Bhaktivedanta Manor – Launches campaign to help those in need in Ukraine
ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor's charity wing, The Lotus Trust has launched efforts through its network of temples and affiliate organisations to support humanitarian aid to those impacted by the conflict in Ukraine.
Funds have already begun to support food distribution centres on the borders of Ukraine. Devotees of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) based in countries bordering Ukraine are providing free food and other assistance to people crossing the borders.
The funds raised are going directly to those affected by the war. Dr Sanjeev Agarwal, Chair of the Lotus Trust said: “The first stage of our support is to help the refugees coming out of Ukraine. We are partnering up with the ISKCON centres in Hungary and Romania especially to provide hot meals. We are helping them to scale up to at least 10,000 meals a day. "The second stage will be to support people within Ukraine itself, as soon as we are allowed access. Finally, we want to help rehabilitate individuals and families back into their home country. We are working with a multitude of charities local to the directly affected areas and we are requesting the public to generously donate.”
The temple president of Bhaktivedanta Manor Her Grace Visakha Dasi said “Our whole community and beyond has reacted with compassion and generosity to get help to where it is needed most, prayers are being held daily for the conflict to be resolved.”
To donate or help more information can be found on the Lotus Trust Website: thelotustrust.org
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally called Brahmaviharidas Swami at midnight on Sunday 27 February, asking for assistance from BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha in ensuring the safe passage of Indian nationals on the Polish, Romanian and Hungarian borders with Ukraine.
Brahmaviharidas Swami, with years of experience in disaster relief work, joined an emergency meeting in Delhi by video conference from Dubai. After expressing his anguish at the plight of the refugees, Brahmaviharidas Swami reassured the Prime Minister that help was already on its way. “We have already been instructed by His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj to mobilise BAPS volunteers from all over Europe.”
Volunteers from the UK, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Austria and Poland swiftly sprang into action to support the emergency relief effort on the ground. This has included setting up a mobile field kitchen in the south-eastern Polish city of Rzeszów, which has begun feeding around 1,000 hot vegetarian meals daily to refugees of all faiths and nationalities.
BAPS is also arranging accommodation facilities and coordinating medical assistance and is working closely with the Indian government as well as local partners to further expand the humanitarian efforts as the situation escalates.
Vijay Kumar Singh, former Army Chief of Staff and current Minister of State for Transport and Civil Aviation, observed the tireless efforts of the volunteers first-hand in Rzeszów. He commented: “BAPS has always been at the forefront of community service, being the first to arrive and the last to leave. The people of India are indebted to your swift, selfless and organised action.”
Keyur Bhatt, a lead BAPS volunteer from London, added, “The situation in Ukraine is desperate and tragic. The priority is to support those seeking refuge by providing them with food and shelter. We are working closely with transport networks and logistical agencies to ensure the safe and timely delivery of essential services to those in need.
“Our volunteers are inspired by the ethos of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, who personified the motto “In the joy of others lies our own”, and there has perhaps never been a more opportune moment to embody this selfless spirit of public service by providing the basic needs for those severely impacted by the conflict.”
Bridge India’s local team in Warsaw helps in crisis
Bridge India’s local team in Warsaw has been able to get warehouse space for 200 people close to the border and coordinate with others locally. We are providing shelter, long-shelf-life food, baby food, personal care products, sanitary pads, first aid, diapers, wipes, blankets and more. Help us support Ukraine in this moment of crisis. We track how funds are used on the ground. Larger donations will help us get cheaper, bulk supplies. The team are in camps taking the next set of food and medical kits. A spokesperson told Asian Voice, “We are working on a needs-based list with the camp to be able to offer specific items, apart from the general food and milk supply. We will also get a list of specialised items like non-lactose or plant milk, vegan food items, Portable lights, portable heaters etc as there seem to be a lack of these from general donations. We will get our list of supplies and quantities today, that we intend to purchase and deliver over next week to the Camp helping 120 people near the border. A donation page has been set up on the Bridge India site. There will be an independent third party to help review and oversee the fund utilisation to ensure transparency for the donors. The link is below, for anyone who might wish to contribute. We will be sharing details of supply from these donations with the donors via an email as regular updates starting next week. https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/19929
Kanwar Singh, a seasoned unprofessional Aid Worker tweeted, “I’m at the Ukraine/Poland border transporting refugees to airports and trains stations for their onward travel. Me and the Mrs are also supplying much needed medical aid that’s going straight to the hospital in Kyiv organised by Polska Akcja Humanitarna.”
