The good wishes of S.I.’s well wishers are its strength and not merely the accolades. It has been receiving delegations from across the world to visit its projects and see its work themselves as seeing is believing. S.I. is glad to mention that all the visitors and delegations were satisfied with the quantity & quality of the work. Our brethren outside India have responded immediately to the disasters- natural or manmade – by extending a helping hand. Many of them tend to reach the affected place immediately to take stalk of the situation and even volunteer for a certain period. Such a response has helped Sewa International create a place in the hearts of the people across the length and breadth of Bharat and abroad.
Visitors
- Subodh Thaker ( London) Bharat Vadukul (Birmingham) and Rajkamal Patel (Leeds) visited Gujarat on 28th Feb and returned on 9th March 2001 to have the first hand information regarding the ongoing relief activities. The British Airways donated fares for two of them. They also guided and showed SI’s work in Gujarat to a team from BBC radio 5 (a reporter and Producer) and BBC world news (reporter and cameramen) who were making documentaries on the earthquake rehabilitation. ]
- Shri Dharam Vir Dhanda visited Orissa on the 3rd of February 2000, after the super cyclone which had devastated many coastal districts of Orissa. He toured extensively with local volunteers to assess the damage and assured of Sewa International’s support in building the school “Saraswati Vidya Mandir” at Gatiraut Patna, Cuttack. The school today has over 200 residential students and 200 day scholars.
- SI’s volunteers from overseas did not leave any stone unturned to collect funds and relief material and send the same to Gujarat. Some young volunteers from UK and USA even joined the relief & rehabilitation programs. 6 members of Parliament from Britain, including Mr. Barry Gardiner joined Shri Arjun Lal Sharma of Sewa International in campaign for collection of funds in UK.
- Sewa International UK delegation visited Sewa International’s earthquake rehabilitation sites:
- Sewa International carried out a massive relief and rehabilitation activities after the devastating Gujarat earthquake on 26th January, 2001. SI UK reconstructed 6 villages and more than 100 schools.
- A delegation of 7 Members of Parliament from Britain visited the rehabilitation sites in Gujarat in the month of March 2002. The delegation called on Chief Minister of Gujarat state Shri Narendra Modi on their way to rehabilitation villages in Kutch District of Gujarat. CM Modi briefted the delegation on the overall rehabilitation activities carrying out in the state.
- The MPs delegation comprised of Berry Gardiner, Andrew Love, Dari Taylor, Paramjit Dhanda, John Mann, James Purnell and Stephen Pound. The Delegation visited two villages, Mitha Pasvariya and Chapredi that were adopted by SI UK for reconstruction. The delegation had an opportunity to interact with the local beneficiaries who expressed satisfaction with the progress of the rehabilitation program.
- On completion of the rehabilitation, Sewa International, UK organized a tour of major donors and representatives of community associations from UK. 52 delegates arrived in New Delhi on 24th of January 2004. Three-day stay at Delhi included visits to four different welfare projects and Republic Day celebrations. On 27th morning the delegates left for Gujarat for a four- day visit to rehabilitated villages and schools. On 27th Jan.2004, Mr. V. Thirupuzh, Joint-CEO, Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority presented before the delegates an overview of the rehabilitation work. Delegates also called on the Hon. Governor of Gujarat Shri Kailash Pati Mishra and the Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Narendra Modi later in the evening. From 28th, January morning to 31st January evening they visited Mithapavaria, Chapredi, Rampur, Jakhotra and Rapar villages and several schools located at different places.
- On 30th January, 2004 a press conference was held at Rajkot where all the delegates expressed their satisfaction with the rehabilitation work done by Sewa Bharati Gujarat with support from Sewa International UK. Lord Mayor of Coventry Mr. Sucha Singh Bains and Ex-Mayor of Derby Mr. Ashok Kalia, Dr. Tasaruddin Wali from Edinburg, Mr. Dinesh Patel from Federation of Patidar Associations and Chairman of Sewa International UK Mr. Shantibhai Mistry were among the 52 delegates.
- A three member delegation from Sewa International USA visited the Tsunami affected areas of Tamil Nadu to witness the rehabilitation work in progress. The team comprised of Mr. Radhey Shyam Dwivedi, Mr. Srinarayan Chandak and Mr. Srikant Konda. They toured to the affected areas from the 9th of January to the 14th of January 2006 and were very satisfied to see the progress of work at various sites like the Temple at Poompuhar, the houses at Keechankupam in Nagapattinam and many schools. They even distributed new pair of cloths to 70 volunteers.
- Delegates from UK visited Sewa International’s Tsunami Rehabilitation Projects in India and Sri Lanka: (4th of Feb.2006-15th Feb.2006.)
