![](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/banner.jpg)
Zone 7
Highlights
Countries | Centres/ Groups | SSSIO Members | SSE Students | ISSE | Sathya Sai Schools |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Austria | 5 | 39 | 1 | - | - |
Belgium | 7 | 74 | - | - | - |
Czech Republic | 3 | 28 | - | - | - |
Denmark | 5 | 51 | - | 1 | - |
Estonia | 2 | 20 | - | - | - |
Finland | 1 | 9 | - | - | - |
Germany | 24 | 271 | 48 | - | - |
Hungary | 4 | 56 | 6 | - | - |
Latvia | 2 | 32 | 9 | - | - |
Lithuania | 3 | 46 | 30 | - | - |
Netherlands | 21 | 315 | 9 | - | - |
Poland | 11 | 147 | 45 | - | - |
Slovakia | 1 | - | - | - | - |
Sweden | 2 | 74 | - | - | - |
Totals | 91 | 1,162 | 148 | 1 | - |
Zone Activities
Since 2015, the Dutch and Belgian SSSIO has supported refugees fleeing from their homeland, in Calais and Dunkerque in France. As of 2020, about 2,000 people resided there in deplorable conditions, forgotten and shunned by many. SSSIO volunteers from European countries provided hot meals, firewood, blankets, tents, clothing, medical care, and other services to the refugees. The SSSIO has distributed 20 and 7 truckloads of goods, from the Netherlands and Belgium, respectively.
![](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/austria.png)
Austria
![Go Green Summer Course](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/austria-go-green-summer-course-august-2019-1_hu04fb66d0de3e6445e183ddfd52065c12_5262919_778x470_fill_q90_lanczos_smart1.jpg)
![Service to Animals](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/austria-service-to-animals-april-2019-1_huf111a4266900c09e6862d9bf8a0e64c0_5024034_797x468_fill_q90_lanczos_smart1.jpg)
![Service to Animals](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/austria-service-to-animals-april-2019-2_hue0c50ea65a58250cf16dde69ac3429a9_2258083_797x468_fill_q90_lanczos_smart1.jpg)
SSSIO members in Austria served animals to show their love for all creation. On 6 and 7 April 2019, 11 SSSIO volunteers visited an animal shelter in Esternberg which cares for old, sick, and abandoned animals. Using wood collected from a nearby forest, they constructed a new roof for the shelter and also provided firewood. In addition, they excavated a canal for carrying water, and built a small structure to divert rainwater into a meadow.
On 28 September 2019, 15 SSSIO members from Vienna, Gratz and Lower Austria served at an animal shelter in Heidelberg.
SSSIO members in Austria participated in an Annual Go-Green Summer Course during 4–11 August 2019, in picturesque Jutel, located on Lake Attersee in the Austrian Alps. Drawing inspiration from Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s teachings, and using storytelling, dance, and song, the Go-Green Summer Course focused on discussions about the five elements and the five senses.
![](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/czech-republic.png)
Czech Republic
![National Retreat](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/czech-republic-national-retreat-sept-2019-3_hub52cf22357b5671ed66dc3efe49f8e1e_3952744_755x470_fill_q90_lanczos_smart1.jpg)
![Avatar Declaration Day](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/czech-republic-avatar-declaration-day_huff9658325a986637828da4b9aab088ae_5460275_377x470_fill_q90_lanczos_smart1.jpg)
In the picturesque setting of the Jizerske mountain region in northern Czech Republic, the SSSIO held a National Retreat during the third week of September 2019. They also held a study circle on unity, in preparation for the 11th World Conference of the SSSIO.
Inspired by the commitment to environmental conservation at the Go-Green Conference held in Prasanthi Nilayam in 2018, SSSIO members observed Avatar Declaration Day by planting saplings of the Castanea sativa tree in the town of Sedmihorky.
![](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/denmark.png)
Denmark
![Annual Service](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/denmark-annual-sai-service-2_hu6f0e415a00fed8a0f116ceab8163463c_2607924_755x470_fill_q90_lanczos_topright.jpg)
![Annual Service](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/denmark-annual-sai-service-3_hub3a941b178b62a790b5c7d9347d3f15b_2367132_377x470_fill_q90_lanczos_smart1.jpg)
SSSIO members distributed vegetarian soup, sandwiches, fruit as well as clothing and home-knitted socks to homeless people living in the streets throughout 2019.
On 18 June 2019, a summer festival was organised for the homeless, who received food and clothes. SSSIO members also entertained the guests with music and songs.
