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real projects inspiring action real people, real projects inspiring action real people, real projects inspiring action real people, real projects in-spiring action real people, real projects inspiring action real people,

www.sewaday.org sewaday

real people, real projects inspiring action

Awards ceremony held on Wednesday, 20th March 2013

House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA

elite visions

S P O N S O R E D B Y

CHINMAYA MISSION UK

sewapioneersaward

Gavin Barwell MP, Bob Blackman MP, Mike Freer MP, Barry Gardiner MP,Steve Pound MP, Virendra Sharma MP, Gareth Thomas MP, Baroness Sandip Verma

Congratulate the nominees and winners of the inaugural

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Lopa Patel MBEDigital Media Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of Redhotcurry.com

Nupur SinghDirector of Human Resources (UK & Ireland), Tata Consultancy Services

Jon AaronsSenior Managing Director in the Strategic Communications practice of FTI Consulting

Sewa Pioneers Awards Judges

Om GroupOm Group – for involving 107 volunteers in making the Keech Hospice, in Luton, a brighter, cleaner, and harmonious environment for its residents.

This is the third year that Sewa Day volunteers have helped the Keech Hospice in Luton bring a little joy to patients, their families and staff. 107 volunteers painted various rooms; stuffed envelopes; packed goodie bags; tidied a children’s toy room; cleaned charity pots; tidied a path leading through to a nearby woodland area; general gardening chores and painted a ‘Santa sleigh’. The project helped Keech by completing many of the time-consuming tasks that make a difference to the day-to-day running of the Hospice.

St. Philip’s CentreSt. Philip’s Centre – for their commitment to multi-faith engagement in environmental & conservation projects in Leicester.

Volunteers from Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Sikh communities teamed up with the St Philip’s Centre in Leicester to mark Sewa Day with a project to clean up the Fludes Lane area of Oadby in Leicestershire. Volunteers cleared the area of litter and planted flower bulbs with the help of Oadby and Wigston Borough Council who supported the initiative by providing jackets and equipment for the clean-up.

Judges SaidJudges felt that “the dedicated Sewa Day team working at Keech Hospice has shown that it is possible to work at a specific location on several occasions and still find valuable volunteering work to do. This team is well-organised and creative and continues to build on the Sewa Day initiative for other volunteering opportunities at the Hospice throughout the year.”

Judges SaidJudges praised this project for:• involving many faiths, the Council, the

Mayor and people of all ages• choosing a high-impact local environmental

clean-up and conservation project• excellent organisation and accompanying PR

activity by the committee• their understanding of the Sewa Day brand

and working within its parameters without overpowering or attenuating it.

Voluntary Groups

sewapioneersaward

It gives me great pleasure to introduce the short-listed nominees of the inaugural Sewa Pioneers Awards. Since its launch in 2010, global volunteering initiative Sewa Day has exceeded all expectations. The first Sewa Day took place in November 2010. Over 5,000 people, of all ages and from all walks of life, participated in over 130 projects across the UK. By the second Sewa Day, which took place in September 2011, the initiative had gone global with 15,000 people taking part in projects across 15 countries. Sewa Day 2012 was even bigger with an estimated 50,000 people taking part directly and through new partners including Lloyds Banking Group, the Guardian Teacher’s Network, The Big Issue, The Woodland Trust and many others in 20 countries around the globe. The initiative attracted the support of Amnesty International and the endorsement of UNESCO, the United Nations body for education.

The three principle aims for Sewa Day are to alleviate human hardship, improve the environment and bring a little joy. Whilst the inherent nature of ‘sewa’ is selfless service, we could not continue without acknowledging the excellent range of initiatives. The Sewa Pioneers Awards programme was set up in 2013 to recognise the outstanding social service projects that create a positive impact on local communities and act as a catalyst to inspire further selfless action in others. Submissions were invited in November 2012 from voluntary groups and schools projects. We were fortunate in being able to attract three independent judges to sift through the entries and choose those that they deemed worthy for further accolade – a monumental task given the complexity, breadth and depth of the projects.