- A delegation from UK comprising Lord Mayor of Coventry (UK) Shri Ram Lakha, Mr. Sanjay Jagatia (PRO, Sewa International, UK), Mr. Leanard Evans, Mr. Babu Mistry and Miss Minnakenny Chauhan visited India for assessing the post-Tsunami rehabilitation work in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The delegation visited various rehabilitation projects in Nagapattinam and Kanya Kumari Districts of Tamil Nadu. SI has constructed 210 houses and the Sewa Bharathi Tamil Nadu is running an Anbu Illam –an orphanage – for the Tsunami affected girls in Nagapattinam district. Presently the orphanage has 16 inmates and the building for the project is under construction. A vocational training center for girls, a computer training center and a community health center is also run by the Sewa Bharathi in Nagapattinam. In Kanyakumari district, the delegation visited the vocational training center for girls, an Anbu Illam- an orphanage- for boys with 35 inmates and some other projects. The visitors were extremely pleased to visit all these projects under Tsunami rehab program in Tamil Nadu. The delegation visited Sri Lanka for a brief tour to the rehabilitation sites on 9th and 10th February 2006. The Lord Mayor Shri Ram Lakha was overwhelmed by the hospitality of the beneficiaries as he visited many homes after handing over keys of the completed houses at Pandiruppu village in the Batticaloa Dist.
- SI UK had sponsored reconstruction and rehabilitation of 14 villages and even more number of schools in Gujarat after the devastating earth quake on 26th January 2001. The worst affected district by the earth quake was Kutch and the focus of the rehab was obviously the district. The delegation had also planned to visit those rehab sites for reviewing the status of beneficiaries. Some of the schools reconstructed then are still being supported by SI UK still. Four more volunteers from Coventry, UK joined the delegation in Gujarat where they visited Chapredi, Mithapasvaria and Rapar villages. The delegation did not miss an opportunity to visit 4 schools in the area which were then sponsored by SI UK.
- Dr. Manish Tayal a Sewa International volunteer from UK offered his voluntary services for 15 days in the earthquake affected state of Jammu and Kashmir in the month of May 2006. He conducted six camps in difficult terrain, treating the patients and providing them free medicines. Our volunteers worked shoulder to shoulder with military personnel in providing relief to the villages in the border areas.
- A seven member delegation from Nottingham, UK visited the Tsunami affected district of Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. They represented an organization ATANN (Asia Tsunami Appeal of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire). The team constituted Mr. and Mrs. Pawan Joshi, Lord Mayor of Nottingham Honorable Mohammad Munir, Mrs. Sudarshan Kumari Mohindra, Mr. Sudheer Gupta, Mr. Surjit Johal , accompanied by a BBC correspondent Brady Haran. From 15th of January 2007 to 19th January 2007, they toured to various Tsunami affected areas in Tamil Nadu and also visited projects being rehabilitated by Sewa International in the Nagapattinam district. They were very happy to witness the valuable work done out of their contribution and inaugurated 16 houses in the village Keechankuppam for which ATTAN had contributed through Sewa International.
- On the request of SI, Dr. Malathi Koli, from the USA, a leading psychiatrist started counseling services for the victims of tsunami in Tamil Nadu. The treatments provided, helped thousands of victims regain confidence and start a living for themselves.
- A 23 member Leh trekking team from UK visited India from 1st of July 2007 to 17th of July 2007 with Shri Satish Shah as Trek Coordinator. The group reached Leh, altitude 3500 meters on 1 July. After four days of acclimatization the 8 day trek commenced from village Choksi and ended at village Stok. They crossed two high mountain passes, namely Palam Peak 5360 meters high and Stok Kangri 6114 meters. The Trek was conducted to raise funds for projects in India and Africa and have raised GBP 40,000. On the way back from Leh trekking, the whole group visited Sewa International’s office at Delhi on the 15th of July 2007. They were showed three welfare projects of Sewa Bharati in Delhi. They were very impressed to see the good work being done for the needy and neglected people.
- Mr. Copp Doughlas, head of American Rescue Team International had flown to Kutch directly from El Salvador. He stated that the tranquility of the Gujaratis was amazing. That was so remarkable that he had not seen that anywhere in the world. The magnitude of the disaster that struck Gujarat was very overwhelming. He further said “Look at the composure of the people here. I can bet even in my own country, we would have been wailing and mourning but here, Kutch is all set to get up and get going. The efforts have already begun." "I don't know where from this tranquility has been derived but after such a disaster too, the calmness of the common man perplexes us. May be it is the Indian way of living or philosophy but this tranquility will help Kutch to start off again not only faster but on a positive note."
- Mr. Rameshbhai Pau, from Coventry, UK was in Ahmedabad at the time of the fatal earthquake that struck in Gujarat. He appreciated the relief work done by the SI and said that within a short span of time Sewa International’s volunteers had reached there to be coordinating the work among affected people. There was mayhem in the streets but these SEWA volunteers were extremely well organized, they helped regulate traffic. They were the first people who reached the affected area and did everything possible to help these poor victims of the earthquake, who were left in a state of shock. It was again the Sewa International’s volunteers who tried to contain the situation. It is a matter of pride that the work SI’s volunteers have been doing is now being recognized by the world-community.
- One of our senior member and co-ordinator for the London region, Dr Suraj Jain was in Bhuj area when the earthquake struck and he stayed there for one more month before he returned to UK. He commented: “Field hospitals there needed a lot of help from Sewa volunteers, who were very willing to help with all their capacity and proven skills.” As a surgeon and anesthetist Dr Jain was very useful in the field hospitals where he saw external agencies working 'hand in hand' with Sewa Bharati. 'Truly whole world as one family' – was in action!
