Oxygen for India
Status: Mission Completed!
Thank you to everyone who supported this global effort and to our amazing donors as we could never have done this without your support! We are proving that watches can indeed save lives.
We divided 54 Dynarex oxygen concentrators across 3 pallets and these were shipped on Kuehne + Nagel Inc via Emirates airlines cargo from LAX (Los Angeles, CA) -> DXB (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) -> TRV (Trivandrum, India). Upon arrival the Government of Kerala received the medical devices and they’re now being distributed to hospitals across the state.
Start at [0:30], the Chief Minister of India acknowledging Watches for Good for our contribution in helping save lives with oxygen concentrators
Oxygen concentrators arriving in Kerala, India and deployed at hospitals!
Final documentation / receipts for 100% transparency and accountability
| Documents & Receipts | Links |
|---|---|
| Master Google Drive folder with all links | link |
| Official receipt of oxygen concentrators from the Government of India in Kerala | link |
| Air Waybill | link |
| Invoice for purchasing oxygen concentrators | link |
| Wire transfer receipt | link |
Special thanks to the following key contributors:
| People | What they did |
|---|---|
| Nirdhar Khazanie, Rani Ramaswamy, Michael Bachman, Keith Enright | Creators of the campaign |
| BJ Nichols | COO of Watches for Good providing logistical support |
| Roman Sharf | Advisory Board member - Adherent of Watches for Good in multiple Youtube call-outs on his channel encouraging donors to give for the “Oxygen for India” campaign |
| Siva Vankineni | Led all global transportation logistics, this campagin would not have happened without Siva |
| Sanjay Narayana Sarma | Led all work with the Indian government of Kerala and logistical coordinator in Trivandrum, India |
| Grace Zhang | Volunteered her company’s services to pick up oxygen concentrators from Nevada and ship to San Francisco |
| Hari Krishnan | CEO of Norka Roots who’s part of the COVID-19 relief efforts in Trivandrum, India |
| Abe Phillip | Our supplier - Provided the opportunity to purchase oxygen concentrators |
Latest Updates
Thu, May 27 | 2:42pm EST
Thank you to everyone who supported this global effort and to our amazing donors as we could never have done this without your support! We are proving that watches can indeed save lives.
Tracking for the shipment to Trivandrum, India - Air WayBill, redacted for privacy
Sun, May 23 | 9:53am EST
We have contacted the Indian government of Kerala and provided all the shipping and export compliance paperwork and the shipment will be arriving at TRV airport on May 27th.
Tracking for the shipment to Trivandrum, India - Air WayBill, redacted for privacy
Tue, May 18 | 11:48am EST
We have officially acquired 54 Dynarex oxygen concentrators = 3 pallets x 18 units. We’re working through our export controller to handle all the shipping logistics.
Thu, May 13 | 8:09pm EST
We are working with OmniLogistics who’s helping us with transporting our shipment from Nevada to the SF Bay area. We’re working some logistics but hopefully tomorrow we’ll have some photos of oxygen concentrators to show everyone. #OxygenForIndia
Wed, May 12 | 9:29pm EST
Suppliers are in serious shortage as most of them have no stock available and 14-18 weeks out from the most conservative estimates.
Wed, May 12 | 9:27pm EST
We are working with our supplier, LAHB Solutions LLC, who has found us a new supply of oxygen concentrators. The make/model is Dynarex - DY10800 and we’re on track to purchase 54 of them from their Nevada facility.
Status
The COVID-19 situation is currently dire in India. The lack of oxygen tanks, PPE, and hospital beds are preventing thousands of patients from receiving treatment. Our non-profit was founded to help identify efforts in need and we believe there’s a role to play here.
India’s population is approximately 1.38 billion people, and the geographic area is approximately one-third the size of the US. Practicing things like social distancing and lockdowns is extremely difficult. The second wave of COVID-19 in India is outpacing the access to vaccines as there have been >21 million confirmed cases as of May 7, 2021. This pace of infections is overwhelming India’s health infrastructure, including critical oxygen equipment.
Watches for Good is trying to raise money to buy as many oxygen concentrators as possible to send to India’s hospitals. The photo below is an example of the hardware we’ve sourced from our supplier in the US. We have volunteers and transportation ready to deploy once the medical equipment arrives in India and will continue to post updates of our progress.
Logistics
Make: Dynarex
Model: DY10800
Technical specifications: Download spec sheet
Unit cost: $1200 USD / unit for a 5L concentrator
Goal: Purchase 54, 5L concentrators
Cost of oxygen concentrators: $1200 x 54 = $64,800 USD
Cost of shipping: TBD but likely $5,000-10,000 USD unless a carrier (UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc) can help volunteer and support these logistics
ESTIMATED TOTAL COST: $75,000 USD
Legal costs, shipping, border customs, and all logistics like import/export compliance involved in transporting medical equipment gets complicated.
Why this is important: Patients who contract COVID can develop a severe pneumonia that requires higher amounts of oxygen and thousands of patients in India are dying from a lack of oxygen supplies. We have the opportunity to save lives if they were to receive this aid.
