Sewa International has its offices in Leicester, which is home to tens of thousands of Britons of Gujarati origin. The organization says it has launched a national fund to raise five million pounds. Sewa joins the London-based Swaminarayan Hindu Mission and the Islamic Relief Fund, which have each said they hope to raise the equivalent of at least one million pounds. In Leicester, Pramod Tanna, a coordinator for Sewa International, said towns and villages in Gujarat had been completely destroyed.
Speed is important.
At this stage, every penny will help to buy something that is desperately needed. An Indian High Commission spokesman here said rescue and search teams, as well as medicine and medical equipment have been sent by Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Japan, Turkey, Oman, Algeria, the Slovak Republic, the Republic of Korea and Malaysia.