is drawn from Sozosei’s Disaster Relief and Recovery Philanthropy Program in response to India’s state of emergency, as the country records the highest number of cases and virus-related deaths globally.

“The ongoing wave of COVID-19 infections in India has brought the country’s healthcare system to its breaking point,” said Melissa Beck, Executive Director of the Sozosei Foundation. “We’re proud to partner with AIF to address the country’s urgent needs for interventions that will help treat and prevent the spread of COVID-19 as well as provide much-needed relief to its health infrastructure.”

"We thank the Sozosei Foundation and the global community for rallying to help India push back against the pandemic. Paucity of medical equipment and supplies at various parts of the country is exacerbating the crisis. AIF’s experience of working within these systems over the past 20 years, and our expansive network across multiple states allows us to quickly direct critical equipment to where it is needed the most” said, Mathew Joseph, Country Director, AIF.

The grant provided by the Sozosei Foundation will support AIF’s three-pronged Emergency Response Strategy, working with local governments, hospitals and stakeholders to deliver resources to widely impacted communities from cities to rural villages:

• Health facility interventions, including oxygen concentrators, ventilators, portable hospitals and cold-storage equipment for the procurement of vaccines
• Health work interventions, including community screening and home-based management as well as personal protective gear
• Community-centered interventions, including disease education initiatives and support for the nutritional needs of vulnerable communities

Sozosei’s Disaster Relief and Recovery Program, through a lens of racial equity, responds to urgent needs around the globe by allocating funds to organizations aiding in not only recovery activities, but in building long-term resilience in affected communities. Priority is given to regions where Otsuka has a geographic presence, with a current focus on COVID-19 response. The Foundation does not accept applications for its disaster philanthropy grantmaking.

ABOUT THE SOZOSEI FOUNDATION

The Sozosei Foundation is a U.S.-based, private charitable foundation launched by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OAPI) in 2019. Sozosei’s primary focus is to decriminalize mental illness in the United States. Sozosei also leads disaster relief and local philanthropy for OAPI. Visit www.SozoseiFoundation.org to learn more.

Melissa Beck
Melissa.Beck@otsuka-us.com
Executive Director
Sozosei Foundation