SSSIO volunteers visited nursing homes regularly in 2019 to entertain the recuperating patients with music. They also visited disabled people at their homes to bring warmth and cheer.
![](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/germany.png)
Germany
![National Retreat](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/germany-national-retreat-1_hu277617902b8a3482120dc839cd0e3979_5322185_778x470_fill_q90_lanczos_smart1.jpg)
![Hamburg Workshop](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/germany-hamburg-workshop_hua9c99b1fb88da879a50da4241214a3b0_4129743_797x468_fill_q90_lanczos_smart1.jpg)
![National Retreat](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/germany-national-retreat-2_hud225be3b9bda7809610d8612139e0669_4641891_797x468_fill_q90_lanczos_smart1.jpg)
Ninety SSSIO members in Germany gathered for the first National Retreat during 26–31 July 2019. The event featured lectures, workshops, excursions, and study circles.
On 2 November 2019, 26 members of the Hamburg Sathya Sai Centre organised an interfaith meeting on the topic Baba, Bible and Qur’an. The speakers highlighted the similarity between the key teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the Bible, and the Qur’an.
![](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/hungary.png)
Hungary
![Sai Family Retreat](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/hungary-sai-family-retreat-june-2019-3_hu0be6a711faef8e8b9cff66ba5310875e_20887899_566x470_fill_q90_lanczos_smart1.jpg)
![Sai Family Retreat](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/hungary-sai-family-retreat-june-2019-2_hu4c466cdcdbdc23ed9f1813ec2dc9b9fc_11430678_566x470_fill_q90_lanczos_topright.jpg)
Over 40 SSSIO members participated in the annual Sai Family Retreat at the tranquil Angel Garden in the picturesque Cserhat region in Northern Hungary in June 2019. The attendees showcased their skills in poetry, storytelling and dancing and exchanged uplifting spiritual experiences.
Unity of faiths was the underlying theme of Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s 94th birthday celebration, attended by over 100 people in Budapest in November 2019. The joyous programme included traditional Indian dances as well as a concert featuring devotional songs and chants from the Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Islamic and Hindu traditions. The following day, members of the Budapest Sathya Sai Centre visited a nursing home for the elderly and presented a touching cultural programme. They also distributed fruits and homemade desserts to the senior residents.
![](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/poland.png)
Poland
![Service Camp](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/poland-service-camp-in-dubeniki-2_hu28963d9b19196363d2b33fe331949a5d_270374_377x470_fill_q90_lanczos_smart1.jpg)
On 2 October 2019, the International Sarva Dharma choir presented a special concert in Warsaw, dedicated to the unity of all people, religions, and cultures. Attended by over 400 people, the concert commemorated the International Day of Nonviolence.
Around 40 SSSIO volunteers, including two doctors and six physiotherapists from Poland, Germany, and UK served the underprivileged residents in the Nord region of Poland in a medical camp, during 23 - 30 June 2019. The doctors treated more than 480 people while other volunteers renovated a small apartment and helped to repair 20 bicycles. In addition, 30 children in the community learned about protecting the environment and the careful use of valuable natural resources.
![](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/sweden.png)
Sweden
![Serving Food to the Homeless](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/sweden-serving-food-to-the-homeless-jan-2020-2_huabc96b25852696fb88b6598f21d4d9f5_243187_778x470_fill_q90_lanczos_smart1.jpg)
![Serving Food to the Homeless](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/sweden-serving-food-to-the-homeless-jan-2020-1_hub82cc7daf2b991d37971eacdb6a9e19f_221117_797x468_fill_q90_lanczos_left.jpg)
![Study Circle](/annual-report-2019-2020/zone/7/images/sweden-study-circles-1_hu00ff38abe4aa78fb3faef183d569a2ea_199448_797x468_fill_q90_lanczos_smart1.jpg)
‘Fika’, a Swedish tradition of conversation over coffee and cake, was the setting for a study circle initiated by SSSIO members in Stockholm. On 20 October 2019, educators from different faiths gathered to discuss topics such as the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God, equality among all beings, and the path of love and service. At the second ‘Fika with the Masters’, on 15 December 2019, the conversation centred round the common themes underlying the teachings of Jesus Christ and Sri Sathya Sai Baba, with emphasis on the need for personal transformation.
On 26 January 2020, 14 volunteers from the Sathya Sai Centre of Stockholm, in partnership with Ny Gemenskap, a humanitarian organisation, served freshly cooked food to 70 homeless guests.