Love & Peace Sai Youth Global Newsletter

"Service is a lifetime programme; it knows no rest or respite. This body has been given to you so that you may devote its strength and skills to the service of your brothers and sisters. Serve man until you see God in all people; then, what you do will be elevated to worship.” – Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

A clarion call from Bhagawan that youth from around the world should engage in service activities to make a positive difference in the lives of others, which ultimately helps unfold the latent divinity within him/her. In selfless service, the motive is to raise consciousness of Divinity through our loving efforts. The aim is to progress from ‘I’ to ‘We’ and eventually from ‘We’ to ‘He’, thus realising the unity among one and all.

Selfless love and selfless service without any distinction of religion, nationality, race or status and transcending all barriers is the essence of Bhagawan’s message – “Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of Man.” From engaging in teachers' training programmes to conducting medical camps, from teaching English in labour camps to providing breakfast to the underprivileged, youth from around the world are striving to follow Bhagawan's priceless message - "Love All. Serve All."

The Sai Youth Global Newsletter has been initiated on the command of our dear Lord. Sai Youth around the world have been divided into four regions, and every week, one region will lead the content of the newsletter and update all the youth around the world about the Seva activities initiated, planned, managed and executed by the youth.

Region One - Asia Pacific

Region Two - Sub Continent, Nigeria and UAE

Region Three - UK, Europe, Russia and Lithuania

Region Four - North America and South America

On January 01, 2017 Swami named the newsletter 'Love and Peace' and lovingly launched Issue One during the special New Year Satsang at Muddenahalli. This week we bring you Seva updates from the Middle East and Indian Sub Continent.

Yours in Sai Service,

Bhuvana Santhanam and Sumeet Tappoo

Sister Krishna Subhaga and Brother Anand Kadali, youth leaders for India presenting the newsletter to Bhagawan

Updates from Region Two

SRI SATHYA SAI ANNAPOORNA TRUST CELEBRATES ITS FIRST ANNIVERSARY IN THE DIVINE PRESENCE - DECEMBER 11, 2016

When divine grace and human effort join hands, even the sky isn’t the limit. The story of how the Sri Sathya Sai Annapoorna Trust started and has since touched many lives is a powerful testimony to what the partnership between Man and God can achieve.

The Trust which provides free breakfast for closed to 8000 school children has started its formal operations a year ago on Bhagawan’s 90th Birthday celebrated its first anniversary in Muddenahalli in the Sri Sathya Sai Hrudaya Mandiram. The programme was attended by over 160 school staff from 120 schools, along with 150 Annapoorna volunteers, who are the backbone of this successful service initiative.

Gathering of the volunteers and staff for the First Anniversary celebrations of Sri Sathya Sai Annapoorna Trust in the Divine Presence

Annapoorna%20Breakfast%20Programme%20-%20Building%20The%20Nation%20Through%20Nutrition

How it all started

Annapoorna Breakfast Programme - Building The Nation Through Nutrition

Christmas Celebrations, Bangalore

CV Raman Nagar, Dec 24, 2016

It was the eve of Christmas and there was a sense of excitement among us; Premadhara members, the youth in and around CVRaman Nagar, because we knew we had a surprise in store for the breakfast S eva children, that evening. Our group had been blessed and guided by our beloved Bhagawan to spend a “Value Hour” with these kids every week as Seva, that we could render as a part of our busy city lives.

Banaswadi Government School, Dec 22, 2016

With Swami’s Blessings, Christmas was celebrated in Banaswadi Government School by

Sevamrutham Volunteers in Bangalore. As it is followed every day the school prayer started as the 325 Children stood in line chanting the shlokas and singing the National anthem. Post that, the School Head Master announced to the students about Sri Sathya Sai Seva Members celebrating Christmas with them and it was warmly welcomed by loud cheer & clapping of hands by the children.

JP Nagar , Dec 25, 2016

We had a fun filled Christmas evening with Volunteers from Oracle and from the JP Nagar Breakfast Seva team. Some of our Sai brothers started with few bhajans and the kids joined. Few people from adjoining slum joined to see the event. One of the Brothers explained the importance of Christmas celebration to the kids. Following this, we played the “Memory” game. The aim of the game was to remember 21 random objects that the Proctor’s of the game show for a very short while. This was followed by a few rounds of ‘Passing the ball’ game. Kids enjoyed a lot during these games.

