Sikh NGO reaches out to Iraqis, Syrians

Jasmine Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 18

“Recognising the whole human race as one,” it is this teaching of the guru that forms the basis of the International NGO Khalsa Aid, founded by Ravinder Singh from UK.

To serve this belief, the volunteers of the organisation are ready to travel to any place of calamity to save those caught in a dire situation.

Khalsa Aid has undertaken numerous missions in India and across the world. Its current engagement in northern Iraq has been noticed worldwide.

Ravinder Singh with a grey flowing beard, a dastar, and armed with a smile, is currently in Syria carrying on his humanitarian work.

He has been raising voice for the Aleppo. “Their suffering has gone on for far too long. We urge the British Government and the rest of the world to act fast and save the lives of lakhs of civilians at risk in Aleppo. The civilians must be protected by all parties, especially the children,” adds the man whose charity has been widely thanked for its selflessness on social media.

Apart from this, Khalsa Aid has also helped to rehabilitate and rescue women from the ISIS.

Their relief team has been supporting Yezidi and Khalsa Aid has been supporting Yazidi and Assyrian refugees in Iraq since 2014.

In January 2016 we initiated a food and water project for 350 refugee families in northern Iraq. The food (langar) provided by Khalsa Aid is the only hope for these families who are living in isolated locations.

This is exactly where langar (free food) is needed, says Amarpreet Singh, managing director of Khalsa Aid in India, who shares how the organisation and its volunteers have initiated various rescue missions.

“We provide relief to the victims and this doesn’t fall in a stipulated time frame, sometimes the relief mission can go on for a long time.”

It is one such mission that has been much talked about in India and abroad, the case of 39 missing Indians in Iraq. Amarpreet happened to be in the place when the incident happened. Khalsa Aid did try their best to get information on the missing Indians.

“We got their partners in touch with Kurdish people and the police, but in vain. There has been no information on them so far, no video, no pictures, nothing. With ISIS around one has to carry the relief work with some caution. We are concerned about the safety but we have no information on them yet.”

The organisation is trying to get information on the missing Indians from those who are fleeing from the ISIS clutches in Mosul.