Indo American News

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Sewa International Prepares to Offer Carolina Residents Help As Hurricane Florence Threatens The Mid-Atlantic States

ATLANTA (GA): As Hurricane Florence approaches the East Coast of the United States, the governors of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia have issued mandatory evacuation orders affecting more than one million residents in the coastal areas.

The Carolinas have not seen a category 3 hurricane in 22 years. The three affected states have a large Indian-American population, some of whom would be facing their first major hurricane ever. Sewa International’s Director of Disaster Relief, Swadesh Katoch says, “Stores have already run out of essential supplies like water, bread, and bananas. Generators, storm radios, and sand bags are also difficult to find. Most gas stations in the coastal areas are running out of gas, and those who still have gas are jacking up the price.”

Katoch says last year’s response to Hurricanes Harvey and Maria taught his team how to better respond to future events. He is rolling out the full disaster preparedness plan – including a remote operations center, teams on the ground in all major cities, and lining up logistics to haul in supplies after the storm, if needed. Kiran Krishna, the chapter President of Sewa Raleigh, and Venugopal Reddy, the chapter President of Sewa Charlotte are networking with government officials to keep the Indian community informed and prepared.

Sewa International has set up a hot line — 413-648-SEWA (7392) — for use by Indian Americans in particular, and US residents in general. Anyone can call the hot line and ask for help. Sewa International has been using social media to post regular alerts and updates about the hurricane. Local Sewa teams in the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland are working with local temples and Indian organizations to keep the community together and be prepared to help each other. Sewa Teams in Atlanta and Boston are organizing to host evacuees.

“We are especially concerned about the vulnerable population such as people who are home bound, sick, or have very young children. We are circulating WhatsApp messages with helpful information on how to prepare and tide over Hurricane Florence and its aftermath. While our hotline number is available all the time, the best way to stay updated with us is to like our Facebook page – Sewa International,” said Prof. Sreenath, President of Sewa International.

“We are urging people in the optional evacuation areas to not wait for the last minute. If you think you may have to evacuate, leave now,” said Kiran Krishna, President of the Raleigh Chapter of Sewa International.

Sewa International, the leading Indian American nonprofit has extensive experience in disaster rescue, and relief and rehabilitation, having served in 23 disasters in the US and abroad. Last year during Hurricane Harvey they helped rescue nearly 700 people, and have served thousands of affected families since then. Sewa raised $2 Million for Harvey recovery, including a grant of $400,000 from the Houston Mayor’s fund, and a $500,000 grant from American Red Cross. Sewa continues to rebuild houses and provide case management to affected families more than one year after Hurricane Harvey struck Texas.

September 13, 2018
Rosharon Calling

Photos: Navin Mediwala

HOUSTON: Imagine a community of 200 broken and flooded houses with poor access roads, piles of rotten debris, surviving on backed-up sewage, still filled with undrained flood and rain water at many places and smelling strong mold and mildew every day. This is Rosharon, a small agrarian Cambodian community in Brazoria County of greater Houston – completely isolated, neglected and severely impacted by Harvey. All of these residents (majority of them being elders) are facing severe health risks. Dr. Harshida Chaudhari, one of the Sewa doctors serving through regular Sewa Medical camps at Rosharon has raised this as a serious concern, “People of Rosharon are living in unsanitary and unhealthy conditions. People have lot of health issues and they are stressed out. There is a high chance of acquiring infectious diseases. This community needs an immediate attention.”

With extreme challenges in transport access, medical risks and other related issues, lot of volunteering organizations had to back out from Rosharon. As mentioned by Red Cross officials, they were “trying to get supplies and food to a community in Brazoria County” and were “encountering some access challenges”. Since Sewa volunteers had already reached out to this under-served community, Red Cross team sought help from Sewa International for the delivery of their supplies. Erin Stephens, Regional Mass Care and Logistics Manager, American Red Cross, said, “We so appreciate the services Sewa team has been providing to this community and want to ensure that we can keep supporting your efforts. Information you may have about the ongoing/new needs of the community would be useful.”

Sewa volunteers visit Rosharon every day and continue to frontend all relief operations at Rosharon while working closely with other organizations. Sewa volunteers have been actively involved in serving this community and providing food, water, temporary shelter and medical assistance to residents of Rosharon. A lot still needs to be done for this community and more Houstonians need to come forward for their cause.

Sewa Houston team has contributed more than 45,000 volunteer hours till date (after Harvey aftermath) and continues to raise Harvey relief fund. Many organizations and people have joined Sewa for this noble cause. Arya Samaj has been a leading supporter to Sewa Houston though their multiple initiatives and programs. This week, Sewa also gathered support and contribution from Katy India Cultural Show, Meenakshi Temple, Amit Tandon Comedy Show and Gaudia Math.

One of the most touching contributions this week for Sewa was from Seven Jain teenagers who observed Atthai. Atthai is an 8-day fast during auspicious week of Paryushan when one gives up all types of food and survives only on water. Purpose of these austerities is to test one’s self-restraint, mind control & devotion and help develop strong will, focus and concentration. This year seven young Jain students Diksha Kurwa, Jessica Shah, Jiya Jhonsa, Manushi Shah, Pranav Mehta, Riya Mehta, and Riya Solanki observed Atthai at the end of which their families hosted an appreciation ceremony called Saangi. These teenagers had collected over $16,750 in gifts during this occasion and all seven kids decided to donate all the proceeds to Sewa International. In the words of Jiya Jhonsa : “We decided to donate our gift collections to SEWA, who has been extremely active in helping the victims of Hurricane Harvey in the greater Houston area since the disaster struck Houston. It was an easy decision to donate to SEWA as me and my family have personally volunteered for SEWA and have seen all of their efforts first-hand (like demolishing/clean-up of damaged properties, providing hot meals, providing basic necessities like clothes and medicines, etc.). We are confident that SEWA is going to put this donation from us to a very good use and we are proud to be a small part of this noble initiative undertaken by SEWA”. Sewa team is truly honored and humbled by this noble gesture.

