COVID-19: Sewa International helping thousands in the US

Houston, Mar 24: Sewa International, a non-profit service organization, has extended a helping hand to thousands of US citizens in the outbreak of Corona Virus pandemic by leading a non-medical response, according to a Center for Soft Power (www.centerforsoftpower.org) report.

Prof N Sreenath, President of Sewa International, along with other volunteers, has been busy responding to calls to their hotline.

Sewa International believes in principles of ‘Serving Humanity is Serving Divinity’ and ‘Unity in Diversity’ and is ranked among the Top 10 highly-rated charities relying on private contributions with Sewa ranking the fifth slot among the ten such listed charities. This ranking was given to Sewa International by Charity Navigator, one of the major American evaluators of charity in February this year.

Sewa International’s overall rating is 100.00, scoring an impressive 100.00 on both financial ratings as well as accountability and transparency. “I am proud of our dedicated volunteers and indefatigable executive team who do really know what selfless service is all about, and it is they and the gracious and generous donors who have enabled Sewa International to reach these heights and to earn such accolades. “We will continue to work hard and keep doing the good work we have been doing,” says Professor Sreenath.

Over the last few days, Sewa helped make arrangements for the funeral of an elderly man when as Dr. Sreenath puts it “none of his friends was willing or able to do so.”

Sewa also helped a two-day sick Indian restaurant worker, aged 27, who was sharing a two-bedroom flat with multiple roommates, by connecting him to a physician.

Sewa volunteers advised a 37-year-old Indian professional with two children and his wife who were exhibiting symptoms on what steps to take after consulting with a physician from the Sewa Physician Bank.

To strengthen its coronavirus prevention and relief efforts, Sewa International has released $10,000 to run its helpline and coronavirus awareness campaign.

“A team of 20 physicians is helping Sewa in providing free advice through Sewa coronavirus helpline. Over 400 volunteers in 20 major cities in the country are working tirelessly to put up a formidable community response at this difficult time,” Swadesh Katoch, Sewa’s Vice President for Disaster Relief, said in a press release.

Sewa has delivered gloves, masks, sanitizers to vulnerable workers, area volunteers, physicians’ families (with elderly, children and adults taking immuno-suppressors. They have delivered groceries to the elderly, providing information on travel and visa status. In addition, Sewa has provided human resources to Counties through translators, Food Bank helpers, volunteer drivers, etc. They have also helped to find rides for persons with symptoms to get tested.

The Ministry of External Affairs has also reached out to them for assistance. “There are over 250,000 students from India studying in US universities. More than 300 US Universities have closed including some who have moved instructions to a virtual mode and even shut their dorms. Sewa has fielded calls from Indian students from such universities who are finding it difficult to cope emotionally, health-wise, and financially,” says Professor Sreenath, himself an academic at a major research university in the state of Ohio. “We even had a couple of concerned parents call us from India,” he said.

“The Indian Consulate in SFO has referred us to a dozen students with OCI with family in India who have had to vacate college dorm rooms and we are constantly helping Indian students in US universities who are stranded and have set up discounted motel rooms, and provided accommodation in extra spaces in temples,” adds Dr. Sreenath.