While every single person who took part in Sewa Day 2012 deserves our heartiest congratulations and deepest appreciation, ultimately, the judges were tasked with picking their favourite projects. These are showcased here to inspire and encourage others to pick up the mantle and participate on Sewa Day, Sunday 6th October 2013. After all, building a mass movement for positive social change is the true aim.

My thanks to Sewa Day supporters – particularly the Members of Parliament who hosted the inaugural awards ceremony at the Houses of Commons - our partners, sponsors, friends and families who share with us that common desire to foster stronger global community cohesiveness and promote the ideal of selflessness. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “be the change that you wish to see in the world”.

Arup GangulyChairman, Sewa Day

Voluntary Groups

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Reachout NowReachout Now – for organising a clean up on the footpaths of the Grand Union Canal in West London where 80 sacks of litter were collected by 60 volunteers on Sewa Day.

Rebecca Williams of the Canal & River Trust of Paddington, London, was cited for organising a Canal Clean Up project which involved approximately 60 people helping in different areas of the canal in West London. Activities included people of all ages, including children, walking along the canal and picking up litter for almost 5 hours. In total 80 sacks of rubbish were collected and deposited in a special barge. Some really hazardous and filthy rubbish was collected and removed to ensure that this heavily-used area of natural beauty remained safe and clean for people to enjoy.

Hounslow Friends of F aith Hounslow Friends of Faith – for renovating and refurbishing a multi-purpose community centre in Feltham.

Hounslow Friends of Faith painted Belvedere House (Lemon Grove, Feltham) a multi-purpose building used by the community over a 48 hour period which included people of all of faiths and ages helping out. The aim was to provide a better environment for the community to use the facility for classes and children’s play areas, bringing a warmer and more welcoming feel to the building. The project brought together 50 people over the 2-day period with Fahaad Rehman dedicating the whole weekend to project managing the activity to ensure the right tools and materials were available and that the project finished on time.

NHSF LiverpoolNHSF Liverpool – for engaging students in an unusual heritage conservation task by helping preserve the Williamson Tunnels.

The National Hindu Students Forum of Liverpool completed 3 projects set out by the Sewa team. First they went to Williamson Tunnels to dig up historical tunnels which were buried during the war. Digging these took team effort as they had to dig and remove the dirt. Along the way they were able to unearth small pieces of pottery. Then they we went to the local Radha Krishna Mandir where they helped out serving food and cleaning up the kitchens. And finally a group visited the homeless shelter Missionaries, where they cleaned up the kitchen after food was served to homeless people following Sunday mass.

Food for Life Food for Life – for encouraging 70 volunteers in Hong Kong to come together to cook and feed 1,000 underprivileged people.

Hong Kong has the highest income disparity ratio in Asia, with primarily elderly people having very little money given the very high living costs, which limits their access to good fresh food. 70 volunteers mainly from Deutsche Bank washed, chopped, cooked, packaged, and delivered food to over 1,000 underprivileged elderly people spread across three locations in Hong Kong. The vegetarian meals included a wholesome mixed vegetable curry, rice, and boiled greens. The project was sponsored by Dixit Joshi, Deutsche Bank Head of Asia Equities and also saw volunteers come from Ernst & Young LLP and the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Judges SaidOne judge commented “this was obviously a complex Sewa Day project to organise and I particularly liked the fact that children as young as seven years of age were involved despite it being quite dangerous (near a canal with all manner of rubbish). The impact of this exercise will be felt for quite a while and will, hopefully, encourage others to join in next year.”

Judges SaidThis was a high impact Sewa Day project and what we really liked about it was the outreach to other faiths and other communities. The work done was absolutely necessary and of great benefit to users of Belvedere House.

Judges Said“This Sewa Day project chose an unusual heritage task by helping to dig at the Williamson Tunnels – this is an often over-looked but important part of environmental conservation.”

Judges Said“This is an outstanding Sewa Day project that clearly demonstrates the cohesive effect of a group of work colleagues doing sewa. What makes it outstanding is that it takes the concept of ‘sewa’ to the Hong Kong Chinese community whilst also calling on the resources of local companies. Although the food was sponsored by Deutsche Bank, it is volunteering that made a huge impact (1000 people benefited). The Food for Life project is a shining example of a Corporate Sewa Day project that we hope others may be able to emulate in the coming years.”