Amit Tandon, a popular stand-up comedian and a Sewa supporter himself, has shared a personal invitation on social media (facebook, twitter etc.) to appeal everyone to support Sewa. As he puts it “I have seen remarkable job Sewa Houston has done. Pls do volunteer for Sewa or donate money. Be a part of this great initiative and be a part of Sewa”.

You can join your neighborhood volunteer group by registering as a volunteer at https://sewausa.org/chapter/houston/houston-overview Or email us at Houston@sewausa.org

For further details contact Gitesh Desai (281) 300-7346 or Achalesh Amar (713) 357-8216
Email: houston@sewausa.org
Web: http://www.sewahouston.org
Phone: 281.909.SEWA

September 28, 2017
True to its Mission, Sewa Team Continues to Serve Houstonians in the Aftermath of Harvey

Doctors for Sewa – Rosharon Sewa medical camp put together by a few doctors is getting busy now!! We have a team of 5 wonderful doctors at the moment, more are joining soon!

HOUSTON: 1,250+ volunteers, 43,000+ hours of service (translating to efforts worth 1 Million dollars), clean-up of 400+ damaged houses, direct support to 800+ families – this quick statistics of the rebuild and rehabilitation work over last 2 weeks by Sewa, says it all.

Hundreds of Sewa volunteers continue to be on field supporting some of the most impacted communities in Katy, Cypress, Downtown Houston and Texas City. Their selfless and untiring efforts have helped rebuild many homes in these communities. Sewa team is helping in sheetrock cutting, house cleaning, organizing and distributing clean-up kits, equipment etc. Sewa is actively leading the rehabilitation work at Rosharon. This community mainly consists of poor Cambodian agrarian families severely affected by Harvey with no provision of any temporary shelter. Along with helping more than 200 families, 35 houses, providing 200+ tents, 120+ bedsheets, and other essential items at Rosharon, Sewa team also organized a medical camp for these residents. It was heartening to see a small Cambodian girl insisting to be a doctor when she grows up – inspired by the empathy and warmth of Sewa doctors!

Sewa volunteers helping at Pets4Life animal shelter. Over 500 dogs and cats all around Houston who were separated from their families during the merciless wrath of Harvey are at this center.

Sewa International has been collaborating with multiple organizations in relief efforts like Red Cross. Team Sewa’s dedication and commitment have gained support from many leading organizations and personalities for its humanitarian cause. Along with ‘Doctors for Sewa’, the Harvey relief operation efforts by Sewa have also inspired ‘Comedians for Sewa’, ‘Music for Sewa’ and even ‘Garba for Sewa’.
Comedy show by Rajeev Satyal, a famous Indo-American stand-up comedian, was organized by Hindu American Foundation on Sep 15 at India House. 50% of the show collections were donated to Sewa International Disaster Relief Fund. Another rising star of stand-up comedy, Amit Tandon, will also be donating part of his proceeds from his upcoming event in Houston to Sewa International.

A musical fundraiser exclusively for Sewa Relief Fund was organized by Mousumi Banerjee and Hemang Thakkar at India House on Sep 16. More than 200 guests enjoyed the evening of melodious Indian music and delicious Indian food while helping the cause of Harvey Relief. ‘Ratri before Navratri’, a popular local dandiya event organized by VPSS and Manoranjan Inc (Ajit Patel, Nisha Irani) on Sep 16 donated 10% of their receipts to Sewa Harvey Relief Fund. The biggest Garba event in Austin and in Dallas with Phalguni Pathak have also supported Sewa International for Harvey relief this year. More than 20 major Garba events across US have expressed solidarity with Sewa International’s Harvey relief efforts.

Many families in Houston are still struggling to get back to their lives since they have lost their means of livelihood to Harvey. Providing livelihood support to such families is another topmost priority for Sewa. Mr. Riaz Ali, a Houston-based DJ from Mumbai had lost his van and his music equipment during the Harvey disaster. Sewa team came forward to help him in this hour of need and has provided financial assistance to buy new van and equipment. Mr. Riaz Ali is now back on his feet while joining the plethora of people supported by Sewa International.

Volunteer crews are actively helping senior citizens, home bound citizens, low-income families and single mothers across Greater Houston.

You can join your neighborhood volunteer group by registering as volunteer at https://sewausa.org/chapter/houston/houston-overview Or email us at Houston@sewausa.org

September 22, 2017
End of Internship Gala – Sewa International

HOUSTON: On July 29, Sewa International hosted an End of Internship Gala for all of its interns to celebrate their various efforts and accomplishments at the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce hall. Every summer, Sewa has held Get Inspired Houston and LEAD Houston internships for college and high school students respectively. Their responsibilities span various areas; this year, the GIH interns were divided into four cohorts denoting their area of interest – public health, youth education, event management, and PR/media. In addition, they also spent their time at Sewa’s renowned ASPIRE tutorial centers and Alief ISD’s Summer Language Institute – both of which cater to the refugee and newly immigrant population by sharpening their English Language skills and easing their transition to a new cultural experience.

The evening started off with a wonderful social hour where Sewa dignitaries and various others joined to mingle and familiarize themselves with the interns. The audience was then introduced to the GIH interns individually – while also highlighting each cohort’s achievements over the summer – followed by an end of internship video that captured the true sentiment of service, and the love of service.

There was an invigorating speech delivered by councilman and mayoral candidate for the city of Sugar Land (and the guest of honor for the evening) Harish Jajoo, that focused on the value of service in the community as a whole and within oneself specifically. Speeches were also delivered by the speaker, the Sarojini Gupta, and a vote of thanks by Anita Ravat. It was a truly memorable evening, punctuated by the celebration of service and the efforts of Sewa’s interns.

