SUMO

Singapore Universities' Mission Oxygen #SUMO

Milaap campaign

Thanks for the overwhelming support from everyone. Here is a short update on procurement and Shipping efforts so far. Please feel free to share with anyone who has contributed to SUMO.

  1. Of the two experiment shipments sent, one has arrived well and safe in Delhi – cleared customs after much back n forth – calls and help from all around. Shipment took 5 days door-to-door after we managed to expedite customs clearance in China and India. Yuwell concentrators received are already being used in Delhi and the feedback from users is positive.

  2. No customs duty charged. However GST is charged at 12% plus 2-3% processing fee(s). The bulk order will be charged the same rate. 0% GST is only applicable for NGO’s/ other organizations that have been designated for covid relief work by state or national government. Both CEL and Mercy Mission are trying to get this status to minimize the GST spend

  3. The team has reached out to over 40 different suppliers across the world. We shortlisted brands that are well regarded and actively being used for ongoing covid relief endeavors. Based on technical specs, feedback about on-ground situation, informal inputs from doctors, availability of supply (which literally changes by the minute) and timelines for delivery into India, we have placed deposits for the following. We have leveraged multiple sources to hedge our bets on lead times:
    1. Philips Evo Flow 5L: 50 pieces, likely delivered around 10th-12th May
    2. Canta 5L: 30 pieces, likely ship out from Thailand in next 1-2 days
    3. Yuwell 5L: 50 pieces, likely ship out from China on 6-7th May once China is back to work

    [Happy to share technical specs, pricing or other details – if anyone is keen]

  4. Shipments are being arranged by DHL and UPS (again want to hedge bets). Express modes being chosen to ensure expedited timelines

  5. All payments are made directly from Milaap platform after the KYC process is approved for the seller

  6. Team is also preparing a snapshot of above information – including breakdown of costs in an easy to read manner and will share once ready.

Thanks for the continued support and encouragement. Here is part 2 of the update on Procurement, Shipping and Deployment efforts:

  1. 180 concentrators have been procured after assessment of specs and on-the-ground needs (criteria shared earlier). We have leveraged multiple sources to hedge our bets on lead times.
    1. Philips Evo Flow 5L: 50 pieces, already reached India
    2. Canta 5L: 30 pieces
    3. Yuwell 5L: 100 pieces (order increased to 100 from 50, thanks to your donations!)

    [Happy to share specs and details if anyone needs]

  2. These are being loaded into trucks (Philips) and planes (Canta and Yuwell) as we speak. Express mode to ensure expedited timelines.

  3. Happy to report that we have been able to arrange heavily discounted (or FOC) freight rates on most past. Thanks to UPS and DHL for supporting SUMO in this hour of need.

  4. As tier 3/4/5 cities are registering a sharp spike in cases (and fatalities), we have expanded the coverage of SUMO to more parts of India by partnering with NGO’s active in areas that are most effected. We are running an exhaustive KYC process with said NGO’s (including document checks) to ensure that these concentrators will be deployed efficiently. The NGO’s are also required to sign a letter of undertaking confirming they will deploy at no cost and provide us visibility on the re-use of the concentrators. So far, the following NGO’s have cleared our KYC process. Please find information on them at https://milaap.org/sumo
    1. CEL (covering Uttar Pradesh)
    2. Mercy Mission (covering Karnatka)
    3. Samarpan (covering Uttarakhand)
    4. Sevalaya (covering Tamil Nadu)

    [KYC documents available if anyone needs]

  5. All the NGO’s are working with relevant government bodies to request for GST waiver so that more funds can be directed towards purchase on concentrators

  6. All payments are being made directly from Milaap and expense summary is being compiled.

  7. Team is also preparing a snapshot of expenses, deployment stats, pictures etc and will share formally once it’s all compiled

[For any questions, we can direct you to the relevant expert in the team]

With your charitable donations, #SUMO has deployed 200 oxygen concentrators to various parts of India: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Delhi via Red Cross, Mercy Mission, Sevalaya, Samarpan, Seeds, CEL, and RTI

No words can express how grateful we are! This mission was set to deploy 100 concentrators. With your overwhelming support and generous donations we doubled that target to 200 and we are further working towards shipping face masks and consumables to support front line staff running the show.

We are so grateful for the dream team and supporters that made this possible:

  • First and foremost our generous donors
  • HE Vivian Balakrishnan, Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore for guidance
  • HE Mr. Kumaran Periasamy, High Commissioner of India in Singapore, for his encouragement and support
  • Logistics Partner UPS for in-kind logistics support from China to India and Bangkok to India under UPS Foundation
  • Digital Marketing Support team from Fourleavesdigital Ekta Gandhi and Arushi Dattatreya
  • And of course the network of our fellow NTU/ NUS/ SMU alumna who came together by contributing their valuable time, skill and knowledge

This mission not only demonstrated what we can do collectively as a group but also became the very glue which brought us together. Majulah Desi Alumni! Well done 👏

https://www.sumo.sg/updates.html