Sewa

International

Houston Chapter

T o g e t h e r w e c a n s e r v e b e t t e r.

Newsletter for June 2011

2 Sewa Houston - www.sewahouston.org - houston@sewausa.org

Sewa Houston Newsletter Together we can serve better.

Greetings,

Summer is in full swing and Sewa has

welcomed the newest group of summer

interns. As in the past, the young students

and professionals participating in the summer

Get Inspired Houston (GIH) internship will

engage in various Sewa empowerment

programs.

We are excited to have 10 interns who will be

working in the areas of women empower-

ment, children activities, youth mentorship,

public relations and grant writing. This year

we are also adding a lecture series as a new

experiment to the internship.

These young interns will gain invaluable

experience that will shape them into

successful members of society.

What we do would not be possible without

the help of our supporters and volunteers. So

it is with gratitude that we send you this

monthly newsletter to inform you of our past

and upcoming events.

We look forward to your responses, queries and

feedback throughout the year.

Sincerely, Sewa Houston Team

In this issue:

New GIH Interns

ASPIRE Picnic on June 11

Medical Drives on June 9

and 13

You are invited to our

Annual Fundraising Gala

on September 10, 2011

Click here to like us

on facebook!

Team of Sewa interns and volunteers with patients

at the Medical Drive at Los Arcos apartments

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Sewa Houston Newsletter Together we can serve better.

Announcements

Orientation for Summer Interns

The Orientation for summer interns was held

on June 4th at the Sewa Office located on 3908

Westhollow Parkway, Houston, TX 77083. Ten

interns will be working in the areas of children‘s

activities, women‘s empowerment, youth

mentorship, public relations and grant writing

throughout the summer.

Wish List

Empowering low income families through

education is one of the main purposes of Sewa.

As we work with children and families, we are

always looking for supplies to support and

improve our programs. We would greatly

appreciate donations, whether they are newly-

bought items or supplies that have been lying

around in your home.

Educational materials and supplies

TAKS prep guide for teachers (two sets)

Books for reading assignment class - (two novels/

books for each term, 15 students)

ESL books for students (15 students, level 1 and

level 2 books)

ESL books for instructors (6 books)

Copying machine

Educational board games for small children

(Math and English)

Two small white boards for classes in the

apartment complex

Colors, papers, pencils etc. for art classes for

small kids

Candle making supplies for vocational training

class for women

Volunteers Needed for After School Programs

We are in need of volunteers for after school

programs. If you are able to lead/teach

English, Computer, Reading and Comprehension

classes or serve as a one-on-one mentor, please

let us know. There are opportunities to volunteer

in the evening on Wednesday or Saturday and

Sunday.

Volunteer to teach ESL

If you have an interest in teaching English as a

Second Language and have a background in ESL

teaching & curriculum, please email us at

houston@sewausa.org.

New Facebook Page

Facebook is a great tool to raise public

awareness for our cause. Since Facebook will

archive all old groups soon, Sewa Houston

moved to a new page:

www.facebook.com/sewahouston

Please "like" it and suggest it to your friends. You

may also help us by contributing pictures or

comments to our page.

New Sewa interns Nikki, Anu and Sarah (from left)

Click here to read

our blog about the

Get Inspired Hou-

ston Internship

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Sewa Houston Newsletter Together we can serve better.

This month‘s events

About ASPIRE

Assuring Student Performance in Refugee Educa-

tion (ASPIRE) is Sewa Houston's initiative to pro-

vide motivated kids with extra academic help.

ASPIRE aims to provide practical support that

kids need in order to successfully graduate from

high school and pursue a college degree.

ASPIRE is addressing the different learning needs

of refugee kids. Current sessions of ASPIRE are

focused on helping kids get through the TAKS

exam. The course offers reading sessions, TAKS

lessons and one on one mentoring.

ASPIRE Picnic on June 11, 2011

On June 11, 2011, Bhutanese students from the

ASPIRE program met at the Arthur Storey Park

for a picnic with their teacher Shivangi Tomar,

the President of the Houston Chapter of Sewa

International Manju Gupta, and volunteers from

Sewa including Esther Ok, Allissa Abdelwahed,

Amelia Parsons, Brianna Deutsch, Kriti Dogra,

and others.