August 4, 2017
NASA Scientist Dr. Kishen Kumar Inspires Sewa International’s Summer Interns

By Azra Fatima Mirza

HOUSTON: On Saturday, June 10, the Sewa International Houston chapter welcomed its high school LEAD interns for the summer of 2017. To end the informative orientation, LEAD and GIH interns alike took part in an interesting lecture from NASA’s Dr. Kishen Kumar, who gave them valuable advice on the topic of motivation and life in general. Dr. Kumar kept the audience engaged throughout the lecture with his funny anecdotes, memorable experiences, and respected guidance. He explained thoroughly the concept of inspiration and discussed what inspires a person to be who they are and do what they do in the journey of life. He showed pictures of places he visited and mentioned concepts that related to astronomy and other scientific fields to give the audience the chance to look at issues through multiple lenses. His lecture was sprinkled with jokes and unique quotes by famous writers, scientists, and philosophers to enhance his presentation. Overall, Dr. Kumar executed a lecture that was not only extremely applicable in the everyday life of a person but provided inspiration to stay strong in whatever situation one may find himself in.

Dr.Kishen Kumar Dr.Kishen Kumar hails from Kashmir and has been associated with NASA for the past 41 years.He has more than 17o0 publications to his credit and has given more than 500 talks around the world.

Lead Houston is Sewa International’s Summer Internship Program for High School students. The interns participate for a min 50 hours of commitment that includes direct service in Volunteer events and Aspire tutorials and participate in lectures with Leading figures in the community. The Speakers are leaders from different fields like Business, Nonprofits, Media, Arts, Social works, etc. Lead Houston introduces socially conscious leadership to young adults. Our past speakers have been NASA scientists, Mayors, and Congressmen from the Greater Houston Area.

Get Inspired Houston (GIH) is an internship program offered by Sewa International’s Houston chapter which allows young adults to explore and innovate new ideas geared towards the welfare of refugee communities. Over the past 8 years, GIH has provided a platform wherein young minds identify, create and implement projects which lead to social change in our community, all while working alongside a grass-root, non-profit organization. At the end of the eight-week internship, the Interns have a minimum of 140 hours of direct community interaction and 200 hours of experience of working with a non-profit.

June 16, 2017
Stop Diabetes Movement (SDM) Yoga Camps Motivates Participants for Healthy Lifestyle

By Nikhil Jain

HOUSTON: Sewa International and VYASA organized ten-day yoga camps from February 24 to March 5. The camps were held simultaneously at three locations in the Houston area (Sugar Land, West Houston & Katy) and 65 people participated. The camp is specially designed for diabetic and pre-diabetic people to help them manage and control high blood sugar levels with yoga routine and holistic approach. SDM camps are being conducted all across the country, so far 14 Camps have been conducted in Houston area and 10+ camps in other cities in the country. More than 300+ people have participated in these camps, from all walks of life, since the time these camps started.

The ten-day camp included daily yoga routine, educative sessions from medical doctors and specialist on diabetes, stress management, food habits and diet. At the closing ceremony held at Keshav Smruti on Sunday, participants shared about the transformation the camp brought in their lifestyle and in managing diabetes. One of the participants, Gaurav from Sugarland, says “I started eating right and doing personal training and yoga. After the SDM camp, my blood sugar levels have come down significantly and now I am a living example of how Yoga and nutrition works”. Jyoti from Katy mentions “I was diagnosed with pre breast cancer and could not move my left hand due to chemo, but by doing the “Asanas” at the camp, I am able to take my hand all the way up”. Another participant, Rahul, who attended the camp in Arya Samaj, says “I have attended a lot of Yoga sessions before, however the Yoga Therapists in this camp paid great attention to details; doctor presentations were pretty good.”

Jay from VYASA presented data on the results of this camp. The drop in participant’s fasting blood glucose level and post prandial sugar levels was noticeable with just 10 days of practice (based on the readings provided by participants before start & at the end of these camp). The program concluded with Nikhil Jain offering vote of thanks to all the participants, doctors (Dr. Sudha Rajan, Dr. Ulupi Choksi, Dr. Sejal Desai, Dr. Kavita Patel, Dr. Shilpan Shah and Dr. Namrata Rathod); camp yoga therapists (Meena Kankani, Satya Pappu, Vijay Jilledimudi & Jayachandran Chandrasekaran); SDM core volunteer team (Anuja Deshpande, Sripriya Joysula, Vibhuti Shah, Arvind Thekdi, Naina Patel and Noopur Saptnekar); VYASA Houston Directors Vishwarup Nanjundappa & Smitha Mallaiah and their team; Unique Industrial Product Company, Arya Samaj of Greater Houston, Keshav Smruti and Swath Yoga Studio for providing their facility and partnering to conduct these SDM camps. A delicious and nutritious potluck meal was served to end the program on a high note.

These yoga camp were extremely successful and the participants are now looking forward to keeping up with the practice and come back for a follow up session in 4 weeks. Sewa will conduct the next set of camps in various parts of Houston, from Sep 9 to 17. These camps are free of charge and have refundable deposit after participants complete all the sessions.

For those who want to know more about SDM Diabetes Yoga camp or want to volunteer, please email at info-sdm@sewausa.org or text (713) 834-4909 / (281) 546-8202.

March 17, 2017
Stress Reduction through Yoga Workshop at Baker Ripley Neighborhood Center by Sewa

By Anuja Deshpande

HOUSTON: Sewa team recently conducted yoga workshop “Stress Reduction through Yoga” at Baker Ripley Neighborhood Center on February 4. Most of the members at Baker Ripley center come from low income families and encounter tremendous amount of stress in their daily life. This everyday stress takes a toll on their health and eventually affects the quality of life. Therefore, it is essential that the community members should have access to low cost health care options.

To address this issue, Sewa started an initiative in 2016 by name of Yoga for Sewa. Under this initiative, the “Stress Reduction through Yoga” Workshop is designed for people who have to deal with difficult situations in daily life. The workshop started with warm up exercises, followed by sun salutations to bring up the heart rate, followed by yoga postures to help reduce stress, and breathing practice at the end to calm down the mind.

