City of San Antonio Donates $10K for Chennai Covid Relief Under Sister City Program

COVID-19 patients taking rest inside a Chennai trade center converted into a COVID care center in Chennai June 1. Anuja SA, an Indian American non-profit, donated $5,000 to double the total donation to $10,000. (ANI photo)

PRAKASH M. SWAMY

CHENNAI – The city of San Antonio, Texas, has donated $10,000 to Chennai for COVID-19 relief as a gesture of solidarity with its sister city. Members of the Rotary Club of San Antonio donated $5,000 to the Rotary Club of Madras East as a token of the sister city’s support during this unprecedented time. Anuja SA, an Indian American non-profit organization created to promote the Sister City alliance between San Antonio and Chennai, donated $5,000 to double the total donation to $10,000.

U.S. Consul General for Chennai Judith Ravin said, “It is wonderful to witness two global communities come together through the Sister Cities program in times of need. While the global pandemic continues to cause uncertainty, it is precisely in these times that we are reminded we are all in this together.”

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg in a message of support to Chennai said: “The past year has united us in a shared fight against a pandemic that has brought devastating loss to both of our communities.” He added: “San Antonio stands in support of those who are affected by the ongoing crisis in India. We have heard stories of the truly heroic actions of your health care workers, volunteers, friends, and family members who are working tirelessly to care for their neighbors and communities.”

“We understand the toll that this virus has taken firsthand, and we admire and respect such devotion and care. It is through this commitment that the crisis will be overcome. The relationship between Chennai and San Antonio is an important one and we are confident that we will continue to work together to fight COVID-19,” he said.

The cities of Chennai and San Antonio signed a Sister City International agreement in 2008 to deepen cooperation between the two cities in trade, investment, and culture. For more than a dozen years, San Antonio has celebrated the Indian festival of Deepavali.