Khalsa Aid Nominated For Nobel Peace Prize: Here Are Some Examples Of Their Selfless Work
The UK-based international NGO Khalsa Aid has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by members of the Canadian Parliament.
This after?Canadian MP Tim Uppal, Mayor of Brampton Patrick Brown, and the MPP for Brampton South Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria submitted the official nomination for Khalsa Aid, stating that Khalsa Aid recognized the Sikh principle of recognizing the entire human race as one.
?
A letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, dated January 14, reads, "Khalsa Aid became the first-ever cross-border international humanitarian aid organization based on the Sikh principle of 'recognizing the whole human race as one'. Founded by Ravinder (Ravi) Singh, who was struck by the plight of the refugees in Kosovo in 1999, the charity has been providing support around the world to victims of natural and man-made disasters such as floods, earthquakes, famine, and war for over 20 years. They have been able to provide crucial aid to millions of people around the world."?
Khalsa Aid also shared a copy of the letter on Twitter:
Founded in 1999 by Ravi Singh, the organization has lent relief support during the 2016 London floods, the 2018 Kerala floods, the 2020 Beirut Explosion, set up relief camps for Rohingyas at the Bangladesh-Myanmar border during 2017, and offered aid across the globe, during various humanitarian crises. Here are some recent examples of their exemplary work during the events mentioned below:
Farmers' protest
For the past few months, thousands of farmers have been protesting at Singhu and Tikri borders near the national capital against the central government's farm laws. Men, women, children and the elderly have been living at the protest site, braving the intense cold wave and extreme weather conditions.Khalsa Aid came to their rescue. Initially, they only served langars but eventually set up camp with the farmers at the site of agitation.?
The NGO is running a 600-bed full-to-capacity night shelter along with the two 'Kisan Malls' which provide various items of daily use, such as inner wears, thermals, toothbrush and sanitary pads to those in need. Volunteers of Khalsa Aid are reportedly providing sanitary napkins for free to women.They also set up a foot massage centre for the convenience of the farmers, who are primarily old in age, protesting for months.
Delhi riots
The riots that began in Delhi on February 23 raged on for three days. They left 53 people dead and more than a thousand homeless.Back then, Amarpreet Singh, the Managing Director of Khalsa Aid (Asia Pacific) had said that Khalsa Aid had identified and gotten in touch with shopkeepers and business owners who had lost their shops in the riots and would help them rebuild it so that they can get their business started again.?
Citing the example of a fruit market that was burnt down in Khajoori Khas, he said that since the vendors have no income source left, Khalsa Aid had ordered carts for them.Sharing his own experience, Amarpreet Singh said that the shop his family used to run was burnt in 1984. However, they decided to learn the lesson of love and empathy from their past. “We said to ourselves we will not let this happen to anyone else. Hindus and Muslims stood with us when that had happened.”
Cyclones Fani and Amphan?
In May 2019, cyclone Fani ravaged through Odisha with countless casualties. Among those who survived, many were left homeless or without food, water and electricity. Dozens of volunteers stepped into the field to help the survivors in Puri and in the suburbs. They had set up camp near Puri and prepared everything on site. The food and water were the distributed among those who needed it through mobile kitchens.In 2020, when cyclone Amphan wreaked havoc in Bengal, the coronavirus pandemic and nationwide lockdown were not enough to stop Khalsa Aid volunteers. In a post on Facebook, they had written, "We are providing emergency relief assistance like drinking water and hot cooked meals to the affected population."?
Pandemic-induced lockdown?
When the country went into a nationwide lockdown in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Khalsa Aid made sure that the needy were taken care of. Around 32,000 volunteers risked their lives in the middle of a pandemic to distribute ration, langar, PPE kits and masks to those who needed it.?
Meals for truck drivers stranded in the UK?
In December 2020, thousands of truck drivers were left stranded in the United Kingdom. As many as 2,850 trucks were stranded in Kent after France closed its UK border for 48 hours on Sunday amid concerns over the spread of a new strain of coronavirus.
Volunteers from Khalsa Aid not only provided hot, cooked meals?for the stranded drivers but also helped spread awareness about their situation and urged people to send in donations.