Reachout Now Canal Cleanup

Natureconservation work at Camley Street

Voluntary Groups

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Shree Sanatan Sewa Samaj Shree Sanatan Sewa Samaj – for their outreach work to foster good relations with their local community by feeding 50 homeless & elderly people in Luton.

Shree Sanatan Seva Samaj (Luton Mandir) organised a soup kitchen project which involved approximately 30 volunteers providing freshly cooked food to Noah’s Enterprise (a homeless shelter) and Luton Irish Forum (a local community group). Tasks included the preparation and cooking of food, transporting cooked meals to different locations, serving the homeless and cleaning up afterwards. It is estimated that about 50 people were fed on the day.

Exemplaris Exemplaris – for organising a diverse range of activities including providing free professional advice & health clinics, feeding the homeless, and collecting clothes to benefit local charities in Southall.

The Exemplaris project was a high-impact initiative that offered several free professional advice clinics, run by people from within the Afghan Sikh community. The clinics covered; Legal, Careers and Education advice, Advice for Asian women’s rights, Dental, Optical and General health advice. Exemplaris also prepared langar (free meals) for the homeless and organised a charity clothes collection where over 2,000 items of clothing were collected. Exemplaris involved a coordinating team of 20 young project leaders and 35 volunteers in total reaching out to over 100 people.

National Park Clear-Up National Park Clear-Up – for collecting & chopping 150 sacks of wood blocks in Osterley Park. Saleable wood is an important resource for environmental conservation.

The London Wildlife Trust & Friends of Hatch End were nominated for a Sewa Day Pioneers Award for organising a conservation project which involved approximately 40 people helping in the local Osterley Park. Volunteering activities included cleaning the park of litter and creating over 150 sacks of wood blocks for sale. The aim was to help beautify this park so that more visitors can enjoy their surroundings. The bags of wood are sold to the general public to provide funds for maintenance of the listed buildings within the grounds. As a result of involving young volunteers, it is hoped that they become more environmentally conscious and responsible for national treasures. Osterley Park is visited by thousands of people on an annual basis.

Atma Vignani Dada Bhagwan Foundation Atma Vignani Dada Bhagwan Foundation – for organising volunteers to read books to 25 blind & disabled children in partnership with the Royal National Institute of Blind People.

The Atma Vignani Dada Bhagwan Foundation ran two Sewa Day projects simultaneously - one in West London where some of the volunteers went to RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind) Sunshine School and Carehome in Northwood to read to blind children. The second project was in East London where volunteers did a social gathering of the Elderly and disabled at the Gujarati Welfare Association of East London, doing a number of activities including reading, video and dining. About 30 volunteers brought a little joy to over 100 people on the day.

Judges SaidJudges said that what they liked best about this project was the outreach work – the Mandir chose to feed those outside their community group which will help to foster good relationships for the future. Obviously the group is well organised, meticulous and methodical and will, hopefully, be encouraged to feed even more people next year.

Judges SaidJudges cited this as an “exemplary” Sewa Day project that required diverse skills and detailed planning. They particularly liked the fact Exemplaris had a mixed group of young volunteers from a small community and made an impact within a select area via the Gurdwara and the wider community by delivering langar and charity clothing in the neighbourhood and beyond.

Judges SaidJudges commended this project on the basis that “the volunteers who turned up on the day probably had no idea that they would be spending the whole day logging! However saleable wood is an important resource for environmental conservation so well done to the team for continuing to work so arduously”.

Judges SaidThe AVDB Foundation is clearly well-organised in being able to run two separate projects on opposite sides of London. Judges were also delighted to hear of older ladies taking on reading projects (in association of RNIB) and hope that they continue to do that activity on a long term basis.

Exemplaris clothingcollection

Food collection in Bradford

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Schools

Barham Primary School, Wembley, London At Barham Primary School in Wembley, London, the school assembly was led by the head teacher to launch Sewa Day projects that included creating a sharing of old spectacles collection box and a poster competition.

Teachers followed this up throughout the week using lesson plans provided and discussions based on the three guiding Sewa principles. There was school clean-up initiative throughout the week involving nursery and reception year pupils. Pupils also provided entertainment at the local Copland Nursing Home to the elderly and organised a collection for St Luke’s Hospice.