Throughout the day, the boys played cricket,

while the girls enjoyed three-legged races and

limbo. On that hot Saturday morning, the chil-

dren ate sweet watermelon while engaging in

conversation. We enjoyed delicious Indian food

for lunch and wrapped up the picnic with an

Awards Ceremony for the children.

All ASPIRE students received certificates for par-

ticipation. The two graduating seniors were con-

gratulated, and two others students with perfect

attendance to Shivangi’s classes were awarded a

certificate and a backpack to encourage them as

they further their education. The picnic was a

success and we look forward to other events

with the students.

Teacher Shivangi Tomar (back row, far left) and her

ASPIRE students with certificates

Dr. Raman Sewa Scholarship

Sewa Houston is very glad to

introduce the Dr. Raman Sewa

Scholarship, sponsored by Dr. Jay

Raman and Dr. Viji Raman.

The scholarship is set up to support

Bhutanese students financially in

their full-time undergraduate stu-

dies for four years.

Candidates can apply until July 10,

2011 at: www.sewahouston.org

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Sewa Houston Newsletter Together we can serve better.

Click here to see new

videos and pictures of

Sewa Houston!

Medical Drives on June 9 and 13, 2011

Sewa Houston collaborated with the Mobile Clinic

of the Texas Children’s Hospital to host two free

immunization drives for children of low-income

families. The first drive took place on Thursday,

June 9, at the St. Cloud apartment complex and

the second one on Monday, June 13, at the Los

Arcos apartment complex in Southwest Houston.

In total, 42 children received free immunization

and many of their family

members got a medical check-up.

The greatest challenge for the Mobile Clinic

workers and volunteers was communicating with

the patients. The families who have benefited

from the drives are immigrants and refugees from

countries such as Bhutan, Nepal, Kenya, Somalia,

Mexico and Colombia. Most of them speak little

to no English, therefore volunteer translators

greatly contributed to the immunization drive’s

success.

Girl gets free immuniation at Medical Drive

First “Lead Houston“ Lecture on June 24, 2011

As part of the leadership training for the Get Inspired

Houston internship, all interns were invited to attend a

lecture by Dr. Bobby Kapur at the Emergency Center of the

Ben Taub General Hospital.

Dr. Kapur is currently director of the Emergency Medicine

residency training program at Baylor College of Medicin. He

also developed and implemented emergency medicine

training programs for international physicians and health-

care workers. Dr. Kapur’s projects have included estab-

lishing training programs in Beijing, New Delhi, and Kolkata.

In his lecture, Dr. Kapur talked about his own career path ,

encouraged Sewa interns to have set goals and visions for

their future and inspired them to become strong leaders in

society.

Sewa interns with Dr. Bobby Kapur at the Ben Taub Hospital

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Sewa Houston Newsletter Together we can serve better.

Upcoming Events

Independence Day Celebration on July 4, 2011

Join us to celebrate Independence Day on July 4,

2011 at Tinsley Park. Bhutanese families and Sewa

volunteers from the Children‘s Activities and

Women‘s Empowerment teams will meet to watch

the fireworks and do fun activities in the park

together. For more information email Allissa

Abdelwahed at abdelwahed14@sbc.edu.

Children‘s Art Gallery: The Story of a Travelling

Home on July 23, 2011

On July 23, 2011, Sewa will host an art show at

Caroline Collective (http://carolinecollective.cc/) in

the Museum District. We are going to present art

work and sculptures by the Bhutanese kids who

participate in our Children‘s Activities program at

Villa Bella Apartments. For more information

email Luna Oliveira at gih@sewahouston.org.

About us

Sewa USA is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization with International presence. Sewa International and partner NGOs have over 25 years of experience. Sewa International USA helps victims regardless of caste, class, creed, color or religion. Sewa International USA supports projects in the areas of health care, education, women empowerment, environment and disaster relief and rehabilitation in India, USA, Caribbean countries and South America. The pictures in this newsletter were taken by Ajay Sarpeshkar, Stella Wojdyla, Allissa Abdelwahed and Luna Oliveira.

S A V E T H E D A T E

S e w a International

Annual Fundraising Gala

September 10, 2011, 6pm

At the University of Houston Ballroom

www.sewahouston.org & (512) 554 6498