Helping Immigrants in Need

Volunteers from our Sathya Sai Baba Center assisted 14-15 Bhutanese refugee families for six months, every week from July 2009 to January 2010, in the process of their resettling in the US. Several families were resettled in the Baltimore, Maryland, area, and by divine grace, we came in contact with the group and the organization that oversees the resettlement program.

Although the refugee resettlement program has been going on in the US for several decades, this was the first time our center had taken up this service. Our service activities included providing transportation to visit a Shiva-Vishnu temple where a job fair had been organized. Next, we conducted a workshop with the help of local immigration attorneys, to assist the Bhutanese families with their Green Card applications. We also conducted a medical camp that included physical examinations, general screenings, and most important, informing them about the U.S medical/dental system. As a center, we collected and distributed to them winter and other general-use clothing for men, women, and children. On a weekly basis, we supplied each family with a bag of groceries that included rice, lentils, four or five vegetables, and occasionally fruits.

The service was very fulfilling, especially since a large majority of us have had personal experience of the difficulties of immigrating to a new country and culture. These people face even more problems due to the language barrier, cultural differences, lack of education, and past experiences in refugee camps. Several of the refugees had been separated from their family members. Some individuals could speak Hindi, which allowed us interact with them directly. Our interaction with the Bhutanese gave them hope and a feeling of connection, and lifted their spirits, as they really felt happy to see us every weekend.

Sathya Sai Baba’s message of selfless love was kept foremost in mind in this activity. He always says that doing service is for our own good. It was indeed true in this case. It made us realize how blessed we are for all that we have at our disposal – and that we should stop complaining.

I was reminded also of Swami’s teaching on developing and maintaining concentrated faith in God throughout good times and bad. Faith was very clearly evident in these people, for, in spite of all their sufferings, they had a sense of confidence, of belief, and of trust that helped them survive these difficult times. They all helped, comforted, and supported each other in an attempting to lead normal lives. That was truly amazing. Very few of them could communicate in English, but God answered their prayers and granted them peace of mind and resources for re-establishing their lives. We were so glad to see the progress these people made in the short time we worked with them after their arrival in the US. Many of them found jobs and, most important, went on to help others to find jobs. The little support we could provide during their difficult times will be remembered a long time. It was a great experience for all of us who took part in this service project, and we are grateful to God for this opportunity.

 

Additional Info

 

See Also:

To learn more about or join this service project, you may go to: http://us.sathyasai.org/index.html and click on the state or city in which the Sai Center project takes place. Click on “Email us for information about these Centers.” A local contact will respond to your email

Keywords

Bhutanese assistance, Baltimore Sai Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA Region 2, Sathya Sai service projects USA, refugee resettlement

Project Details

Project start: 07/01/09

Project completion: 01/01/10

Stage of development:

Zone name: US. Canada, West Indies, Israel

Lat/Longitude: 39° 16' N -76° 37' W

Affiliation: Sathya Sai Center of Baltimore MD

Service category: Refugee assistance

Author: Deepak Deshpande

Project leader: