Qamar Zaman, collaborates with Sam Sayani, to prepare resources for COVID relief supplies to be airlifted to India

This is an initiative to save lives in India by Skyone FZE and Another Joy Foundation, which is planning to airlift 50 tonnes of medical supplies to New Delhi.

Vaccination rollout is well underway in India, and new infections are coming down from the most recent peak, but healthcare infrastructure remains overwhelmed and entire communities remain devastated by thousands of deaths each day.

By early 2021, it seemed to international health experts that India had passed the peak of the pandemic and was successfully controlling infection rates. In April, a new highly contagious variant of the virus ravaged India, causing total cases to surpass 1 million and reach 2.5 million in less than a month.

Official statistics mark India as having the second most confirmed infections (29 million) and the third most deaths (380,000) as of the end of May, but global healthcare estimates have suggested that these figures do not capture the full extent of the crisis. Potential reasons for this include lack of infrastructure in certain areas and low testing levels. (In 2020, the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy in New Delhi estimated that only 1 in 30 infections was picked up by testing.)

The deficit of supply compared to demand for both medical equipment and healthcare personnel is a significant contributor to the crisis. In response, Las Vegas-based non-profit Another Joy Foundation coordinated an airlift of vital medical supplies, scheduled for June 15, 2021.

COVID relief supplies are delivered to India by a business and a non-profit team

With the help of fellow non-profit organizations Sewa International Group and Sarva Dharma Service Center, Another Joy Foundation was able to gather 5000 oxygen concentrators, 2 million N95 Masks, 2 million isolation gowns, 2 million KN95 masks and 2 million canisters of EPA approved COVID killer wipes for delivery. The large-scale initiative was supported by large-name companies such as Boeing and FedEx, who donated vital support supplies, and Shajarah-based aircraft charter Skyone, FZE, who supplied a 747 aircraft to transport the materials.

“It is imperative we join hands and resources,” comments Another Joy Foundation’s Executive Director, Sam Sayani. “This mission will save thousands of lives.”

But with only days left until the plane was set to take off on its route from San Francisco to New Delhi via cargo pickups in Alaska and Indonesia, the operation was short on funds for fuel and ground logistical support. This particular situation echoes an issue that the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted in the United States and across the world: often access issues for those in need stem from inadequate transportation and distribution systems, not an overall lack of supplies in production. In other words, the world has plenty, it is the issue of getting it to those who need it where we fall short.

International digital growth leader Qamar Zaman, who is known for his pioneering storytelling platform, KISSPR Brand Story, responded by leveraging his network of diverse business partners and connections to bring together a portion of the funding needed to fuel the plane’s journey. Using his marketing expertise, he garnered widespread attention for the cause. In addition, he offered donors free press releases services in return for their contribution, amounting to a large donation of his time and resources for the campaign.

A team of donors eager to support the cause quickly came together, led by Mr. Zaman, including influential figures in the marketing, finance, commercial real estate, and legal industries.

1) Nadim Ahmed

2) Massimo Didomenico

3) Tanner James

4) Renee Perras

5) Adam Torres

6) Chirag Sagar

7) Brian Spira

8) Martin Kepman, and

9) Glenn and Robin Herman all proudly showed their support for the 747 flight.

This was not Mr. Zaman’s first initiative to help struggling families during the pandemic. In 2020, he launched a program to help struggling small businesses gain free access to marketing and branding services as their livelihoods crumbled during lockdown measures.

“We feel the pain of our friends and families in India even though we are miles away from them. Despite the distance, we keep them in our prayers,” Mr. Zaman, a member of the invitation-only Forbes Agency Council, adds, “We have collaborated with U.S.and international businesses all over the world to enhance available resources. Corporate sponsors of this mission — KISS PR and our other regular business partners and collaborators — have also extended their support, and they plan to contribute to our effort to fight COVID-19 in India as quickly as possible.”

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