The workshop was highly successful with attendance of 15+ participants and with interest to make this a regular session at the community center. Sewa team, that designed and implemented the workshop include, Yoga therapist Ms. Hasita Kartick, coordinator Ms. Anuja Deshpande, project coordinator Kavita Tewary, and volunteer/translator Ms. Camila Escobar.

Sewa team is working tirelessly to arrange these free workshops for low income communities in order to serve people who cannot afford high end yoga studios or expensive health care options.

If you or your community center is interested in conducting “Stress Reduction through Yoga” Workshop, please give us a call at (281)546 8202 or reach us at contact@sewausa.org. For more information, visit us at https://sewausa.org/chapter/houston/houston-overview.

February 24, 2017
3 Community Organization Partner to Present Workshop on Diabetes & Yoga

By Nikhil Jain

HOUSTON: Sewa International along with JVB Preksha Meditation Center & VYASA organized a free community workshop “Multifaceted holistic approach to Diabetes through Yoga” on January 28. It was attended by over 100 people and was conducted by Dr. Sudha Rajan who has been practicing in the Clear Lake area for the past 30 years.

The workshop started with JVB President & host Seema Jain welcoming the participants and informing them about JVB and its activities. Thereafter Sachin Dabir of Sewa & Jayachandran Chandrasekaran of VYASA talked briefly about the activities of their respective organization. It was heartfelt to see three of the active community organizations joining hands to bring this program and the community members responding so well.

Dr. Sudha Rajan gave a presentation on yoga therapy as a treatment protocol for diabetes, a global pandemic. She outlined eight major causative defects in the human system—and how yoga therapy addresses each of these defects. Dr. Rajan stressed that lifestyle changes in diet, exercise and the deep relaxation of major organs through yoga can arrest pre-diabetes or even reverse diabetes. Chronic stress, she said, from the demands of modern life causes serious, deleterious effects in the human body. However, yoga therapy is an effective treatment for stress, diabetes or not. Audience was surprised to learn that a company in Israeli has developed a machine to assist in managing one’s breath rate, thus managing blood pressure effectively.

On the related topic, Nikhil Jain shared about the upcoming Stop Diabetes Movement (SDM) Yoga camps being conducted by the certified therapist and medical doctors. Sewa USA has been conducting these camps in Houston area since 2014 and over 100 people have participated. This camp provides holistic approach to managing Diabetes through Yoga and diet control. Several participants registered for the upcoming SDM camps on site itself.

A big thank you to Dr. Rajan and all the volunteers of these 3 organizations starting with Seema Jain, Gaurav Jhaveri, Deepesh Jain, Ritu Jain, Anuja Deshpande, Vibhuti Shah, Naina Patel, Noopur Sapatnekar, Sachin Dabir, Jay Chandrasekaran & Roshmi Dalal for putting things together. The workshop ended with nutritious snacks & tea served to everyone.

These SDM yoga camp have been extremely successful with over 100+ participants already have attended these in Houston during the past 1 year. The ten-day camp included daily yoga routine, lectures from doctors and specialist on diabetes, stress, food habits, and, how to manage better. Sewa & VYASA will conduct the next set of camps in Katy, Sugarland, West Houston & Cypress simultaneously, from Feb 24th to March 5th. These camps are free of charge, they have a deposit which is refunded once participants complete all the sessions.

For those who want to know more & register for these SDM Diabetes Yoga camp, please contact info-sdm@sewausa.org or (713)834-4909 / (281) 546-8202. The last day to register for the camp is February 15th, 2017.

Sewa USA is 501 (c) (3) Hindu faith-based non-profit, charitable organization.
All donations (cash, cars, clothes, securities, etc.) are tax-deductible. (Tax Id# 20-0638718).
Sewa serves humanity regardless of race, religion, color, gender or nationality.

February 3, 2017
Fun Field Trip for Refugee and Immigrant Children at Shaw STEAM Center

By Anuja Deshpande

HOUSTON: Sewa International and Cryptonite, together organized a fun filled trip to the Robert R. Shaw center for STEAM on October 9, for kids from underserved communities. Sewa Houston conducts after school programs (ASPIRE) for refugee and immigrant families, and more than 70 kids are enrolled in these programs. Also, Sewa team celebrates Sewa day annually to promote volunteerism in every section of the society. This year, the Cryptonite group volunteered to teach ASPIRE kids about science as part of Sewa day celebration. Cryptonite is a group of high school students from Katy ISD, who study robotics and have won many competitions in designing and building robots.

At the Robert R. Shaw center, Cryptonite students designed three types of fun filled experiments for kids to learn from. These experiments were based on principles such as air pressure, dynamic design, force and elasticity. The field trip also included presentation on robot designing and testing, lab tour and live demonstration. More than 30 kids attended the field trip and had great learning experience. Many of them would love to come back and know more about robotics.

More than 20 volunteers worked well together to make this event a success. President of Cryptonite, Chetana Samal and Project Coordinator of Sewa, Kavita Tewary were instrumental in arranging the trip. ASPIRE education coordinators (Camilla Escobar, Amit Pandya, Anuja Deshpande), and volunteers (Andres Erazo, AmeriCorps Vista Hasita Karthick) supported the event. It concluded on a high note with delicious food and goodies for kids arranged by Cryptonite group.

The field trip in form of Sewa day celebration was extremely successful and kids as well as volunteers are looking forward to go back to the Rober R. Shaw Center again. More such learning activities will be arranged for ASPIRE children in near future by Sewa team.

For those who want to volunteer at the center or for an event, please feel free to email us at Houston@sewausa.org or contact (713) 303 4253.

