Sewa clothes thousands, ready to help more

THE charitable group Sewa is now working towards providing clothing for thousands of people including those hit by natural disaster such as recent episodes of flooding in areas of Trinidad, plus helping to clothe needy citizens across the country. Volunteers daily meet at the Divali Nagar to sort out donated clothes for distribution.

Newsday spoke to Revan Teelucksingh, head of the group whose name translates from Sanskrit into "selfless service."

He related that over the years the group has sought gaps in assistance to people wherever natural disasters have occurred in Trinidad and Tobago or in the region.

Teelucksingh said Sewa provides food, shelter, water, blood-supplies and clothes.

"This is the fifth year of our clothes drive."

Teelucksingh said the charitable drive also had an environmental conservation aspect.

He recalled a 2015 survey had found that 78 per cent of items bring sent to landfills were in fact textiles which often included polyester, but that when these materials began to break down they released micro-plastics into the environment.

"So we thought let us develop a project to collect and sort clothes, and give them to people."

Teelucksingh said that in undertaking this exercise, Sewa has also created a nice family environment for its volunteers who sort the clothes.

Donations were accepted from November 2-9.

"In the first week we collected 17,081 pounds of clothes. Now, we have no more space to collect more," he said.

He hoped more people could volunteer to help in the sorting which is done all day on weekends and on evenings during the week at the Divali Nagar. Anyone interested can call Sewa at 333-SEWA (333-7392.)

Teelucksingh that for a more orderly allocation of clothing, distribution is not done directly to members of the public but through various organisations and public bodies.

Via the Ministry of Social Development, Sewa sends clothes to old people's homes, children's residences and families in need, to the tune of serving about 1,000 people.

Sewa is also in touch with the fire service and police to direct aid to fire victims. Noting that about 100 homes burn down each year in Trinidad and Tobago, he said clothing is allocated to about 200 families, where he estimated each family to be comprised of about five members.

"We also reach out to the hospitals." Teelucksingh said Trinidad and Tobago's hospitals have about 1,200 long-stay patients, whom Sewa is ready to serve.

"To cover all geographical areas in Trinidad and Tobago we reach out to every councillor and MP. They help us screen people. We can't do all the screening."

Calculating that each councillor recommends six families and each MP ten families, Teelucksingh estimated that via these elected representatives Sewa helps another 1,000-plus families. We count a family as five people."

Teelucksingh estimated that as many as 8,000 people benefit from each of Sewa's clothing drives.

He estimated the 17,081 pounds of clothing consisted of about 40,000 individuals items which could range from a shorts or skirt to a suit.

He thanked the Ministry of Local Government and Ministry of Social Development for helping with the distribution process. Teelucksingh thanked Cepep for helping to sort the clothes. He thanked Massy for some financial assistance, and thanked Prestige Holdings for providing refreshments for volunteers.

Teelucksingh said Tobago was within Sewa's remit, although saying logistical challenges meant it would be better for those particular beneficiaries to visit the site.

Lastly, he thanked the donors, saying they had been very diligent by donating items of excellent quality and by neatly packing them, often bundling items together into specific categories for easier sorting at the Nagar.

Sorting, he said, will continue daily till November 29.

The next Sewa blood drive will be held on November 17 from 9 am to 2.30 pm at the Divali Nagar, Narsaloo Ramaya Marg Road, Endeavour.