The New Year with Swami, Sri Lanka

Upon receiving the delightful news that our beloved Bhagawan would be with us on the very first day of the New Year, the youth in Colombo, together with the trustees and the organising committee of the Sri Satya Sai Karuna Nilayam Foundation busied themselves with ensuring that His Divine visit would be a memorable one.

Weekly meetings were held and much was planned as this was one of the most important events of our calendar. Youths were entrusted with certain responsibilities such as arranging transport for the entourage and planning activities in the Ashram land.

The fruits of these dedicated efforts were seen when the entire programme went smoothly, culminating in everyone expressing their happiness, the most important among them being Bhagawan Himself.

Our hearts overflowed with joy and excitement when Swami announced that he would visit our beautiful Island on the first of January every year.

We were also amazed to receive a message from Brother Madhusudan after returning to India, stating that Swami had asked him to convey that “ Swami is very happy”.

We are ever grateful and thank Swami from the bottom of our hearts for His limitless Grace and boundless love.

Youth Satsang, Post-World Youth Meet, UAE, Dec 02, 2016

The UAE group met to share with the rest of the Sai Hridayam team the precious moments from the World Youth Meet 2016 and Bhagawan’s 91st Birthday Celebrations. This S atsang which was focused on inspiring the Youth to take to more Seva initiatives, truly charged up the group. In addition, the group also recapped memories from the wonderful visit made by the UAE group to the newest campus at Hassan district of Karnataka, Sri Sathya Sai Sathyaniketanam.

The UAE group is immensely blessed to have been assigned this project by Bhagawan Himself. Although most of us have been exposed to Swami’s miraculous ways of working time and again, to watch the school in Hassan rise up so quickly, right from its inception in June 2016 to its present setup, was nothing short of Bhagawan’s miracle.

The group also discussed various spiritual activities planned for December 2016, which included:

 Resuming the Weekly Tea and Snacks Distribution Seva,

 Breakfast Seva,

 Toiletries Distribution Seva,

 Divine Discourse Transcription Seva, and

 A new programme on “Ceiling on Desires”

All these activities, which were conducted in December 2016, are described briefly below under Service Events section.

Ceiling on Desires Programme, A humble initiative by Sai Hridayam, UAE

During the Youth Satsang held in Dubai, post-World Youth Meet 2016, the group decided to launch a ‘Ceiling on Desires’ programme to ensure participation of every member of the group in Bhagawan’s grand mission in a humble way.

The objective of the programme was supporting the setting up and functioning of the Hassan school project with the ultimate goal of self-transformation. Under this programme, each participant will, over the next few months, identify and work on placing ceiling on various “wants” in their lives.

Service Events in December

INDIA

Kolkata Seva Update

This month we focused on filling the air with love for the people whom the team could touch upon through selfless service! Along with the General scheduled medical camps in the adopted villages, we started special activities and sustained projects which were need-based: Mobile Clinics were planned for the children in the slums, a drinking water supply was planned in three village clusters, Narayana S eva for the special children, and we inaugurated a Tele Medicine Centre focusing more upon Paediatric Cardiac patients!

Bangalore Seva Update 1

Digital Halli, Dec 18, 2016

With the divine grace of Swami “Digital Halli” program was organised in Sri Sathya Sai Sevamrutham Breakfast Seva centre in Doddabele village in the outskirts of Bangalore on Sunday, December 18th, 2016.

This event was organised with the collaborative efforts of Annapoorna Trust and NGO ACT INDIA with the following aim:

India lives in its villages. And that is where the cashless revolution needs to begin. Come join hands to help our country become cashless economy.

Bangalore Seva Update 2

Large-scale Medical Camp, Dec 25, 2016

On the beautiful Christmas morning of the 25th December 2016, the doctors and volunteers of the Sai Prema Sagara Charitable Trust, Bangalore accepted the invitation from Sri Sathya Sai Annapoorna Trust to conduct a comprehensive wellness screening and medical camp at the village of Gollu. This village is one of the nearly 70 government schools around the Chikkaballapur district, where the Annapoorna team serves breakfast free of cost to the children attending the local government school, on a daily basis.

Bangalore Seva Update 3 Dental Camp at Government schools

In Collaboration with RV Dental College and Hospital – We have been conducted dental screening camps at many of the breakfast service centers in Bangalore and Chickballapur.

