Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts
Tens of thousands of people are dead in Haiti after a disastrous earthquake of 7.0 magnitude struck on Tuesday January 12, razing major infrastructure in the capital including many neighborhoods, the Parliamentary building, Presidential Palace, the main cathedral, the main prison, and the UN building among others. With many hospitals in ruins in this poor Caribbean country, the earthquake has affected 3 million people - a third of the country. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere with 80% of the people below the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty. Two thirds of the labor force has no formal jobs.
SEWA International is working with its partner NGO "CHAI-Haiti" (www.chai-haiti.org) towards HAITI earthquake relief and rehabilitation. SEWA is soliciting your tax-deductible contribution for the support of these victims. Your support will help alleviate the sufferings of the earthquake victims. http://www.sewausa.org/urgent-appeal-support-earthquake-victims-portauprince-haiti
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Volunteering in Haiti
Sewa International would like to thank Shri Vinayakji Joshi and Dr. Vinodji Kumar who volunteered their time and effort in Haiti’s relief and rehabilitation. Their stories serve as inspiration to all volunteers and imbibe the true spirit of sewa—selfless service. We would like to share their uplifting experiences.
Shri Vinayakji Joshi:
Haiti brings a unique case with a combination of poverty, lack of inland commerce, and infrastructure. 95% of homes in the town of Leogane are at ground zero level. People have lost all their life savings and after 20 years of settled life, they will have to start from the beginning.
I was accompanied by my 2 daughters Saie (13) and Tanvi (17). Many have warned me against going to Haiti myself, leave aside taking them, due to security and psychological challenging conditions in Haiti. But this was exactly the reason for me to take them with me. Having them was very useful as we did conduct games, family events and visited hospitals in Haiti. Saie and Tanvi played a crucial role in organizing get-together sessions and leading the children’s activities. It started with 10 kids and within short time reached to 150 kids, with the total number of people being 200. For that time families laughed, kids exhausted themselves competing in various games. Everybody forgot about the disastrous memories of past 2 months.
Along with this heart building activity, we all participated in cleaning and rebuilding activities in the city. While leaving, my daughters felt they had left their hearts in Haiti. Same was true with the Haitian kids when we departed. The reality of life has made me insensitive to these events but I was also touched to see how soon we have crossed color, race and language barriers.
My 13 year old wrote – “I think I might have actually lost more than I gained on this trip to Haiti. Firstly, I lost weight. I lost my pride. I lost my materialism. I erased the walls of a comfort zone. I became a humanitarian.” My 17 year old who secured admission to GW College of medicine wrote – “Working in Haiti has further solidified my ambition to become a borderless physician”
Dr. Vinodji Kumar:
Bakersfield cardiologist Dr. Vinod Kumar knew he would be affected by the devastation and poverty he witnessed during his trip to Haiti last month. But the director of The Heart Center didn't know it would change his life for the better. "I got so much more in Haiti than what I gave," he said. "It was an amazing experience."
What he gave was a full week of physically exhausting yet spiritually uplifting medical care to dozens of sick and injured residents of Haiti's earthquake-damaged capital, Port-au-Prince. Unlike his local practice where he specializes in helping patients suffering from heart disease, Kumar was called upon to exercise his skills to treat a wide variety of ailments. So many of Haiti's residents have never received basic health care, Kumar said.
There was 7-year-old Sebastian, whose right leg had been amputated after he was pulled from beneath the rubble after being trapped for two days. The boy's entire family had been killed and he needed love and reassurance, not just medical care.
When Kumar was asked to assist in the Cesarean birth of a premature infant, it seemed to connect him once again to the basic tenets of his profession -- not to mention his faith. "You read about enlightenment," he said, his eyes gleaming. "One scripture says it takes only a moment." For Kumar, that moment came when he guided the tiny head of the newborn into the tropical air of his island home. Though he was surrounded by images of destruction and suffering, the birth of the tiny child seemed an affirmation of something beyond one's everyday experience. "I was feeling the presence of God," he said.
Kumar first felt the urge to go to Haiti in the weeks following the massive January earthquake. Eventually he reached Loma Linda Hospital and University, which had been coordinating relief efforts and medical missions to Haiti for five years.
For the full article, please visit: http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x911430988/
Dr. Vinodji Kumar is pictured in the bottom right corner.
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Yuva for Sewa 2010
"Discover the World, Discover Yourself" -with this motto, Yuva for Sewa (YFS), Sewa USA's internship program, began its yearly campaign in February to recruit enthusiastic young adults to volunteer their time and effort and give a helping hand to those in need. YFS aims to connect young adults with service projects in the fields of education, self-employment, healthcare, women's empowerment, environmental awareness, and others. The projects are designed to develop personality, build leadership and teamwork, empower visionaries, and provide experience in helping the community. Projects are available in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh (new location added this year) as well as multiple locations in the US. Those volunteering in the US will work on Sewa USA's Bhutanese Refugee Empowerment (BRE) project.
Since its inception in 2006, YFS has provided 17 young adults with the opportunity to volunteer their time for different service projects, based on their interests and expertise. Apurva Kaushik, who taught at a school for underprivileged girls in Bangalore, India last year, said that the time she spent volunteering was “the most fulfilling and inspiring” of her life. This year, we were fortunate to involve Aparna Garg, YFS 2009 intern, in our YFS team. Aparna expresses how “volunteering in Bangalore last summer was a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience. It gave me a new perspective on volunteering, India, and sewa in general. It was also a great experience working on the YFS campaign team this year, helping to provide this opportunity to other youth interested in service”.
