Sikh organization doubled its pledge.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: Dasvandh Network (DVN) has raised over $165,000 via online donations and in gurdwaras throughout North America during its second annual DasvandhWeek, which ran from November 8th-16th.
“We are elated and humbled at the generous outpouring of support and donations during DasvandhWeek,” said Manpreet Singh, Treasurer of the DVN (www.dvnetwork.org), in a statement. “We more than doubled our initial goal of $80,000, a testament to the power and spirit of Dasvandh in our community.”
Dasvandh within Sikhism refers to the act of giving back 10% of one’s income to charitable activity, according to a press release.
Charities around the world will benefit from the funds raised during Dasvandh Week, including ICAAD Global.
“Most of the fundraising through DVN was concentrated on one of our projects: Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitment to Action. This Commitment seeks to address violence against women in the Pacific Island region over three years,” said Hansdeep Singh, co-founder and Director of Legal Programs. “The funds raised will support our rule of law work starting in Fiji that seeks to better equip lawyers, judges, and health professionals with the ability to combat violence against women in their respective fields.”
During DasvandhWeek, individual donations were matched by funds from strategic donors within the Sikh community for both one-time and recurring donations.
DVN is a not-for-profit, grassroots, crowdfunding platform that allows donors and causes to actively participate in the spirit of Dasvandh—the Sikh practice of contributing one-tenth of a person’s earnings to the common good of the community.
“While DasvandhWeek is once a year, the opportunity to practice it is available every day”, said Hansdeep Singh. “Along with this annual fundraising campaign, we’ve created the Dasvandh Box Initiative program for gurudwaras across the country to help educate our youth on the spirit of Dasvandh. This is a year-round opportunity to teach the next generation about the importance of giving and Dasvandh in Sikhi.”