James Crabtree, Associate Professor of Practice, at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore joined the #SwadesBuildingLivelihoods telethon. Mr Crabtree at the telethon said that Swades' approach of looking at the villages as a whole, is what got him interested in the initiative. He said that even though the COVID-19 pandemic in India started in cities, it is the rural areas that are most affected. Swades is trying to help rural areas become more resilient by finding employment opportunities for those leaving the cities and going back to villages, Mr Crabtree added.