Our Inspiration

 

ClosetAtheist: Sathya Sai Baba

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Born in the tiny hamlet of Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh, India, Sri Sathya Sai Baba grew up to be revered by millions around the world over as a humanitarian and spiritual teacher. His simple message of Love and Peace provided the much-needed succor and beacon of hope in a world that was constantly hurrying to achieve materialistic goals. People were drawn by His love, felt the need to transform themselves and imbibe the universal and secular human values of truth, righteousness, peace, love and non-violence in their daily lives. Sai Baba’s ultimate aim was to transform humanity into caring beings and to help them realise that divinity is latent in all beings, irrespective of race, religion or creed.


THE MISSION IN FIJI

The Mission of Selfless Love and Selfless Service has been present in the Fiji Islands for approximately four decades, and is now in the forefront of an accelerated expansion undertaken by the Sai Prema Foundation Fiji.

HIS WORK – THE EDUCARE MISSION

Sri Sathya Sai Baba established a model education system. He established Primary Schools, Secondary Schools and an accredited University with four campuses (Prasanthi Nilayam, Whitefield, Anantapur and Muddenahalli) offering Undergraduate, Masters, and Ph.D. Degrees. No fees are charged to students, and admission is open to all, regardless of race, religion, or economic condition.

The emphasis is pursuit of academic excellence through “Integral Education” – a system designed to foster self-discipline and pro-social conduct. Students are required to take courses on morality and spirituality, and to devote several hours each week to some form of community service.

Baba established Sathya Sai Schools in 37 Countries and 31 Institutes of Sathya Sai Education to train teachers through a system based on Human Values.

In recent times, under the Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Trust, and its allied Trusts – Sri Sathya Sai Saraswathi Education Trust and Prashanthi Balamandira Trust, have established many institutions in the rural heartland of Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu as well as a teachers training institute under the banner of Sri Sathya Sai Centre for Human Excellence, has also been started to offer degree courses in Science and Arts along with a Bachelor’s degree in Education program.

In a span of five years, as of September 2017, there are 14 Campuses, 27 Institutions in 9 Districts of Karnataka.

HIS WORK – THE MEDICARE MISSION

In 1991, Sri Sathya Sai Baba built an ultra-modern 300-bed hospital in Puttaparthi, which performs open-heart operations, totally free of charge. Another super speciality hospital started operating in 2001 in Whitefield, Bangalore. These ‘temples of healing’ are run by dedicated doctors, nurses and staff who nurture the patients with utmost love and care.

In continuation of His mission of providing High Quality Speciality care absolutely free of cost, a 200-bed Pediatric Cardiac Care Centre, Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital, perhaps the only one of its kind dedicated exclusively to children’s heart care in the entire nation, has been established in Naya Raipur, Chattisgarh in November 2012.

The second of the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani chain of Hospitals, Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani International Centre for Child Heart Care and Research, established by the Sri Sathya Sai Health and Education Trust was dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi on 27th November 2016 amidst quiet fervour at Baghola village in Haryana’s Palwal district.

HIS WORK – THE SOCIOCARE MISSION

Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s Drinking Water Supply Project was launched in 1994 to provide drinking water to millions of people in drought-ridden villages in the state of Andhra Pradesh. A multitude of humanitarian relief efforts continue to be undertaken throughout the world. Inspired by the teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Interfaith activities and efforts are being conducted to foster an environment where followers of different religions serve together in harmony and understand the unity of all religions. Community Service initiatives are undertaken globally to serve the poor, underprivileged and needy. For example, the Annapoorna Breakfast Program provides nutritious breakfast, free of cost, to underprivileged children to more than 40,000 children across 600 schools, in 10 states of India.

THE GLOBAL MISSION

THE GLOBAL MISSION – A SUMMARY

NIGERIA: The Aruike Speciality Hospital – a state-of-the-art 34-bed Hospital providing free Medical services in the state of Enugu; Medical camps in Lagos, Nigeria which served 150 Leprosy patients; Breakfast Service initiated by the Sai youth of Nigeria for a government school, Ereko Methodist Primary School in Lagos (Feb 2017); The establishment of The Heart of Love Children’s Home in Anuli Village to care for neglected, abused, orphaned and destitute children; The Liquid Love Rural Community Water Project bringing clean water to 10,000 people in the area; The Helping Hands Youth Initiative which includes prison visitation and feeding program, Hospital visits and care for the sick and elderly, food distribution to the poor and care for the environment; The Come and Eat Food Program providing nutritious breakfast/lunch to poor school-going children who cannot afford a day’s meal; The Embodiments of Love Academy was established to provide free quality values-based education to the young residents of Heart of Love Children Home.