Sewa USA is 501 (c) (3) a Hindu faith-based non-profit, charitable organization. All donations (cash, cars, clothes, securities, etc.) are tax-deductible. (Tax Id# 20-0638718)

Sewa serves humanity regardless of race, religion, color, gender or nationality

October 20, 2016
International Day of Yoga Celebration by SEWA in Los Arcos, San Marcos

By Anuja Deshpande

HOUSTON: To celebrate International Yoga Day, Sewa Houston hosted free yoga sessions on Saturday, July 9 and Sunday July 10 for the residents of the San Marcos and Los Arcos apartment complexes. The San Marcos and Los Arcos apartments house Latino immigrants, and refugees, mostly from Bhutan. People that live in underserved areas tend to have health problems that are not recognized early on due to lack of resources or knowledge. It’s been proven that yoga helps improve health conditions such as high blood pressure, high sugar, depression, and breathing difficulties. Thus, Sewa Houston hosted the free yoga sessions for the residents in order to introduce them to a cost effective way of developing a healthier lifestyle.

The yoga sessions were conducted with the support of Yoga therapists (Roshmi, Madhukar Adi and Hasita) and volunteers (College and High school SEWA interns). People were fascinated by the idea, and kids at the San Marcos complex enjoyed the short yoga practice. Sewa will continue its community outreach to make the residents aware of benefits of yoga and a healthier lifestyle.

Sewa Houston is one of thirty-eight Sewa branches located within the United States. Sewa Houston aims to help those most disadvantaged within its local community with programs focused on refugee empowerment, public health outreach, and improving the education of immigrant and refugee students. Sewa is dedicated to the ideal of “Service above Self”.

For more information and volunteer opportunities email us at: houston@sewausa.org

July 14, 2016
Sewa ASPIRE: Lego Drive

The Sewa Houston Summer 2016 interns

HOUSTON: Sewa International held a LEGO Drive at the Texas Robotics Invitational on Saturday, June 25, held at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory High School. Abhishek Routray, a mechanical engineering student at U.T. Austin and Sewa intern, set up a booth at the robotics competition to collect LEGO toys for the children Sewa works with. Routray was able to collect several thousand pieces worth of LEGOs that ranged from full sets to spare parts.

The toys collected will be used to introduce the refugee and immigrant children that Sewa works with to robotics and coding concepts. The Sewa interns have dedicated their summer to planning and executing an interactive and educative math and science curriculum. The lesson plans include experiments the children can assemble in class, competitions, and videos.

An Aspire Students at San Marcos ASPIRE center, learning all about growing plants

As one of the summer curriculum coordinators, Routray decided that using LEGOs in class would be an ingenious way of awakening an interest in science, “Based off of the science experiments we have already done, I know they will really enjoy all the activities we have planned for them; and I can’t wait to see what their imaginations make of the LEGO sets.”

Besides implementing a new STEM curriculum at Sewa, the interns are also helping the children improve their English speaking skills, and creating a mentorship program for them. The mentors are immigrant and refugee professionals who talk to the kids about their experiences upon their arrival to the U.S. and how they have succeeded.

ASPIRE tutorials is Sewa International’s flagship afterschool program that runs in Los Arcos and San Marcos apartments in South West Houston. The program is supported by the Harris county department of education,State Fram Neighbourhood Assist Grant, San Marcos owners,Subhash Sreeram and Shonali Majumdar, Brays Oaks Management District director Richard Rodriguez and Council Man Larry Green of District K.

Sewa Houston is one of thirty-eight Sewa branches located within the United States. For over ten years Sewa Houston has been part of a larger international movement which aims to serve humanity irrespective of religion, gender or nationality. Sewa Houston aims to help those most disadvantaged within its local community with programs focused on refugee empowerment, public health outreach, and improving the education of immigrant and refugee students. Sewa is dedicated to the ideal of “Service above Self”.

July 1, 2016
History of Yoga- Screening of Movie Followed by Lecture

By Noopur Sapatnekar

HOUSTON: SEWA international hosted screening of the documentary-History of Yoga at Keshav Smriti on April 16, and Woodlands Hindu Temple on April 17. The movie followed by a lecture was presented by Ramji Om (researcher and script writer for the documentary) and Deepika Kothari (Debut documentary producer).

Ramji OM is MSc in Mathematics. He has been an ardent practitioner of Yoga since his early childhood days.Has written the script and done cinematography of film History of Yoga. Also given Lectures on “Yoga & Indian Civilization – its Continuity & change” at IITs etc.

Deepika Kothari is PhD in Physics. Her dozens of scientific papers were published in International & National Journals. Now her area of interest is research, writing and film making on Indian thought, cultural heritage, Yoga and various doctrines with modern scientific outlook. She has also screened the documentary “History of Yoga” with discussion at many Institutions across India, US, Canada, London & Paris. This film was also screened at various Indian Missions Abroad, on International Yoga Day 2015.

The documentary film ‘History of Yoga’ traces History & Philosophy of Yoga from 6000 years in the most authentic, lucid and entertaining way. The film is the first ever comprehensive visual document. The film story explores Yoga in Harappa Civilization, Veda, Jainism, Buddhism, Sufism, Hath-Yogic practices of medieval times & other peripheral doctrines. The film ends in 19th century where modern science acknowledges the potential of yoga in a new light.

“I think there is no such documentation in the world of this depth and vastness on the subject,” says its Director & producer Deepika Kothari, a Physicist and writer.

Ramji Om , Cinematographer and writer of the film says, “ To understand the exact context in which yoga was developed and practiced, this film has the answer”.

The film aims to help protect knowledge and technique of Yoga from distortion, deliberate exploitation and indiscriminate patenting and preserve it for generations to come. Also it aims to disseminate and popularize it in all the continents where Yoga has become a household practice. The film is a priced possession for Yoga lovers, researchers, educational Institutions and a gift item. Highly researched and well interpreted this documentary is a delight to watch, 6000 years in just 98 minutes!!

At last the presenters concluded by mentioning that wrong interpretations of yoga is a major hindrance in order to make people understand the real value and importance of it. In this era in many places yoga has become a tool of consumerism. We all should pledge to avoid yoga from getting exploited and from becoming a tool of consumerism.