The sincere dedication from the doctors has enabled us to conduct free dental screening and treatment camps across close to 25 rural schools covering 1500 school children till date. These out reach camps are conducted every week as per the agreed schedule between Annapoorna Volunteers group and the RV Dental college staff.

On Dec 15th – Dental Screening Camp has been conducted at Marthahalli Govt School for about 100 children and on Dec 22nd a similar camp has been conducted at Mahadevapur. Govt School for 80 children.

The camp was initiated with dental awareness talk, educating students about common dental ailments, especially stressing on tooth decay and gum diseases and measures to prevent from them. The students were highlighted about the eating patterns and food choices which cause tooth decay.

The students got ample opportunities to interact with the dental doctors to enquire and gain knowledge concerning oral diseases. On completion of the dental checkup each student was given a Patient Card, a report summary of the diagnosed problem and the recommended treatment was conducted.

Bangalore Seva Update 4

Health Screen Camp at Whitefield Breakfast Service Centre.

A Holistic Approach to Child Welfare and Nutrition

It is said it takes a village to raise a child. To ensure that children continue to reap the benefits of healthful breakfast and values-based sessions, we aim to reach out to their village as a community. Towards this, the volunteers of Annapoorna Breakfast Program have been involved in conducting regular health screening and ensure good health and well being of school children.

With the Blessings of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, a health screen Camp was conducted in Whitefield for 100 children from Gopalan Colony and Adarsh Labour colony (Nelurahalli Village). These Children are recipients of the daily breakfast program.

By focusing on the 4Ds in children - Defects, Deficiencies, Diseases and Developmental Delays - we aim to contribute to the health of children through timely Detection, Prevention, Education and Medical Management

Visakhapatnam (in Andhra Pradesh state) Seva Update 1

Clothing Distribution Seva, Dec 11, 18, 25, 27, 28. 2016

December was a busy month as the youth of Visakhapatnam conducted multiple Seva projects to help keep the needy warm by distributing clothing and blankets.

A group of 55 youth went to Draksharamam in West Godavari District (in Andhra Pradesh State) on December 11th, 2016 to distribute clothes and blankets to 400 needy people.

On December 18th 2016, a group of 30 youth went to Tuni (in Andhra Pradesh State) and the surrounding 10 villages for distributing clothes and blankets to 400 needy people.

On Christmas Day, December 25th 2016, we distributed clothes and blankets to 470 needy people in Gopalapatnam, Visakhapatnam (in Andhra Pradesh State).

Blankets were also distributed to needy.

Visakhapatnam Seva Update 2

Breakfast Service for school children

There is an ongoing breakfast service project for school children conducted in the below Govt Schools in Visakhapatnam district (Andhra Pradesh State):

Butchirajupalem – 35 Children

Neelakantapuram -35 Children

Gollavillivanipalem - 55 Children

Gangubudi - 35 Children

Thummikapalli - 30 Children

We have selected two more schools in Gopalapatnam where breakfast service will be started after the Pongal holidays.

Visakhapatnam Seva Update 3

Dental Camp

A dental camp was conducted in Saripalli High School (Pendurthi, Visakhapatnam District) and treatments like root canals, cementing and scaling were provided for the school children identified with dental ailments.

Vision screening was done in three government schools and 200 spectacles were given to children with problems with their eyesight.

Nigeria

Medical Camp

Service Venue: Alaba Leprosy Colony, Lagos Nigeria .

Serving 150 Leprosy Patients

Foundation: Praying Hearts & Helping Hands

Sri Lanka

Breakfast Seva Pragramme

As Swami reiterates time and time again, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. He has stated, “It is very important to ‘break fast’ each morning, as by nature, every individual fasts throughout the night. Therefore every morning you should eat like a King.”

The student body of the Dharmapuram school is comprised of 44 students, both boys and girls;

Toiletries Distribution Seva

December 2, 2016

A range of toiletries donated by the group were taken to India by a couple of our youth members who distributed the same as a part of the Grama Seva undertaken in a village in Andhra Pradesh. This village is nearly 60 kilometers from Puttaparthi and is in a very remote area. The name of the village is P.Kottala kondagattapalli (P.O) in Mudigubba (Mandal) in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, India.

In addition to the toiletries, some of the youth members collected used clothes in good condition from several families in the region. These clothes which include Sarees, Shirts, Trousers and Children’s wear, are currently in transit to India.

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