Sewa International volunteers publicized YFS on university campuses around the country through on-campus presentations, university career centers, e-mails to student groups, fliers, and articles in college newspapers. The fellowship was also publicized on volunteer websites such as idealist.org.
We have received many applications from distinguished universities including Yale, Dartmouth, Wellesley, UNC Chapel Hill, and Case Western Reserve, among others. The applicants, after completing a written application, are selected after going through a round of rigorous phone and in-person interviews. This summer, about 10 youth volunteers are expected to travel to Pune, Bangalore, and different cities in the US to volunteer their time and skills for the less fortunate. This year's projects will range from one to six months in duration and will occur between the months of June and December.
For more information on Yuva for Sewa, please visit: www.sewausa.org/yuva-for-sewa
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Bhutanese Refugee Empowerment (BRE)
The Bhutanese Refugee Empowerment (BRE) project initiated by Sewa USA has been aiding over 17,000 Bhutanese refugees resettle in the US. In 2008, they began arriving in the United States in what the UN has described as one of the world's largest resettlement efforts ever. Sewa International USA has taken up a nationwide project to help these families. Currently, our chapters in various cities, along with various local organizations, are working to fulfill the immediate and longer-term needs of these refugees with several more chapters gearing up to help.
- Sewa USA is organizing its First Sewa Intl. USA Conference on Bhutanese Refugee Empowerment. The conference will be held in Atlanta, GA from Saturday, April 17th-Sunday, April 18th 2010. The objective of this conference is to empower Bhutanese families to settle in the US while preserving their identity and culture. Bhutanese brethren and Sewa volunteers will share the best practices, successes, and challenges as seen in the past 2 years. With Bhutanese and Sewa delegates representing 30 cities as well as academicians to guide the conference, Sewa hopes to design a plan of action for the coming years of the BRE project.
- BRE Colorado: The immediate focus in Colorado is to help the Bhutanese families find jobs and provide food to the families who are out of food stamps. Some success has been made in employment where three Bhutanese youth have found opportunities in a retail company. Transportation remains a challenge for the youth but Sewa volunteers are hoping to resolve this issue promptly. ESL classes are being held in multiple languages to increase their proficiency and better assimilate into life in the US. Donations received from supporting organizations, including Colorado Marathi Mandal, will be used to provide food for families in need as well as driving lessons for the Bhutanese youth. Many cultural and religious activities have been implemented in a few Bhutanese communities to keep spirits high during these difficult times. Awareness about the Bhutanese families has extended throughout the Hindu Community of Colorado where Sewa volunteers have received numerous calls from interested families. Colorado’s Sewa Chapter anticipates adding more volunteers to their team and to expand the resettlement efforts.
- BRE presentations on University Campuses: Professor Sree N. Sreenath, Sewa USA President, was invited to speak at several Southeastern university campuses during the end of February by Speaker on Campus, an initiative by Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) youth. Speaker on Campus is a yearly lecture series aimed to bring awareness about Hindu culture/traditions and issues related to Hindus worldwide to university students and staff. Prof. Sreenath spoke about Sewa USA, different projects that Sewa USA is involved in, and the BRE project at the University of Miami and the University of Central Florida, among others. Many of the students were unaware of the plight of the Bhutanese refugees and were eager to learn more about their background and present life in the US. The aim of these presentations was to describe how university students can volunteer for this cause and encourage them to spend their summer volunteering for such opportunities. Several students were inspired to learn more about the Bhutanese families and what they could do to help.
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Focus Project: Arogya Rakshak
The war against disease requires community involvement. Our approach therefore is placing the community in the center-stage and building competencies and partnership within it for low-cost and affordable, people-centered, preventive and curative health services. From the idea of health for people, we move to a 'de-medicalized' model of health by people, involving them at all stages of planning, implementation, and evaluation.
The Arogya Rakshak project is envisioned to be a strong vehicle for the "health by the people" paradigm in the health sector in India. An Arogya Rakshak is a local person trained in preventive health care, early identification of major diseases, nutrition, and hygiene. This person carries basic medicines and apparatus. He visits each village that is assigned to him on a regular basis. Regular training and input by the district team guide the Arogya Rakshak in his work. The district team is made of able doctors and social workers. This team decides the focus area, e.g. they foresee an epidemic in a particular season and plan appropriate action. The network of Arogya Rakshaks works as an interactive medium of health: they take health-service to the people, and bring people's feedback to the service-providers.
Sewa International's goal is to provide comprehensive health care solution to poor and downtrodden of slums, tribal and rural India. With this goal in mind, Arogya Rakshak intends to provide basic care and hygiene training to rural and tribal India. Sewa International funded 50 Arogya Rakshaks in Assam and Maharashtra in 2008.
To support this noble cause to bring healthcare to rural parts of India, please visit www.sewausa.org/contribute-sewa-usa for details on how to donate.
$51 for each Arogya Rakshak training
$365 for each Arogya Rakshak for a year
With a donation of $51, one local person will receive training on basic preventive healthcare techniques that will benefit multiple villages nearby. With a contribution of $365, an Arogya Rakshak can be sustained for one year with all materials for check-ups. http://www.sewausa.org/arogya-rakshak-details
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Inspiring Quotes on Sewa-Selfless Service
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile." -Albert Einstein 
“Who will give the world light? Sacrifice in the past has been the Law, it will be, alas, for ages to come. The earth's bravest and best will have to sacrifice themselves for the good of many, for the welfare of all.” -Swami Vivekananda____________________________________________________________________________________________
Contact Information:
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Mailing Address:
Sewa International USA
PO Box 14622
Fremont, CA 94539
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Website: www.sewausa.org
Email: info@sewausa.org
Phone No.: (440) 941-2525
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