NRI rush to help tsunami victims

DEC.30, 2004
Agencies

Indian Diaspora across the globe has joined hands to help their native brethrens in the hour of crises.

The aid is not only coming in terms of money, but also as medicine, food and volunteers.

The South African Tamil Federation (SATF) has launched a special fund to provide assistance to the millions left homeless in South and Southeast Asia by tsunamis.

Also, Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America has set up a fund to help victims of the devastating tsunamis and has sought monetary contributions from non-resident Indians in the US.

Meanwhile, the biggest Hindu temple in Britain is raising thousands of pounds to rebuild the lives of victims of the tsunami disaster in India and the rest of south and southeast Asia.

"This is a natural disaster of an unparalleled magnitude and it requires huge amounts of aid to cope with it. We are trying to help in our own way," said Girvish Patel of the Swaminarayan Temple.

The temple management has already rushed 10,000 packets of food to the affected states in southern India. More relief materials are being sent.
Britain's aid support to India and Sri Lanka is being driven primarily by four charity organisations that are flying out teams to help rescue workers in the two countries.

Four charities - Oxfam, Save the Children, World Vision and Christian Aid - had either flown out teams to help workers already in Sri Lanka and India, dispatching relief material or sending money to the region.

"We are appealing to all South Africans to give up just one day of their monthly salaries to assist those left destitute by this disaster," SATF president Mickey Chetty said, adding that a special bank account number would be advised.

The SATF is the second South African organisation to initiate a relief project. Earlier the Gift of the Givers Foundations announced that more than a million rands had been made available for relief work in Sri Lanka.

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