Total Number of Participants: 900Total Impact: 900+

Cambridge International School, DubaiThe Cambridge International School, Dubai project was based on all three guiding Sewa Day principles:

1. Bringing Joy to Others: The school visited old people’s homes in Ajman and Sharjah. Students sang and danced to entertain the old and presented them flowers, cards and Arabic perfume. The school also organised a visit to the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre: Students spent one day interacting with children having special needs. They prepared an entertainment program for their assembly.

2. Love for the environment: Students visited the Desalination Plant and were able to critically evaluate the environmental impact. This trip was arranged with the help of Standard Chartered Bank Volunteers. 160 students also participated in the clean up on 22nd November 2012, organised by the Dubai Municipality, as part of the ‘Clean Up the World Campaign.

3. Relieve Hardship and Poverty: The school participated in the “Rinse Rice to Rise” initiative whereby the whole school was invited (students, staff and parents) to donate minimum 1 kg rice. The donation was given to the Dubai Charity Association to be distributed to the African countries affected by disasters especially drought. The school also organised 2 talks (45 mins. each) for a total 300 students (Year 10 and 11) to raise awareness on Sewa Day.

Total Number of Participants: 1400Total Impact: 1400+

Ealing Tuition Service, Ealing, LondonOn Thursday 11th October 2012, pupils and staff at the Ealing Tuition Service in London took part in various Sewa Day activities. Pupils in Key Stage 4 worked with the Ealing Council Park Rangers’ Nature Conservation programme helping to clear a public footpath in the local area.

The path had become overgrown with scrub and low branches, which has encouraged crime and antisocial behaviour. Key Stage 3 pupils took part in activities in and around the school, helping to clear the area of litter. Pupils also helped plant bulbs and flowering shrubs to improve the overall appearance of the outside area. A further group of pupils took part in the Vision Aid Overseas programme – recycling old spectacles, helping to transform eye care services in developing countries.

Total Number of Participants: 16 pupils and 17 staff.

Our Own English High School, Abu DhabiOur Own English High School, Abu Dhabi undertook a number of Sewa Day projects: ‘Make a Difference’ planting saplings; a dance programme for the Al Noor special needs school and a beach cleaning initiative.

The projects encouraged pupils to form a team and execute the work with a good team spirit. It encouraged greater responsibility towards the society. The beach cleaning initiative was particularly successful as an environmental awareness exercise with students singing phrases like “Litter: It makes the city and the planet bitter”; “Look around, walk around, breathe clean air and don’t litter the ground”; “I’m a beach, not an enormous ashtray, okay?”; “Toes in the Sand, trash in the Can” and students responded by saying that they would always like to be part of this campaign.

Total Number of Participants: 70 participatedTotal Impact: 450 benefited

The Sewa Day project in schools is a week-long initiative that allows individual establishments to host assemblies, explain the concepts of sewa (“selfless service”), use the free classroom resources provided by Sewa Day and organise activities that enable students to perform an act of sewa either within the school or in the community.

Nature conservationwork at the Camley Street

Litter clearance in a Wembley park

Exemplaris organised a clothing collectionCity Hindus

Network organised a Sewa Dayeducational book collection

Spectacles Collection

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Schools

Our Own English High School, DubaiOur Own English High School, Dubai, undertook a mass Sewa Day tree planting project conducted on Tuesday 9th of October 2012, in support of the One Million Trees Initiative, launched by H.H Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The event was jointly organized by the Dubai Police Academy and the Varkey Gems Foundation with a total of 200 saplings planted at the GEMS OOEHS Al Warqaa campus. “This project was a labour of love for all those who were involved in it. We are all very proud of the new campus we moved into just a year ago. But the fact that its sprawling grounds were so bare and brown always rankled with us. So when the idea was suggested that we take part in the ‘A Million Trees’ initiative as part of Sewa Day we couldn’t help imagine how beautiful our campus would look with several majestic trees growing on it.”

