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This Just In: From the Field
Relief Workers' Report
Click here to read the latest update from the different teams of relief workers helping tsunami victims in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nicobar Island, and Aceh, Indonesia.
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About GHANAIA
GHANAIA
is an international relief effort, established by UNITED SIKHS in 2003
to provide impartial, non-partisan aid and assistance to victims in
disaster situations. GHANAIA stands for Giving Humanitarian Aid
Necessities Assistance Impartially to All and is inspired by the Sikh
saint, Bhai Ghanaia Ji, who served in the army of the 10th Sikh
Enlightener, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, and gave water and medicine to
ailing war soldiers and victims without prejudice, seeing the same God
in all beings. For more information on GHANAIA, please e-mail: contact@unitedsikhs.org.
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Relief Effort
UPDATE:
Volunteers of the GHANAIA Tsunami Relief Project are providing relief aid to tsunami victims in Banda Aceh. We are
currently arranging volunteers and making strategic partnerships at
ground level to maximize efficiency and effectiveness in the relief
process. Our aim is to feed and support the victims of this disaster,
especially those who have not yet been reached. Your financial
contributions are immediately beneficial and very much needed. Please
fundraise in at your community hall, church, gurdwara, etc. on holidays
to support this project.
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Type of Relief The
aim of the GHANAIA Tsunami Relief Project is to provide immediate,
personal hunger aid. Ready-to-eat cooked food, in the form of langar,
will be made accessible to victims of the disaster in a direct matter.
Long-term access to clothing is also part of the project, but will not
be initiated until immediate physical health concerns are pacified. It
is our effort to give the displaced, homeless and diseased people
healthy food and nourishment, as these resources are scarcely available
in the most affected areas. Goals It
is our goal to immediately feed the displaced and homeless victims of
this tragedy to prevent malnutrition and further health deterioration.
GHANAIA volunteers will also partner with local and international
relief agencies to provide the best care to the individuals that need
it most. Locations GHANAIA
will set-up langar camps in Banda Acheh (Indonesia), Sri Lanka, India,
and other affected areas. We also aim to extend aid to areas of
disaster victims that have been neglected or not reached by current
relief efforts.
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Support
None
of this effort is possible without financial contributions. Please
exercise your responsibility of Dasvandh (10% Donation from Income) and
donate to the Relief Fund. Your contribution will have real, immediate
effects that will provide sustenance and hope to the disaster victims. Please donate, even if you cannot give a lot. Your contribution will help victims directly. |
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Volunteer
Description of Work: Volunteers
will be responsible for various duties including immediate relief work
on location at relief camps and langars in areas including but not
limited to Indonesia and Sri Lanka. This is a travelling seva, and has
the potential to positively and directly impact the victims of this
disaster. Some volunteers are also required for non-travel
administrative work. Qualifications: Volunteers must:- be
at least 18 years of age in good health to travel to the disaster area;
current with immunizations and free of transmittable diseases
- be able to get permission to travel to India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia
- have proper status to allow re-entry back into the country of origin
- have conversational skills in English, Panjabi, Hindi or Bahasa Indonesia
- commit to spend the entire trip time on relief work as required of them
- be a team worker and work in the true spirit of service.
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UPDATE We have a sufficient number
of volunteers at this stage of our project, which focusses on immediate food and
medical assistance and assessment of long-term needs. However, we
encourage individuals who would like to volunteer in the next stages to
e-mail their applications to contact@unitedsikhs.org and to
visit our website for further updates. This relief effort will require many
volunteers and financial assistance from donors worldwide. |
Application Please
consider contributing through a donation of your time to help the
victims. Your efforts will have a real impact and benefit for those
most affected by this tragedy.
Please click here to Join UNITED SIKHS for the application to the GHANAIA Tsunami Relief Project volunteer roster.
You will automatically be sent application forms, please fill them out and send these forms immediately to the contacts provided in the documents.
You will be contacted as soon as your services can be
effectively utilized. Thank you for your sincere support and patience.
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Contribute
What is Needed: Contributions
of clothing, medicine and food items are urgently required to make sure
relief efforts are effective and efficient. Please e-mail contact@unitedsikhs.org now to find out the location of the collection centre nearest to you. | | |
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Promote
We
require your assistance to increase awareness of the GHANAIA Tsunami
Relief Project. In order to do this, we ask that you please e-mail the
entire content of this page to all of your relatives, family and
friends. Please make announcements of this project on your local radio,
newspaper and television outlets.
| | We have also prepared a poster about the project to help you take action in your community. Click Here
to view the poster (in jpg format). If you would like to download the
poster, right-click and choose "Save Target As.." and save the file to
your computer. Please print this poster and put it in your local gurdwara, community centre and place of work. | Please
discuss with your Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee and have them make a
donation payable to UNITED SIKHS to help with the relief effort. Click Here to view and print an updated
sample letter, which you can give to your Gurdwara Management sevadars.
You can also fundraise for this effort by setting up a booth at the
Gurdwara, as there will be a large amount of sangat at the gurdwara on
Sundays. Your help will help the victims of this disaster by creating
local awareness that will lead to more contributions of food, clothing,
medication and money. Please take whatever steps you can to promote
this project.
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Contact Us
Please
contact the UNITED SIKHS office nearest to you.
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