When India Couldn’t Breathe: Our Oxygen Concentrator Mission

Like millions of others around the world, we watched the crisis unfold through news
reports and social media.

But we knew we couldn’t just watch.

A Call for Help That Couldn’t Be Ignored

During the height of the crisis, we came across the work of young social activist
Licypriya Kangujam, who was raising support to obtain oxygen
concentrators for COVID-19 patients across India.

Before contributing, we wanted to ensure that the appeal was genuine and that any
assistance provided would reach people who truly needed it.

After verifying the initiative, we decided to act.

What began as a simple conversation about helping quickly became something much
more meaningful.

Sponsoring Two Oxygen Concentrators

We initially sponsored two oxygen concentrators to support the
ongoing relief effort.

A contribution of CAD $1,682.65 was sent on May 2, 2021 to help
fund the concentrators.

But the effort didn’t end with a donation.

We also reached out to friends and others in our community, encouraging them to
support the mission and help expand its reach.

During a time when oxygen concentrators were desperately needed across India,
every additional machine had the potential to support patients who otherwise
might not have had access to oxygen.

From a Donation to Something Bigger

As the crisis continued, it became increasingly clear that the need extended
far beyond major cities and large hospitals.

Smaller communities and rural healthcare facilities were also struggling with
access to essential oxygen support.

We therefore helped fund another oxygen concentrator, this time
specifically intended for a
Government Primary Health Centre in Tharamangalam, Salem District, Tamil Nadu.

For us, this was especially meaningful.

The support was no longer simply part of a large nationwide campaign.
A machine was reaching a healthcare facility serving a community where reliable
access to oxygen support was limited.

The concentrator arrived, was placed beside a hospital bed, and was put to use.

A contribution that began thousands of kilometres away had become practical
help for patients who needed it.

Compassion Without Borders

The oxygen concentrator mission demonstrated something that continues to shape
the work of
Love Your Neighbours As Yourself Charity (LYNAYC) today:

Compassion should not be limited by geography.

When someone is suffering, it shouldn’t matter whether they live next door,
in another province, or on the other side of the world.

What matters is recognizing a genuine need, responding responsibly, and doing
what we can to help.

We could not solve India’s oxygen crisis.

But together, we could help provide a few more people with access to the oxygen
they desperately needed.

And sometimes, meaningful change begins exactly that way —
one need, one act of compassion, and one life at a time.

Love Your Neighbours As Yourself

The events of 2021 remain an important part of the story behind
Love Your Neighbours As Yourself Charity.

They remind us why our mission matters.

We believe compassion becomes most powerful when it turns into action.
Whether that means supporting someone in our local community or responding
to an urgent humanitarian need elsewhere, our goal remains the same:

To see the need. To care. And to act.

Because loving our neighbours means being there when they need us most.