Now in 8th grade, she has been part of our program since its inception. Initially shy, she blossomed into a confident speaker at the Education Summit.

When she first joined our program three years ago, she was a quiet and reserved 5th grader, hesitant to participate in group discussions. With English not being the primary language spoken at home, she often struggled to express herself and lacked confidence in conversations.

With the support of dedicated AmeriCorps members, she found a safe space to learn and grow. Through one-on-one tutoring, structured reading activities, and...

In the battle against COVID-19, vaccination was a crucial weapon. However, a large percentage of India's population was not fully vaccinated as of March 2022, a year and a half after vaccine availability. One significant hurdle was the fear of vaccination side effects. This fear was compounded by the vast and scattered population, making education and outreach challenging.

Take the story of a 70-year-old daily wage worker from Saliyana village in Uttarakhand. Like many others, he lost his job during the lockdown and relied on government and non-profit aid for essentials. When vaccines became available, he initially hesitated but eventually got his first dose to return to work. However, the...

Divorce is a challenging life event that can turn one's world upside down. For women, especially those with children or those who are on dependent visas, the process can be particularly daunting. Here are some inspiring stories of how Sewa has made a difference in women's lives.

A Lifeline for a Visa-Dependent Woman

In a recent case, a young woman on a dependent visa found herself suddenly homeless after being kicked out by her abusive husband. Reaching out to Sewa in her time of need, she received comprehensive support, including connecting her...

Sewa International provides crucial support to those fighting the difficult "battle" with cancer. Here are two stories of how Sewa assisted cancer patients in their final days.

A Last Wish Fulfilled: Alternative Care in India

One cancer patient, after a year-long struggle in the US, found himself in palliative care. He expressed a desire to try alternative therapy in India, and the Sewa Family Services and Sewa Bharat teams collaborated to make this wish a reality.

When a man and his wife arrived in Houston from Kentucky for her cancer treatment at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, they were understandably overwhelmed. Far from home and facing a challenging medical journey, they found unexpected comfort through the kindness of Sewa volunteers.

While at the hospital, the man met an Indian woman whose husband was also receiving treatment. This serendipitous meeting connected him with a veteran Sewa volunteer and case manager at Sewa Family Services.

Upon learning of the patient’s situation, the veteran Sewa volunteer took action...

What started as providing moral support to Ukrainians during the ongoing conflict led to helping students evacuate Ukraine. I am from Stockholm, Sweden, and am sharing my experience of the Ukraine-Russia war. When I contacted the students to instill confidence in them, they looked up to me for support throughout the journey. Listening to their cries for help, and continuous, fervent appeal, we wanted to do everything in our power to protect and keep them safe. When you know that the lives of people depend on you, you move out of your comfort zone and do the unthinkable.

With the help of the Sewa International Team, we planned their evacuation from...

On this day of Keti Koti, July 1, celebrated to commemorate the abolition of slavery in Suriname, I ponder on my wonderful trip to Suriname. My heart skipped a beat. On June 8, three Sewa karyakartas met each other for the first time at Miami Airport searching for Suriname Airlines. We boarded the plane and wondered, Suriname, such a surreal name, perhaps a heavenly abode since it is in the Amazon. Partly informed and partly imagining we landed at Paramaribo, the capital city of Suriname, around 9 PM on June 8, 2024.

Roberto was already at the airport wearing a Sewa T-shirt with a gleaming smile...

Sewa International's work has brought profound purpose and change into my life, especially, since it significantly transformed my son's life. He, in his very first project, became the youngest volunteer, standing proudly in a photo from the sandwich project. At just eight or nine years old, he questioned why we were helping the Bhutanese while he stood by. I encouraged him to interact with the other children, and he did. This led to his request for a soccer ball. After buying one, he quickly realized that merely purchasing the ball wasn't sufficient—he needed to play with them to establish a genuine connection.

This early exposure to Sewa shaped his character. In high school, he...

I will briefly share how I was introduced to the idea of sewa and how it has impacted my life. I was at the University of Washington pursuing my graduate studies. Interestingly, I was not familiar with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh at the time, but I learned about it and its activities through some people I met at the university.

One day, a person named Shyam Parande, who was a Sewa International Coordinator from India, visited my apartment. He was there to talk about Sewa's relief activities in India following the tsunami. During his presentation, he mentioned the possibility of graduate students becoming Sewa interns. This idea...

Over 10,000 people, mostly women and children, died in Chennai due to the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in 2004. Sewa conducted its first fundraising activity in Delaware and the East Coast in response to the disaster. At that time, Sewa's presence in the area was nascent and the term "Sewa" was not widely recognized. Yelloji Rao asked me to pick up a box of items for fundraising, which a Gujarati businessman from Oak Tree Road had donated. He suggested selling them in Delaware to raise funds, marking the beginning of our fundraising efforts on the East Coast.