Total Number of Participants: 50 Primary boys aged 8-10 yrs, 30 Girl Guides aged 12- 17yrs, 20 School prefects aged 15- 17 yrs, 30 Neptune house prefects aged 13 - 17 Yrs, 50 Teachers of senior school, 20 Admin staff and support staff.Total Impact: 9000 students

Radford Primary School, NottinghamRadford Primary School in Nottingham decided to make Sewa Day a whole school project planned over the year to take place in the summer term.

Every child and member of staff got involved and chose the activity they wanted to be involved in which included:• cooking meals and taking them to a homeless

soup kitchen,• going to a day centre and talking, entertaining and

taking part in activities together,• having a coffee morning for OAPs,• sharing stories and tea party with grandparents,• a talent show for OAPs and members of the

community,• planting in areas around school, • designing and painting a large mural for an outside

wall, • helping shoppers at a local supermarket, • clearing litter in the local area, parks and streets.

Total Number of Participants: 210 children and 25 staff. Total Impact: 150 – 300

Our Own English High School, SharjahOur Own English High School Boys Branch, Sharjah participated in the Sewa Day activities with a number of initiatives.

• Grades 1 – 4 (age group 5 yrs to 9 years) took an active part by staging a cultural programme in the auditorium for the support staff.

• A visit to a special needs school also helped in spreading joy and happiness. The students of Grade 4 gave gifts and performed a dance and sang for the special children.

• Grades 5 – 12 took up a ‘’Rice Collection Drive’ and collected about 2.5 tons of donated rice which was given to charities UAE Red Crescent and Indian Association Sharjah Unit for distribution among the labour camps in Sharjah

• Grades 5 – 12 were also were enthusiastic about a green and clean environment, so they launched a ‘Potted Plants Drive’. All the classes collected money and bought about 50 potted plants that were positioned around the school to beautify their environment.

Total Number of Participants: 120 participated

Sherborne House School, Chandlers FordSherborne House School, Chandlers Ford undertook a number of different projects as part of Sewa Day:

• Seasonal pictures were painted & donated to Northbrook Ward at Winchester Hospital.

• Night Shelter Gift Day collection drive• Singing at Sutherland Court• Daffodil planting at Sutherland Court

Total Number of Participants: 50 – 100

Young children learning about planting

Children’s Nature Workshop

Nature Conservation work at Camley Street

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Schools

Sherfield School, HookChildren from Sherfield School in Hook in Hampshire spent an afternoon with the elderly residents from local care homes and delivered to them the flowers which had been donated by students earlier that day for the Harvest Festival.

The children spent time with the adults, engaging in conversation for much of the afternoon. Some of the school’s musicians also gave a performance at the nearby Loddon School for young people with disabilities. This might have been a challenging situation for many of our younger pupils but they coped enormously well and were at ease with the children, some of whom who had quite serious physical disabilities.

Total Number of Participants: 50 participated Total Impact: 100 benefited

The Kindergarten Starters, DubaiStudents in Grades 4 and 5 from The Kindergarten Starters, Dubai, presented a musical skit entitled ‘Start a Valuable Endeavour (S.A.V.E.)’ to a packed audiences at Mirdif City Centre, Dubai on Thursday September 20th 2012 and at Lamcy Plaza on the 3rd of October 2012.

Based on an idea devised by the Principal and a script that was written and directed by music teacher Duane Tully, the theme of the mall play addressed the existing social and environmental issues about conserving the flora and fauna of mother earth and about finding solutions to the social hardships faced by man today such as begging, killing, poverty, abuse and hunger. The play was tightly compressed into a 10 minute choreographic display of music, dialogue, dance and action. “Through this melodrama performed for the public, our students not only became aware of the environmental and social issues around them, but also spread this awareness among their friends and the wider community,” said Mrs. Latha Venkateswar.

Total Number of Participants: 50 participated Total Impact: It benefited 800 adults and 700 students

Sewa Day is a registered charity (No: 1146848)

Visit and sign-up at www.sewaday.org | Phone: +44 (0)207 193 7108 | Mobile: +44 (0)7957 197527 | Email: info@sewaday.org

www.sewaday.org @sewaday

Dixit Joshi outlines the plan for the Food for Life Sewa Day projectin Hong Kong

Food for Life project in Hong Kong

Reachout Now Canal Clean Up