April 21, 2016
Sewa International at the Forefront of Tamil Nadu Relief Operations

Sewa International USA has raised over $100,000

HOUSTON: The rains and accompanying floods in Tamil Nadu have thrown the normal life into a disarray in various parts of Tamil Nadu. But Chennai, Cuddalore and Puducherry have taken the brunt of it. Apart from over 500 deaths reported thus far, hundreds of thousands have been rendered homeless. 1.5 million people have been evacuated and another 2.5 million have been displaced. Most of these flood victims have lost everything and their homes have been rendered worthless. The current reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts are pegged at almost 20 times what was needed for New Orleans. The task is enormous! A monumental response is needed for rescue, relief and rehabilitation.

Sewa International and its sister organizations (including Seva Bharathi) have risen to the challenge with 93 teams with more than 5,000 dedicated volunteers working round the clock. A strong team of 50 doctors and 12 medical and pharmacy students from various parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have landed in Chennai to offer their help. A total of 10 medical teams have so far conducted 40 camps in various parts of Chennai where more than one lakh (100,000) flood victims were examined.

Volunteers from all over Tamil Nadu and neighboring states are lending a helping hand by bringing supplies and essentials and then distributing it. At many places our volunteers reached before NDRF / Army.

Sewa is putting together a kit of essential supplies (mats, blankets, cooking utensils, school supplies, basic medicines, etc) so that families can start their lives again.

Sewa volunteers in the US are offering 24×7 backroom support to coordinate these army of volunteers. They use social media extensively to send help where it is needed.

Sewa International has already reached $100,000 in just six (6) days. We have set a goal of $500,000 for Tamil Nadu Flood Relief.

For latest updates, please visit https://www.facebook.com/sewausa/
Help us help Tamil Nadu in this hour of need by donating at https://www.sewausa.org/donate

December 17, 2015
Sewa Day 2015: International Day of Volunteering Celebrated Across USA

Sewa volunteers working with the Adopt A beach Foundation in Galveston, Texas.

HOUSTON: The Indian-American community between September 11 and October 4 celebrated “Sewa Day” – a day of pure service – with a variety of community service projects at over 20 locations across the USA. Hundreds of volunteers from Sewa International and partner organizations including professional bodies, associations, linguistic, temple, spiritual, social and cultural organizations came together for a day of community service and worked on a variety of projects to make a difference in their communities. Sewa Day was also celebrated across the world in UK, Canada, Australia, Guyana, and Sri Lanka.

Projects were organized based on three guiding principles:

1. Serve to relieve hardship to humanity

2. Bring a little joy to the needy

3. Increase environmental awareness

Youth and children enthusiastically participated as volunteers too. At Boston, MA, volunteers cooked dinner for 200 people at the Cor Unum Meal Center – a nonprofit that provides nutritious meals in a safe environment to needy families. In Charlotte, NC, volunteers removed roadside trash and debris as part of the county’s adopt-a-city street program, and also cleaned up the local temple.Volunteers in Cleveland, OH, Sewa cleaned up the Weiss Field Metro Park. In Columbus, OH, volunteers organized group games and a cultural program for the Bhutanese refugee community, and, distributed school bags and food.In Philadelphia, PA, volunteers participated in a food drive and helped manage parking at a local festival. Volunteers in Delaware cleaned their neighborhood temple including shrine upkeep, maintaining the parking lot, washing windows and collecting garbage.Three Sewa Day events were held in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area, TX. Youth volunteers helped out at Frisco with a community organization devoted to local service projects, with acts of love and socialization with a sisterhood of moms.

A free medical camp was organized for the Bhutanese refugee families in Dallas in which three doctors and 16 volunteers participated and over 40 patients benefited. Sewa volunteers also served at Plano City’s cultural exchange program showcasing Japanese art and culture.In Houston, TX, 50 volunteers picked up trash and debris from Galveston beach as part of the Texas adopt-a-beach initiative. In San Antonio, TX, volunteers vacuumed, cleaned doors and windows, and washed the blinds at their local mandir. In Denver, CO, volunteers cleaned up the Brighton temple hall, yard, kitchen and deities. Volunteers from Portland, OR and Seattle, WA cleaned up trails and vegetation and participated in upkeep and preservation activity at the Vedanta Society’s spiritual retreat.

October 16, 2015
Intensive Facebook Campaign Helps SEWA International’s ASPIRE Tutorials Win a Grant of $25,000

Sewa Aspire Campaign picture

By Umang Thanki & Jackson Courter

HOUSTON: State Farm’s recent competition known as Neighborhood Assist provided a significant opportunity for Sewa as it challenged community members to vouch for a cause and earn $25,000 that can be used to promote it. The general procedure involved selecting an area to support and providing a grant statement that explained the organization’s purpose for applying. Determined with its ongoing ASPIRE program, Sewa’s position advocated for education. After submitting the application, Sewa was placed in the top 400 of the approximately 4000 that had applied across the different categories. At that point, an exclusive Facebook voting system was instilled in the sense that the number of “likes” on an organization’s page would determine their chances of winning – which means being in the top 40 in the leaderboard during the end of the voting period.

After Sewa was selected in the first phase, the Facebook voting process set off as organizations members spread the information of their cause to the greater community. And with the immense support of friends and family from the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Japan, and India, Sewa secured a healthy rank of 19 when the polls closed. It was also the only charity from Texas to have made it to the top 40.

The additional money gained from this grant is extremely important as it will allow Sewa to buttress the infrastructure of the tutoring program as a whole as well as to have a continuous volunteering pool throughout the year. In other words, the money will ensure a smooth and productive continuation of the ASPIRE program and hence the betterment of the lives of refugee children in the years ahead.

