Founded in 2000 by Irinder Singh Ahluwalia, Hemkunt Foundation is a non-government organization that aims to provide humanitarian aid to marginalized sections of society, with its headquarters in Gurugram, Haryana.
They are starting with a small project of running free schools in 3 districts of New Delhi. 10 years later, In the year 2020 marks a milestone for 12+ ongoing projects, especially for COVID-19 relief.
The organization is based upon the most famous Sikh principle of ‘Sarbat Da Bhalla’, which means welfare for all.
Their initiatives include climate change education, disaster management, and health.
Hemkunt Foundation and India’s Oxygen Crisis
The second wave of covid hit India badly. Rising cases and supply shortages were at a peak. No beds available, no oxygen, people just running and begging everyone for help.
They started their Covid relief work in April when India’s second wave picked up, and the country started clocking over 100,000 cases a day. They arranged oxygen from Delhi, London, the US, Mumbai everywhere they could organize it.
Foundation set up the camp in Gurugram and were providing oxygen through cars. And a few days later made beds and doctors available, But the Covid situation kept on becoming worse that it wasn’t enough; later, they set up a makeshift facility with a capacity of 700 medical beds and 24X7 ambulance service and food, among other benefits.
Their other projects include
Kerala Relief
In July 2018, when floods hit the state of Kerala due to heavy rainfall, it resulted in over 480 deaths and at least 1 million people evacuated from their homes.
Within a short period, Hemkunt Foundation reached out to the community and its supporters to collect donations for relief aid. It helped in aid material collection, which was sent to Kerala with volunteers for distribution purposes.
Hemkunt Foundation volunteers were able to assemble relief packs to be distributed across the state and local community.
Hemkunt Niwas – An Abode for the devotees
Hemkunt Niwas is a building made for devotees traveling to Hemkunt Sahib, Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. A collaborative effort with Gurudwara Sri Hemkunt Sahib runs on renewable energy and has a dedicated dispensary to cater to medical requirements.
They comprise 37 modern state-of-the-art rooms, and the rooms are built-in complete Serenity of Gobind Ghat.
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Heal Punjab
Many families are struggling to survive in Punjab. Day to day needs, particularly food, is an everyday struggle resulting in hunger, diseases, and majorly malnourished children.
Hemkunt Foundation started their ‘Heal Punjab’ initiative to help underprivileged families and link them with their basic needs. So far, 3 households have been built, and 53 families have been linked with this project.
The members of Hemkunt Foundation visit each family’s house to distribute the items they qualify to receive. The identified families are given a ration every month, and communication over the phone is done weekly for further needs.
They’ve been carrying out community work for a decade now and have achieved huge milestones, especially when the second wave hit us hard like a rock! And have stood true to their principles.
Conclusion
The foundation was the only one that supplied oxygen cylinders and even offered to refill the empty ones free of cost. They stood with the region together when Delhi NCR needed it the most.
Foundations like these restore our faiths in humanity, how selflessly we can offer our services. The foundation found us when our bodies were struggling to find oxygen.
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