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