Financial Transparency
Last updated: Thu, May 18 @ 12:03pm EST
| Amount raised for this project | Totals (USD) |
|---|---|
| Donations via Paypal | $5,210.96 (balance post Paypal fees) |
| Donations from Google.org via Google employees | $25,492.56 |
| Watches for Good contribution from existing funds | $37,500.00 |
| TOTAL: | $68,203.52 of $75,000 Goal This equates to 90.93% of our realized goal. |
| Expenses for this campaign to date | Totals (USD) |
|---|---|
| Payment to supplier for 54 Dynarex oxygen compressors | $64,800 (PAID) => $1200 x 54 units |
| Payment to KUEHNE & NAGEL (exporter) for air cargo shipment | $4,415.25 (PAID) |
| Description | Totals (USD) |
|---|---|
| Account balance as of May 18, 2021 | $20,843.03 - Our balance post operating expenses includes all donations from previous fundraising efforts |
| Amount pledged to “Oxygen for India” effort | We estimate this effort will cost $75,000 and pledge to support 50% of it from existing funds ($37,500 ). Any donations exceeding the total amount needed to support the cause will be applied towards trying to purchase additional oxygen concentrators if they are available. The supply of these medical devices is super limited and in the scenario where we cannot acquire more from a reputable dealer, any incoming funds for this effort will be used for future humanitarian campaigns. |
FAQs
Who are some of our suppliers?
Tentatively:
- LAHB Solutions LLC 630 Herman Rd Jackson, NJ 08527 - oxygen concentrators
- Nomad - PPE
Why are we purchasing 5L vs 10L oxygen concentrators?
These are extremely scarce commodities given the COVID-19 situation and we’ve been trying to source through over 15 different suppliers with little traction.
We would prefer to purchase 10L if possible and from the United States vs buying directly within India. For now, we are only able to find and source 5L oxygen concentrators. We have tried to source from multiple vendors but many we’ve spoken to:
- overpriced
- not enough supply in stock
- backordered with no knowledge of their next shipment
If you are an oxygen concentrator supplier for 10L, we would love to talk with you! Please email: contact@watchesforgood.org with subject line: “Oxygen concentrator supplier” and answer the following questions:
- Make
- Model
- Price per unit
- Quantity of availability
- ECCN
- HS Code
Are you trying to source these oxygen concentrators from within the United States or directly inside India?
Quality and authenticity are of utmost importance and we want to avoid a possibility of counterfeit medical devices. Also, either Nirdhar Khazanie (CEO of Watches for Good) and/or another board member / advisory board member would like to visit the location of said supplies to physically ensure everything is in working order. All photos would be posted online for transparency.
Do you need a Rx for purchasing these oxygen concentrators?
These devices are not readily available given the current COVID climate. Most companies cannot just purchase oxygen concentrators without a valid prescription from a medical professional. Due to the heightened severity of COVID-19, suppliers are relaxing requirements and allowing non-profits to purchase these medical devices if their sole purpose is for donations to hospitals or foreign governments intended for hospital distribution.
Where are the oxygen concentrators going in India?
Trivandrum, India
Why Trivandrum, India?
The government of Kerala reached out requesting help from international organizations as a number of NGOs are already sending oxygen concentrators and PPE to New Delhi. There has been significant mismanagement of medical resources happening in New Delhi. We believe the officials we’re working through in Kerala are trying hard to be above board and welcome the opportunity to provide transparency in the form of documented receipt of goods, photos, and videos as they reach hospitals across Kerala.
Watches for Good is committed to posting all of these artifacts as they become available.
Who are you working with in the Indian government of Kerala?
Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer - Dr. S. Karthikeyan CEO of Norka Roots - Mr. Hari Krishnan
Procedural documentation provided from the Indian government in Kerala
Please view the following PDFs from Google Drive:
These docs provide all the guidance we’re following and exempts Watches for Good from any duties/tariffs/customs as they relate to COVID-19 medical equipment.
Who is handling all the transportation logistics and how are they being delivered?
Volunteers from Google’s transportation and trade team are helping shepherd the correct process for export from the US at the supplier’s warehouse. Watches for Good is paying for any shipping fees and we will post all receipts on this page for transparency. A carrier will receive the oxygen concentrators and we hope to ship these on cargo freight via United or another airlines to Trivandrum.
Why should I donate to Watches for Good vs any NGO?
We are a young company with extremely driven and motivated volunteers who believe in total transparency. Everything we raise in donations is given to charity. We have a strong board of directors and advisory board with a global international reach. Additionally, we are commited to posting all financial receipts and blogging about our progress so people are clear about our intentions and goals per project as we hit milestones.
Why are there sponsors at the bottom of this page?
Any company who has donated, financially or with resources, for the - “Oxygen for India” campaign will be listed below. If you are a company interested in partnering with us, please email contact@watchesforgood.com and we’ll be happy to promote you.
Sponsors