Integral to the mission of the Houston chapter of Sewa International is its partnership with the AmeriCorps VISTA program, which for 50 years has been sending volunteers, known as VISTAs, to work in nonprofit organizations around the country. Their goal is to build the capacity of the organizations they work for. Being a VISTA is more than a job, it is a lifestyle. VISTAs live among the populations they serve, and are paid a poverty-level living allowance. The growth of the ASPIRE program is a direct result of the Sewa VISTAs’ dedication to understanding the plight of the refugees in Houston and implementation of methods to give them the tools to bring themselves out of poverty. Such growth would be impossible without the VISTAs’ ground-level perspective on poverty that leads them to make community service a way of life.

The future of Sewa is very promising as it already has established centers all around the world and is growing significantly as new challenges to humanity arise. Although societal idealism cannot be practically realized, Sewa’s efforts are definitely approaching the end goal of a happy world, one step at a time. To know more about Aspire tutorials please email Kavita Tewary @ educationhouston@sewausa.org

July 9, 2015
Sewa Lead Interns Explore Grass Root Community Work with Texans Together

Frank Garcia, Director Texans Together

By Anoushka Giri

HOUSTON:Television, newscasts and other mediums provide the well-to-do middle class a glimpse at the “worlds” of those it has solely seen as part of a statistic, another demographic, another poverty-stricken neighborhood stained upon the comfortable lives that the otherwise middle class suburban background offers. We hear of the strifes and it’s enough to say that emotion can be evoked when we hear these stories, but until a true encounter is made with the very movers and shakers who change the inhospitable circumstances, it’s quite impossible to understand.

On June 25, a group of SEWA Houston Interns were given the opportunity to harbor such understanding when Alief community leader Frank Garcia unfolded his own story and welcomed us to his vision and the sanctuary it has materialized into. Garcia welcomed us as his team members, as he sought to understand our own motives behind assisting the individuals around us through education and leadership program. Yet his communication with us did not stop there. Acknowledging that we would be unfamiliar with the hostile situations of the Alief neighborhoods, Garcia took to conveying his connection to the community. Growing up within a family that continuously sought apartments as it looked for a stable job opportunities, Garcia lacked a sense of homeliness to any particular setting. However, this did not prevent him from being affected by the negativity of the Alief community he would eventually settle in. Childhood and adolescence were consumed within the hardships, but this negativity would mark Garcia, now a member of Texans Together, with lessons that he would later manifest into a community center capable of feeding his community a power to organize, to lead, and to empower both themselves and the rest of the society which they aimed to pull out of the negativity. A tour through the community center evokes a sense of comfort and intellect, be it to children who create new friendships and forge new lessons through reading, or to adults who receive information regarding immigration, financial assistance, or simply put, a helping hand. It is individuals as Frank Garcia who imprint a vision upon society, and it is society which then changes its circumstances.

Sewa Lead Houston Interns are rising Juniors and Seniors in High School and they spend 50 or more hours over summer volunteering with the community.

For further information call Kavita Tewary at 713-303-4253 or email at educationhouston@sewausa.org

July 2, 2015
Sewa Volunteer Recognized at the Volunteer Houston Service Awards

Sewa youth volunteer Kaushiki Tewary and Sewa Team with Chief Guest Niel Bush

HOUSTON: Last Friday, May 15, marked the 31st annual Greater Houston Service Awards, a ceremony that honors the city’s most hardworking and dedicated volunteers. Recognized at the event was 17 yearJunior at Cinco Ranch High School , Kaushiki Tewary, who was nominated by Sewa International .She was honored as one of the top 3 youth volunteers of the Year from across Houston area at a glittering Gala event.She was also the only Indo American to be recognized at the ceremony.

The chief guest at the event was Niel Bush , businessman and Philanthropist and also member of the Bush Family. Kaushiki has been involved with Sewa International Houston for four years and is still an active volunteer with the organization. She regularly communicates with a base of over a hundred volunteers as a volunteer coordinator in the Local Events program which connects people across Houston with volunteer opportunities. Additionally, she has helped in the Bhutanese community reachout program Chai Pe Charcha , that Sewa has recently fostered to help refugees from Bhutan to acclimate them better to their new lives. The program has also grown on the educational front as it sponsors a tutorial program called Aspire Tutorials that aims to provide afterschool tutorials for the refugee children, and help them progress in their learning.

Neil Bush and Kaushiki Tewary

The program was recently chosen out of 4000 other programs in the United States for the State Farm Neighborhood Grant into top 200 programs.. Through voting via Facebook, the program chooses the top 40 programs with the highest votes to receive $25,000 grants towards their selective missions to help them gain a boost and garner more attention.Kaushiki and her co volunteers are now working on this campaign.This campaign runs from May 14th to June 3 rd. To know more about the State Farm Assist Grant and Sewa International’s application Please visit us on www.facebook.com/facebook Sewa International is currently offering internship opportunities for both High School and College students over summer .

To know more please reach out to Kavita Tewary email: educationhouston@sewausa.org or call 7133034253

May 21, 2015
Yuva for Sewa

HOUSTON: Sewa International has launched its annual Yuva for Sewa (YFS), 8 to 10-week volunteer summer internship opportunity for college students to travel to India to contribute their time to serve humanity. Since its inception in 2006, 52 YFS youth interns have volunteered their time for health care, education, environment, women’s empowerment, rural development, and microfinance. Interns work with community NGOs to serve and engage in an empowering self-transformative experience to make an impact in their chosen field.

Bhavana Vissapragada, a student at University of Massachusetts, Amherst travelled to Bengaluru, India in 2014 as a YFS intern. She shares her experiences to inspire others to participate in the program.

“In June, I visited an orphanage for girls to interview the NGO administrators as a part of my internship. Later, the girls pulled me into the room next door. At first, I walked in with the expectation of talking to them to get more information on the NGO, but slowly the interview structure degraded, and even with the language barrier, the girls and I were talking about everything. They discovered that I knew Bharatanatyam (a classical dance from South India), and before I knew it, I was performing for them.

