A Richmond Gurdwara fundraised and donated $100,000 to help purchase kidney dialysis machines for two hospitals in India.
The India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas, located on Richmond’s Highway to Heaven, donated the funds after launching the fundraising campaign last year.
Three kidney dialysis machines were purchased and installed at Guru Nanak Mission Hospital and five machines at Raja Sahib Majara Hospital, both facilities located in Punjab, India.
According to Balwant Sanghera, general secretary of the India Cultural Centre, the campaign was originally launched to help people who were “desperate” to purchase oxygen concentrators during the pandemic.
“Everybody was adversely affected during COVID-19, but the state of Punjab in India was really miserable so during our gurdwara management meeting at the time, we decided that we needed to help our brothers and sisters,” said Sanghera.
He added that the gurdwara’s management committee consulted Dr. Obrai’s Sarbat Da Bhala Trust, an organization already working in the field to help those in need, on what the gurdwara could do to help.
“We wanted to raise $100,000, which we did, but once we were ready the dynamics in Punjab changed and they already had a number of oxygen (concentrators) installed. However, there was an increasing need and demand for kidney dialysis machines and that is what we used the funds for.”
The Gurdwara Nanak Niwas recently received letters of thanks from the hospitals “profusely thanking” for the donation of the machines.
“They stated that these machines will go a long way in treating poor and needy people at both of these facilities. Initiatives like these go a long way in creating more pride in our community,” said Sanghera.
