UNITED SIKHS

Press Release: Tuesday 1st November, 2005 (20th Katak, Samvat 537 Nanakshahi)

UNITED SIKHS 'Adopts' 170 Families to Construct Their Shelter Homes in 7 Devastated Villages in Kashmir (India)

UPLINA Village in Patti Fatehpura First to Receive Building Materials

YOU COULD HELP BUILD ONE SHELTER HOME FOR $500 (£300)

UNITED SIKHS Base Camp: Baramulla, J&K
Camp Coordinator: Bhai Esher Singh, 91-9906771207

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USA: 1-888-243-1690, UK: 44- 870 1993328, INDIA: 91-9906771207


UNITED SIKHS volunteers with truck of tin-sheets in Baramulla.

Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K)—With winter ahead, people in the mountain villages eagerly look for more help from relief agencies. UNITED SIKHS has identified 170 Sikh families and several others who are in dire need of shelter homes in the cold mountain weather. The UNITED SIKHS GHANAIA Asian Earthquake relief team made a feasibility study after consulting the local Sikh community and decided to construct "hut shape slope" shelter houses. These houses will have tin-roofs with wooden ceilings to reduce heat loss.


Distribution of Building material for tin-sheet-roof in Uplina.

A tin-roof house is estimated to cost Rs 25,000 rupees ($500/£300) in Kashmir. The total cost for 170 houses is $87,000 (£51,000) (including tools and hardware required for building the houses.)

A fund raising campaign was launched last Sunday at Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Sedgley Street, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom, to appeal to individual members of the sangat to co-'adopt' the building of one home each with UNITED SIKHS. UNITED SIKHS appeals to all Gurdwaras to start a similar campaign so that the 170 homes may be built before the first snowfall.


Villagers receiving Building material for tin-sheet-roofs in Uplina.

"The temperature goes down to freezing point and the wind chill factor makes the relief effort harder. Moving from one village to another in cold weather is difficult. We don't see anyone on the road after 6 pm" said Davinderpal Singh of UNITED SIKHS, who is stationed at Baramulla. He added, "We have less than 2 weeks to build shelter homes before snow falls in the area."


Distribution of Blankets to families in Uplina.

Uplina, is a small village in the Patti Fatehpura division, with only a Sikh population. The 800 Uplina Villagers, the first ones to receive assistance from UNITED SIKHS to build their shelter homes, were very grateful. "Winter would have been terrible for us, we are thankful to young volunteers from UNITED SIKHS for helping us with tin-sheets and Blankets" said one villager. 25 families received tin-sheets and building material to build their shelter homes before snow fall.

The UNITED SIKHS Shelter Home construction Project Team in Kashmir-India.

  1. Chief Project Coordinator - Bhai Esher Singh
  2. Supervisor/Overseer: Davindarpal Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Inderjit Singh, Jorawar Singh, Jaspreet Singh, Deewan Singh Madan
  3. Skilled Worker/Labor: Local workers
  4. Engineer: Joginder Singh, Civil Engg,
  5. Col. Chamkaur Singh: Logistics, supplies, and security

Villages Identified

  1. Tribuni
  2. Simbalpura
  3. Uri
  4. Slamabad
  5. Legaima
  6. Sialkot Rafiabad
  7. Uplina

South Asian Earthquake Relief Links:

Issued by:
Kuldip Singh
Director
UNITED SIKHS
1-888-243-1690

Our Mission

To transform underprivileged and minority communities and individuals into informed and vibrant members of society through civic, educational and personal development programs, by fostering active participation in social and economic activity.

UNITED SIKHS is also an avenue for networking between like-minded organisations to establish and nurture meaningful projects and dialogues - whether social, cultural or political- to promote harmony, understanding and reciprocity in our villages, towns and cities.

UNITED SIKHS is a coalition of organisations and individuals, who share a common vision based on the belief that there is no greater endeavour than to serve, empower and uplift fellow beings. The core of our philosophy is an unwavering commitment to civic service and social progress on behalf of the common good.

Accordingly, UNITED SIKHS has sought to fulfil its mission not only by informing, educating and uplifting fellow beings but also by participating in cross-cultural and political exchanges to ensure that the promises and benefits of democracy are realized by all.

We at UNITED SIKHS believe that the development of enlightened and progressive societies can be made possible by socially conscious groups of people who make a commitment to develop and direct human potential. Our work, efforts and achievements stand as a testament to our faith in this vision.