Last month Sewa International was awarded a $397,590 grant by the Greater Houston Community Foundation (GHCF)
Recovery of hurricane Harvey-hit places may take more time, even a couple of years, said Gitesh Desai, president of Indian American community organization Sewa International’s Houston Chapter.
Recovery “will take long time; a number of months to a couple of years. We don’t know how it will take at this juncture,” said Desai while speaking to abc13.
“We had to raise money as we were going in the early hours of this Harvey and reach out to the community to support and donate money, so we can buy supplies and support,” he added.
Sewa International has been in the forefront helping people finding shelters and providing them with food ever since hurricane Harvey hit Houston.
Sewa has set up a partnership with various rescue agencies in the US to help communities struck in the hurricane, said Kavita Tewary, executive director, Sewa International.
“We set up a partnership with various rescue agencies; the US coast guard, the Texas coast guard, and volunteers from New Orleans who had experience from Katrina,” said Tewary.
“A lot of Asian families felt comfortable contacting us because they knew us, they knew that there is someone on the other side of the line who could understand them well,” she added.
Last month Sewa International was awarded a $397,590 grant by the Greater Houston Community Foundation (GHCF) in its second round of grants for providing financial aid and services to Houston/Harris County flood victims.
The funds provided to Sewa International will be used for helping 600 persons in assessing their “individual/family needs resulting from a specific disaster event, help them develop a recovery plan, and screen for duplication of benefits and provide them access to resources for their unmet needs.”
Founded in 2003, Sewa International is a Hindu faith-based, humanitarian, nonprofit service organization. It is part of a larger movement that started in India in 1989 and is active in twenty countries.
