COLORADO, U.S., April 9, 2021 (Hinduism Today, by V. Tontalapur): Sewa International (sewa means service) is a Hindu faith-based Indian-American charity. In March 2020, when the US detected its first Covid-19 infections, Sewa responded by opening non-medical helplines. Within weeks the US economy tumbled, colleges closed and companies laid off workers. Anxious families called in to learn how to protect themselves. Stranded Indian students wanted help to pay apartment rent and buy food. Sewa realized it had to scale up its response as the nerve-racking crisis spread globally.
By size and revenue, Sewa is a small charity. It has 4,500 volunteers and received eight million dollars in revenue in 2019. Yet, it achieved what many bigger, wealthier nonprofits failed to accomplish. Sewa made an impact in the community by providing the exact service most needed at the moment. It supplied masks and protective gear to frontline workers who were risking their lives. It distributed food to the hungry and homeless when job losses caused hardship. Its volunteers served people selflessly, expecting nothing in return. They put into practice a principle the Hindu culture and tradition has espoused from time immemorial: vasudhaiva kutumbakam , “the whole world is one family.” All Dharmic traditions–Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist–adhere to this vision. During the pandemic, temples, gurdwaras, bhajan and kirtan groups joined hands to serve. Language and regional associations, cultural organizations and yoga groups added their might. Together they enabled themselves and their adopted homelands to fight the disease.
Much more on this inspiring service organization at “source” above.