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Zone 3
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Australia
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The Secondary School Campus of the Sathya Sai College was expanded, with an increase in staffing and improved infrastructure, and the school year concluded with 148 students at the primary school and 117 at the secondary campus. All five students who sat for the Higher School Certificate examination were offered enrollment at a university or technical college. Highlights of the year included a regional award won by the primary school music ensemble, the selection of students in regional and national table tennis teams, and the establishment of a running club. Once again, the annual Friendship Festival successfully engaged the local community.
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On the auspicious Aradhana Mahotsavam Day (April 24, 2023), the One Million Steps to Swami's 100th Birthday initiative was launched. SSSIO Members were encouraged to register for the program and record their daily tally of physical steps consciously dedicated to Sai. The tally was done virtually across Australia and included steps taken during devotional and service activities. The journey started from Uluru, the sacred heart of Australia. The first project was inaugurated at the Purple House in the Northern Territory, where beanies were provided to dialysis patients in the Aboriginal community. At the Sunset Kitchen in Darwin, SSSIO members supported an organization providing meals to homeless people. It is rewarding to note that the One Million Steps initiative has created wonderful connections with many unknown communities.
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Support for the Birthing Kit Foundation continued, with over 1,200 birthing kits assembled in 2023 throughout Australia. The Foundation provides kits to pregnant women living in rural and remote settings and low-resource communities throughout the world, helping prevent infection in birthing situations and reducing morbidity and mortality in women and newborns.
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The Sai Medical Unit in Australia offers an annual educational program as part of Sai Health Week. Held in August each year, the Medical Unit chooses a different focus area. In 2023, the focus was on preventive healthcare, and two face-to-face seminars were offered in Sydney and Melbourne. The session in Sydney covered the topics of eating, sleeping, and moving, while the topic in Melbourne was the power of positive thoughts.
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SSSIO members in Sydney constructed 21 boxes and 200 pouches for possums, which were distributed by Sydney Wildlife Services. These boxes and pouches provide shelter for the animals in areas where their environment is destroyed by fire or flood.
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The SSSIO in NSW has established a relationship with Foodbank NSW and ACT, a charitable organization that procures food on a large scale not possible for local groups.
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With the help of this connection, the SSSIO has been able to assist flood victims in Lismore, a Tamil Refugee Organization, and other smaller communities. It has also assisted with monthly food hamper donations supporting the national service project of assisting families in Murwillumbah, where the Sathya Sai College is located.
The Young Adults conducted another blood donation drive, keeping this valuable and vital service in the members' awareness. This project has been successfully operating for many years, recruiting new donors on each occasion.
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Fiji
From July 23–28, 2023, 88 health professionals and volunteers from New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, and the USA joined hands with volunteers from Fiji, forming a team of up to 120 members serving patients in Fiji at six different locations. During the six consecutive days, 2,530 patients were seen for diagnostic and therapeutic services. This was the 16th annual event dating back to 2006, except when it was not held in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. While waiting, one of the patients remarked, "…that Sai Doctor is so good, I'm happy to wait the whole day for my turn." All medications, blood testing kits, health care equipment, and supplies were airfreighted one week prior to the scheduled camps.
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The Medical Unit of SSSIO Fiji held a workshop for 20 invitees from the Ministry of Health and the Fiji Cancer Society on End of Life Care & Grief Counselling. The attendees included physicians providing oncology services at Lautoka Hospital and the palliative care teams from the CWM & Lautoka Hospitals, which manage cancer patients in Fiji. Human Values were an integral part of this session, where Dr. Nanise Sinkiti, Consultant Oncologist, stated, "On behalf of the Lautoka Hospital Oncology Committee, I wish to thank you both for involving us in the Palliative Care Workshop Training. Personally, I've never attended training like this, and as we said several times during the day, we are not taught to listen or talk to a dying person. The training was exhilarating, in-depth, enjoyable, and very useful for our daily work."
The Viseisei Sai Health Centre (VSHC) is regarded as an exemplar in public/private partnerships working with the government to provide free quality healthcare for the community. The initiative was started in 2011, and now, almost 18,000 medical consultations are provided annually to the local community in collaboration with the government. VSHC has also been working with other like-minded NGOs to address gaps in much-needed community services, such as counseling services, which assist individuals and families in dealing with personal and family crises.
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New Zealand
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Auckland experienced a devastating flood in January 2023 due to record-breaking rainfall, causing significant loss and disruption. SSSIO volunteers from the Northern Region responded quickly, deploying resources to evacuation centers and donating essential items. The Sai centers also offered spiritual support, dedicating their devotional singing to those affected.
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In February 2023, following Cyclone Gabriel, SSSIO NZ provided medical care and mental health support to communities in the Hawkes Bay area, providing essential items like power generators and relief items.
In March 2023, an annual interfaith event in Auckland united over 400 people from different faiths and community groups to serve the community and promote harmony. The main objectives of the event were to celebrate children with special needs, provide information on community resources and support, and build bridges between different faiths and community groups.
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World Health Day was celebrated in New Zealand with free medical tests and nutritional advice for over 100 people. The Rongomai Sathya Sai Preschool set up a stall to increase awareness of the school's human values-based teachings to 2–5-year-old children.
Young Adults of New Zealand committed to forming a regular group of donors, consisting of 11 Young Adults and one member of the public, who made 104 blood and plasma donations by November 2023 in honor of Sri Sathya Sai's Birthday.
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In October 2023, the Rongomai Sathya Sai Preschool in Auckland offered a Family Fun Day, bringing together people from the local area and primary school. Numerous tree planting and environmental initiatives around Auckland were completed in 2023, including the restoration of Cue Haven, the Shakespear Regional Park, and the rehabilitation project at Papakura Streamside.
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Children in Auckland attend combined SSE classes held in Sai House at the Balmoral Centre, with 27 children participating regularly, along with seven enthusiastic teachers and three teacher aides. They participated in SSSIO celebrations such as Guru Poornima, Baba's Birthday, and Christmas and were lead singers in popular devotional singing programs. They prepared and offered plays at these events, focusing on human values and spirituality.
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They were also heavily involved in the Family Fun Day for Children with special needs.