Andaman and Nikobar Islands, India
Khalsa Aid has been able to set up a co-ordination office at Port Blair as well as a storage facility at Campbell Bay to ensure aid is delivered efficiently and appropriately. Following requests from Campbell Bay residents, the following items have been acquired for distribution: Bed sheets, towels, ladies undergarments, buckets, mosquito coils, digging tools, soap, men's undergarments and flip- flop slippers.

Concerning this operation, Ravinder Singh said `We have been very fortunate to link up with Lions Club of Bay Island Central. In particular, Pritam Singh Sandhu has been instrumental in helping us with the logistics of getting aid to Campbell Bay. By working with local groups, we have avoided the red tape which has dogged others. In fact, we are presently the only Sikh organization delivering aid on the Islands. Parmjit Singh of the Gurdwara committee on Campbell Bay has assured me that the aid from the first shipment was distributed fairly. Nirmal Singh, a resident of Campbell Bay, told me that they were still in desperate need of items. Sevadars from Sri Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle, including Kulwant Singh and Kuldeep Singh, have been partnering with us solely for this mission. We have also made strong links with local businesses to ensure that we can purchase whatever is needed here locally. All of the sevadars here have been running around tirelessly to co-ordinate our activities. We have also been receiving calls daily from Campbell Bay and we are working hard to meet their needs.'

Ravinder Singh also toured several relief camps in Southern Andaman Islands (25 km from Port Blair). Each of these camps had around 200 people each. One camp in particular gave details of what they needed: tents, breakfast cereal, fresh vegetables and latrines. We have begun delivering food and also managing a project to set up latrines for them.

Colombo, Sri Lanka
The Khalsa Aid team travelled from Cuddalore to Bangalore on 21st January to organise the despatch of 200 shelter tents due for Sri Lanka. One of the members, Nick Singh Kandola flew on to meet the local partner, Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), to finalise arrangements. Gurdeep Singh and BP Singh stayed in Bangalore to finalise the shipment plan.

"After trying national airlines, which were charging too much for air cargo, we found out that Jet Airways flew from Chennai to Colombo, Sri Lanka and immediately called the area manager Mr Shenoy, who suggested that they could fly the shelter tents from Bangalore to Colombo via Chennai. When I asked him what would be the cost, he said they were very happy to be of service to the affected people of Sri Lanka. We are humbled by the support of Jet Airways and their employees" reports Nick Singh Kandola of Khalsa Aid.

TRO, with whom Khalsa Aid has linked, is a global organisation. The group had requested the assistance of Khalsa Aid for 500 tents and other supplies. Medical supplies are also being shipped from the UK in the next few days. The Khalsa Aid team is expected to travel into the Batticaloa region on January 24th.

Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, India
Khalsa Aid has completed its primary mission in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu. Over 200 tents were constructed for us by the military and handed over to the local panchayat under the supervision of Mrs Srimolani, the local tehsildar. Local villagers began crowding around the distribution zone and the army had to force the crowds back to form queues so that the shelter tents could be allocated to each of the homeless families.

"We are pleased with the results of this project and are grateful to the local Government officials, the Army and the local sewadars who provided valuable support in implementing the project" said Nick Singh Kandola of Khalsa Aid. Sikh sewadars were called in from Chennai Gurdwara to provide assistance with this project and fortunately some of them spoke the local Tamil language which helped communications with the local people.

Khalsa Aid, in conjunction with local education ministers and teachers, has completed a pilot project which involved refurnishing and refitting an existing nursery school.

"When we got here over 10 days ago, we realised that existing nurseries were unfit for purpose. There was no electricity, lighting, poor ventilation, overheating, rotting walls and suffering children" said Nick Singh Kandola of Khalsa Aid.

Teachers were asked to compile a list of their requirements, which included storage cabinets, books, writing materials, toys, floor mats and fans. In addition to the above, a suspending ceiling was requested which would reduce the heat coming from the roof together with lighting and repainting the nursery both inside and out. Within hours a team was despatched to nearby Pondicherry to purchase these goods and commence the redecoration program.

Gurdeep Singh, who managed this project, met with the local authorities and demanded that electricity be provided. Within 12 hours, electrical meters and wiring was installed by local engineers. The nursery teacher commented that they had been requesting this electricity for over 3 years without success.

Once inspections have been carried out, a further 8 nurseries will undergo similar refurbishment programs.

Finally, Khalsa Aid is still committed to the construction of new homes in the adopted village in Tami Nadu. This project has many other groups involved under the banner of Guru Nanak Sarbat Sikh Sangat (GNSSS).

Second Team
The first Khalsa Aid team flew into India over 13 days ago and is now operational in the Andaman/Nikobar Islands, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. A second team consisting of Amrik Singh, Rushvinder Singh, Jagroop Singh and Ajmer Singh are arriving in Chennai this morning. Amrik Singh who runs the Heathrow Care Society is also the Chairman of Khalsa Aid. Rushvinder Singh is a trustee of Khalsa Aid. Both have previously been on Khalsa Aid relief missions. Both Jagroop Singh and Ajmer Singh are on their first Khalsa Aid mission. Rushvinder Singh and Jagroop Singh will take over the projects that have been started in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka whilst Amrik Singh and Ajmer Singh will relieve Ravinder Singh who is coordinating operations on the Andaman and Nikobar Islands. It is expected that this new team will stay for approximately 10-15 days and will then be relieved by a third team.

Pledges
We would ask that those organizations that have pledged to Khalsa Aid, fulfil their guarantees so that we can ensure our operations continue. It is always at the forefront of our minds the generosity and trust the Sangat has given us over the last 6 years. It is their faith that has allowed us to continue our missions for the needy.

How the Sangat Can Help
We ask the sangat to pray for all the Tsunami-affected families. Khalsa Aid also requires more volunteers. If you would like to help, please call our hotline or visit our website www.khalsaaid.org (UK Registered Charity 1080374). You can also contact the ground team at the numbers given below.

Phone:
Hotline (England) 01753 728630
Ground Team (India) +91 984 025 8984 OR +91 984 060 3528

Contact Us

Phone:

( 0 ) 7966 414 774
( 0 ) 7733 124 520

Fax: To be announced soon

Mailing Address:
Khalsa Aid
Office 16
111 Whitby Road
Slough
Berks
SL1 3DR
UK

Online: www.khalsaaid.org
E-mail: khalsaaid@khalsaaid.org