As I was leaving, they made me promise that I would come back and visit again. Before I knew it, the day had come when I had to leave Bengaluru back to the US. I remembered the promise I made to those girls. So I got a ride, and visited them. I walked in, and soon the girls were all yelling “Bharathanatyam Akka (elder sister)! Bharathanatyam Akka!” This exemplifies my experience interning with YFS. I would go places with the intention of just conducting an interview, but I would come back from the experience with a connection, realizing that each interaction was meaningful. The friendships I made stand out with the experience I got out of my internship.”

To know more about the Yuva for Sewa program, log on to http://www.sewausa.org/yuva-sewa-appeal. Interested candidates apply online at http://www.sewausa.org/yuva-sewa-2015. Admissions are on a rolling basis. The final deadline is April 15th 2015. Locations of Internships will be in Bengaluru, India.

Sewa International (www.sewausa.org) is a Hindu-faith based, worldwide nonprofit that promotes selfless service to communities around the world regardless of race, color, nationality, religion, or gender. To volunteer, contact info@sewausa.org.

Kriti DograEmail: info@sewausa.org .Web:http://www.sewausa.org

March 12, 2015
SEWA Houston Felicitates their Good Samaritans

Award recipients with the Sewa Team

By Vanshika Vipin

SUGAR LAND: SEWA International USA, a grass-root non-profit organization, having about 38 chapters in USA including one in Houston, hosted its Annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner at the T.E. Harman Center on Friday, January 30, to felicitate the humanitarian volunteers who have whole heartedly contributed their time, money and skills to the NGO throughout the year 2014. SEWA Houston is among the top most chapters of SEWA International USA, owing to its diverse range of volunteers belonging to different fields, thus reducing the over-heads and increasing the efficacy of any project.

The SEWA movement began in India in 1989 with the Hindu philosophy of selfless service at its core and gradually spread its wings across the globe. Currently SEWA movement is active in 17 countries including India, USA, Australia, UK, Canada, Guyana, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and Trinidad and Tobago. SEWA International USA, founded in the year 2003, now boasts of 38 chapters spanning 20 metros in the 25 states of the USA.

Emcee and Intern Utsav Nigam recognized by Ramesh Bhutada.

As a gesture of appreciation, SEWA International each year hosts an appreciation dinner for its volunteers and felicitates these selfless fellow beings who strive each day to help others, irrespective of the race, caste, creed, color or religion. Last year, more than 200 volunteers contributed to a total of 1000 man hours dedicated to the selfless services spread by the SEWA Houston chapter.

They have five main project teams led by the team leaders and a group of volunteers – SEWA Family Services, SEWA Refugee Youth empowerment, SEWA Refugee Adult empowerment programs, SEWA Local Volunteering events and SEWA fundraising team. Under the guidance of these team leaders and with the active cooperation of the volunteers, SEWA reaches out to the youth, women and senior citizens to promote the concept of philanthropy.

These 200 plus volunteers were felicitated at the Appreciation dinner with plaques and certificates, thus acknowledging their contribution to the society at large. The event hosted by SEWA International at Houston also served the purpose of motivating other fence sitters to cross over and join this selfless service movement.

Based on the Hindu tradition of service before self, SEWA works to spread the message of service to the low income families of Houston. Whether it is a disaster or a daily struggle for an average person, committed volunteers of SEWA take that extra mile to ensure that a helping hand and a loving heart is not away from the individuals in need, wherever they are and whenever they need it.

After all, the world needs more hugs.

(If you are interested in volunteering with SEWA International or interested in Local/International Internship opportunities for high school and college students, Please reach out to
KavitaTewary @educationhouston@sewausa.org or call 713-303-4253)

February 6, 2015
Sewa International Helps Volunteers Celebrate a Unique First Birthday

Family with Sewa Team and guests from the community

HOUSTON: Sewa International has been working with the Bhutanese refugee population, in Houston for the last several years.Recognizing that many refugee children needed extra tutoring in order to succeed at school, Sewa set up a satellite office in Los Arcos Apartment to run after school homework classes for elementary school students. Through this program, Sewa Volunteers help more than 40 students on a regular basis.

Rahul Rao, wife Priyanka and daughter Meera.

This holiday season, Sewa International helped to spread the joy of the season in the lives of these children from the less privileged backgrounds. Sewa Volunteers Rahul and Priyanka Rao expressed their desire to celebrate their daughter Meera’s first birthday with the refugee children who participate in the tutoring program in Los Arcos Apartments. Sewa team members facilitated the event and the Rao family donated money for the Chai pe Charcha bi monthly social event. The family also donated gifts to all the students that attended the event. It was a successful event attended by more than 75 people. Not only was it a unique way for the family to celebrate young Meera’s first birthday, it also celebrated the hard work of all the 45 students who come to the classes conducted by Sewa International.

Sewa provides volunteers opportunities to work with refugee families through structured programs like Chai pe Charcha, a bimonthly social event, where chai tea and snacks are served. Chai pe Charcha presents a chance for refugee families to discuss their lives in an informal setting with Sewa volunteers.These types of events have been helpful in integrating with the refugee population as well as helping to bring more meaningful programs for the refugee community.

Rahul Rao said, “As sponsors of chai-pe-charcha event in December, we participated in a gathering with several children from refugee families who are helped by Sewa. The event saw about 50 kids, most of them between 4-10 years old. The event kept the kids involved in games and activities and was well organized. Thanks to Kavita and her team for organizing the event and making chai-pe-charcha a success in community involvement. We would certainly encourage everyone to participate in community service with Sewa; it has been a rewarding experience for us.”

If you would like to make an important occasion, such as a birthday or an anniversary, meaningful through community service, please contact Sewa International.
If you want to sponsor an event like this please contact Kavita Tewary : educationhouston@sewausa.org If you are interested in refugee tutoring programs please contact Ruba Alafifi americorps-houston@sewausa.org

January 3, 2015