Community Spotlight Covid19 Response Goa Sikh Youth

The Goa Sikh Youth Community is one of the many groups who has stepped up to support vulnerable people throughout this quarantine period. We spoke to Sartaj Gill, one of the members of the group, to find out more about this inspiring community and the support they are providing to people on the ground. 

Has the Goa Sikh Youth Community stepped up in the past to support Goa? If so, how so?

We had organised 4 Blood Donation Camps and collected app 500 units of blood

Organised Eye Operations for 7 needy ladies and provided free breakfast to all the patients during these operations

Distributed Free Cooked Meals all over Goa to more than 40,000 people on the occasion of 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji

Every Tuesday we take cooked meals to Orphanages and Old Age Homes in Goa to feed 35 to 40 people each time

We are On Call for GMC for any Blood Donation requirement at their Hospital

Why did you feel called to do this type of work? 

As per the teachings of our Revered Gurus, we have been taught to help anyone in need. To add, Free Community Kitchen was started by our First Guru, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji which, is continuing even after more than 500 years

Serving the Poor, Needy, Oppressed and Downtrodden is a part of our teachings. Sikhs would rise to any such occasion.

This was a Natural Instinct and all the volunteers joined hands, pooled their resources and resulted in a normal progression of this magnitude

We understand that you provide cooked meals, and not dry rations? Can you explain why you prefer to give out cooked meals?

Yes, we only provide cooked food because of two main reasons

1 This gives us an opportunity to come together and do SEWA – Physical and Financial contribution towards a noble cause – One of the very important tenets of the Sikhs. This gives us immense satisfaction and we feel blessed by the Almighty by providing us an opportunity to serve by His Grace

2 Cooked food has to be consumed and can not be hoarded. We have observed many people being supported by their contractors, panchayat or by donors but still ask for rations to save for tomorrow. We had rather avoid it

What are some of the difficulties you have faced while trying to do this work?

Arranging Groceries was an issue initially as the shops and godowns were closed. Subsequently, we managed it with the help of a lot of donors

What has been the most rewarding part of this experience?

This pandemic has been a great leveler. We found big houses, heaps of money are worthless.

There are a lot more underprivileged, poor and needy than we thought in Goa. The old, the sick and the kind stop by us to Bless us and appreciate our efforts as a community. The look on the faces of the children to get biscuits, the hungry to get their plates filled with food is something that can not be put in words and is probably the most rewarding experience

How many migrants/day laborers have you fed/supported thus far?

So far by an guess estimate, we would have provided cooked food to more than 1.15 lacs in totality and groceries to app 250 families (they had the provision to cook themselves and were remote locations with small family size, wherein it was difficult for us to service them)

What is your plan moving forward? Do you see the type of support needed changing? 

We have the requisite volunteers till the lockdown. Post that, all these volunteers will resume their respective jobs.

What do hope will be the biggest lesson in all of this?

The people feel that the present govt could have done much better on terms providing rations / supplies and communication

What type of support do you need, if any to continue the work you are doing on ground?

We would require Groceries – 400 kgs Rice, 150 kgs of Dal, Veggies, Condiments etc and app Rs 10,000 in cash for Petrol, Gas Cylinders, Gloves, Sanitisers etc

This community has ramped up their support day after day increasing the number of people they are going out to feed, with sometimes feeding as many as 6000 individuals in a day. It is truly inspiring to see their dedication and energy to support this cause. If you would like to support them in this endeavor please reach out to info@actforgoa.org to find out where to send your donations.