THIS TIME FOR AFRICA

Highlights: 

• UNITED SIKHS Directors from USA are in Africa to assess logistics to extend humanitarian aid to regions in need of assistance from the international community
• Jaswinder Kaur Benawra, UNITED SIKHS Director, Kenya, continues to improve the lives of her fellow countrymen, working on the major issues of concern in Kenya as identified by the United Nations 

Nairobi, Kenya:  Jaswinder Kaur Benawra is the Sikh beacon of light in Africa, the continent that is home to more than 65,000 Sikhs.  Director of UNITED SIKHS Kenya, she was awarded the Order of Grand Warrior of Kenya on December 12, 2007 for her distinguished service to the country. She is a Commissioner for National Council of Children Services (partners amongst others with UNICEF, UNHCR, USAID) in Kenya and devotes her entire time on projects for humanitarian causes. UNITED SIKHS projects in Kenya under her stewardship in the true Bhai Kanhaiya spirit include:

•  3 Borewells to provide drinking water to 5000 families/location (One in Mbita District, one each in Ukambani and Komarock of Machakos district). The Ukambani Borewell project was completed with the support of the Ramgarhia Youth Association (RYA) of Kenya.
• The Government of Kenya has donated 2.5 Acres land for United Sikhs to construct a hospital in Rusinga, Nyanza province of Kenya.
• Construction for Secondary School for 240 children started in 2010, likely to be completed in June 2011 at the cost of Kenyan Shillings (KES) 50,000,000 (Approximately 620,000 USD).
• Construction of the "Africa Hope Center" home for 120 HIV positive children. Education of 6 children from the centre is completely sponsored by UNITED SIKHS at the cost of USD 3000 per year.
  
  

The above projects are made possible with the help of individual donors and local volunteers led by Jaswinder kaur Benawra. Additionally, she has coordinated Healthcare projects including assistance to more than 2000 individuals with eye surgeries.

A senior team of UNITED SIKHS Directors from USA is currently visiting Africa to consolidate the efforts and touch the lives of the needy in many more countries in Africa where there is a crying need and not enough help. Gurvinder Singh, UNITED SIKHS Director from Texas says: “We will be back next week to share the smiles and blessings from Kenya with our supporters. It is the faith of our supporters and the Sikh sangat that propels us to stand out as Sikhs for the world with the unmistakable identity bestowed on us.”

Why Africa? The statistics for issues on Water Scarcity, Hunger, Children's welfare, and Healthcare in Africa speak for themselves:

• More than 800 million people go to bed hungry every day, 300 million are children. (global stats: UNAIDS)
• About 65% (nearly 2/3) of the world's HIV-positive population live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Women most Affected. (source: UNAIDS)
• Nearly 2 million children under 14 years old are HIV positive in sub - Saharan Africa. (source: Avert )
• Only 57% of African children are enrolled in primary education, and one in three of those does not complete school. (African Union: Poverty in Africa statistics)
• 43% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have safe, accessible drinking water. (source: UNICEF)
• About 120,000 African children are participating in armed conflicts. Some are as young as 7 years old. (source: United Nations)
• Research findings carried out by Emory University (USA) and the Great lakes University of Kisumu under the umbrella project SWASH+ revealed that almost 78 per cent communities do not have access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation facilities.

Issued By:
Kanwal Jit Kaur
Program Coordinator
1-888-243-1690
kanwaljit.kaur@unitedsikhs.org | contact@unitedsikhs.org