SRI LANKA: Development of a 9,000 sq ft. Medical Centre providing free service to the poor and needy; Breakfast Service program and a new play Park in Dharmapuram School in Kiranakulam; Workshop on environmental conservation and tree planting campaign, youth education, blood donation and cancer awareness programs carried out in Vaharai, a small war-torn village in Eastern Sri Lanka; Elderly Home visit by Sai Youth in Borella, Colombo, distributing food & entertainment with love; Educare project by the Sai youth of Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. This includes free tuition, spiritual activities such as meditation, Veda chanting and Bhajans.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Food and clothing distribution to the homeless in Alberta Canada, San Francisco, Southern California and Houston, Texas, USA; Breakfast Service activity was carried out by the youth of the Bay area in Oakland and Berkeley; Feed the Need – The Houston youth group have been getting together for a year now to regularly prepare and hand out snack lunches to the homeless people in Houston, Texas; Alabama Sai Youth – assisted tornado affected families with necessities and provided basic supplies. Also, they began a skills training program with the residents of Jesse’s place, the women and children’s shelter of the state’s largest city; Sai Ashraya, a home for orphaned children aged between 6 to 18 years, was opened in San Francisco Bay area, California, USA in 2017. The home will be a beacon of light for other orphanages; Cook & Serve collaboration with Union Gospel Mission, Seattle, USA where homeless people are lovingly served cooked meals on a regular basis.

INDONESIA: ‘Grama Seva’ and EHV Guru program was conducted on December 31st, 2016 in Bali. Refurbishment of Sai Pooja Ashram in Indonesia by the Indonesian Sai Youth.

MIDDLE-EAST: Groceries, Toiletries, Dry Ration Distribution along with Tea and Snacks distribution to construction workers in the Middle-East; ‘Labour of Love’- Medical camps conducted by the Middle-East youth for construction workers; Women Empowerment Program was done for the ladies at the construction camp site.

GREECE: ‘Nectar of Love’ program – serving refugees and homeless people with food and other basic necessities. They have refurbished a large warehouse into a Seva Centre in the heart of Athens, which serves as a base for furthering their service activities, which also includes a mobile medical van.

AUSTRALIA: Parcels containing food, stationary, and basic essentials are given regularly to needy families; Dental healthy living sessions provided to the students of Tooggoolawa School in Ormeau by the Southeast Queensland Sai youth. Australian Sai Youth provided food and assistance to people of Murwillumbah

after Cyclone Debbie’s devastating floods; Breakfast Program in Perth in conjunction with Minnawarra house which is a community house in Armadale, where needy residents in the area come for food, therapeutic and social support. Health in Kind Foundation provide free health check-ups, dental check-ups and mental health to the needy people in the community.

MEXICO: Establishment of the Centre for Human Excellence in Chihuahua, Mexico under progress.

SINGAPORE: ‘Meals on Wheels’- a Singapore youth initiative which serve food to an elder care facility every alternate Sundays; ‘Ceiling of Desires’ project undertaken by the Singapore youth to financially support Aruike Speciality Hospital, Nigeria with their operational expenses.

ITALY: Italian Sai youth volunteering at a homeless canteen in Turin, offering breakfast and lunch on Sundays to homeless people.

UNITED KINGDOM: ‘Wheels Appeals’ – where volunteer drivers provide free transport to the elderly who are not able to visit the GP’s themselves; Blanket Revolution Project – UK youth started a project to provide blankets and hats to the homeless people of London, Birmingham and West Midlands.

MALAYSIA: A Free English with Values Program led by the youths at Sai Ananda for children from slums and lower income housing areas of Batu Caves, Selangor in Malaysia; Malaysian Sai Youth have formed a team to deliver food weekly to the poor and needy around selected areas at Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Malaysia.

GERMANY: ‘Help the elderly’ program – German Sai youth have adopted a large nursing home in Munich, Germany.

ARGENTINA: Sai Assis offer love and company to the elderly and help with food and clothing to the people from Venezuela who have just arrived at their country as refugees.