Written evidence submitted by the All Party Parliamentary Group for British (MRS0500

Introduction

There are more than one million1 people that identify as Hindu in the UK, supported by over five hundred organisations including at least two hundred mandirs2 (temples) and hundreds of spiritual, religious and educational establishments across the UK.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the closure of mandirs and local community organisations results in a number of challenges for access to and the provision of faith-based services and activities for the Hindu community. In many cases, these institutions are focal points of the community that provide comfort for elderly members and much-needed space for companionship, as well as support for families and education for children. The government must consider access, communication and funding for some of these groups as it develops its response to supporting faith groups and charities.

There has also been a concerted effort on the part of the community to address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 virus head-on. With individual efforts by mandirs and community groups, most of which are charities with an existing volunteer base, the dharmic community is playing an active role to support the needy, vulnerable and those who are on the front line. In addition to this, a coalition of Hindu organisations have come together to set up a permanent emergency response unit to meet the needs of the most at-risk groups in the UK, called the Hindu Emergency Action Response Team (HEART). They include Hindu Forum of Britain, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh UK and Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK all supporting Sewa Day UK as a frontline voluntary service organisation. These groups and others such as BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha are all putting volunteers in harm’s-way to protect their own communities and others, and will require some support from the government to continue their work.

This brief has been created by the APPG for British Hindus Secretariat for the HEART team. Based on survey responses and conversations with thirty-seven mandirs and community groups (see appendix), this brief lays out an overview of:

● The Hindu community's response to COVID-19; ● The key risks and challenges it faces over the next few months ● Recommendations on provisions, funding and support the community requires to continue providing faith-based and other support

COVID-19 response; volunteering projects and community outreach

The dharmic community is providing leadership to support both its members and the wider UK population through a range of volunteering and community outreach. Most temples and local groups are collecting donations, making phone calls to the vulnerable and elderly, delivering medicine and food and supporting their local NHS. 70% of the survey respondents have said that they have between 10-50 vetted volunteers, with the remainder being able to provide over 500 volunteers for community outreach and support.

The following notable nation-wide initiatives are running solely on community donations, whilst supporting communities across the UK:

BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha Connect and Care

● Nationwide initiative supported by over 500 volunteers to stay connected with and serve the community, particularly the elderly, expectant mothers and those in self- isolation ● Government guidelines and communications summarised and translated in English and Gujarati for the community ● Dedicated network of volunteers ready to assist with shopping and errands including ○ Over 500 meals cooked and delivered every day ○ More than 5,000 phone calls to the elderly to more than 30 areas of the UK ○ 1,300+ letters hand-delivered to neighbours ○ 5,000+ emails sent to families ○ Over 1,500 elderly and vulnerable people helped with shopping, medication and essential errands ○ 70 tons of fresh fruit, vegetables and grocery bags were given to charitable organisations ● Tiffin service for the elderly and vulnerable living in Harrow and Brent and other areas ● Snacks and appreciation letter delivered to Northwick Park Hospital for NHS staff ● A series of health awareness videos and presentations in English and Gujarati to educate the public on its collective responsibility to help stem the rapid spread of this deadly virus were also held. ● Five hospitals in the UK, including the newly opened Nightingale Hospital, were supported by providing food as well as letters of appreciation for their heroic staff.

Go Dharmic Emergency CoronaVirus Appeal

● Around 2500 volunteers supporting community outreach and a telephone line for vulnerable & elderly people speaking English, Gujarati or Hindi. Support includes:

○ Over 1800 meals distributed every day; ○ Regular check-ins with the elderly and vulnerable; ○ Providing assistance with online ordering of essentials and support with shopping; ○ Training for online tools such as skype, zoom, WhatsApp video calls . ● Extend support to carers & NHS staff to help source shopping or for any non- support ● Emergency fundraising appeal to fund and support several measures to help the elderly, vulnerable and underprivileged during this difficult time directly from our charity (Raising over £39,038 out of £100,000 to date).

Sewa Day “ Help a neighbour” campaign

● Over 1500 vetted volunteers across 27 regional teams in Greater London, South Herts, West & East Midlands, South West, Surrey, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Cardiff & Scotland supporting:

○ Delivery of over 80,000 hot meals to the vulnerable and frontline staff from three local Sewa kitchens since lockdown began ○ Food bank replenishment- 17 food banks replenished, supplying food from restaurants or cooking fresh meals. Also driving outreach for food donations ○ Care for the carer- Connected to 26 local hospitals to provide support directly including meals and other relevant donations. Donated thousands of face masks and hand cream to front line staff ○ Vulnerable aid and serve- Direct aid to local vulnerable groups and the elederly. Crisis hotline setup (0208 167 4189) for those in need ○ Mental wellbeing and outreach- Launched the “Spread some joy” campaign by encouraging children to create pictures which are then shared with care homes digitally ○ Donation of personal protective equipment

Key Risks faced by the community

Funding and provision of services

1. Significant loss in funding due to the lockdown, with most organisations run on donations and venue hire unable to stay afloat, especially with spiritual activities continuing and staff being required to work. COVID-19 has also resulted in major dharmic festivals associated with Spring being cancelled including , , Varsha Pratipad, Navratri, Ram Navami, Mahavir Jayanti and Jayanti; all festivals bring in a significant amount of income for these groups. 2. Most temples have closed down due to the government lockdown, leaving many members of the community without access to pastoral services, religious services and other community services for the elderly. Many groups also provide educational and social activities for youth, who have been significantly affected by the lockdown with the closure of schools. Although some organisations are providing access to some of these services online, they are finding it difficult to reach isolated members who do not have access to the relevant online tools. They are also struggling with transmission of spiritual events via the internet, requiring improved audiovisual equipment and internet connection. 3. A number of temples are undergoing refurbishment, with work being held due to the lockdown. This poses a security risk with building work being left unfinished and properties remaining vacant. Buildings will deteriorate and not be repaired over this time, requiring longer term efforts to restore the place of worship.

Health, Social & Bereavement Support

4. People of Indian origin in the UK have emerged as among the worst affected minority group, with latest NHS statistics showing that 3%3 (560) people of Indian ethnicity have died from the COVID-19 virus. With the prevalence of multigenerational families living together in the Hindu community, there is a fear that without proper testing, the community is at greater risk of contracting and dying from the virus. 5. Around 26%4 of frontline medical and dental staff in the NHS are of Asian ethnicity, and so people from these communities are also disproportionately on the front line, including many members of the Hindu community. There is grave concern over the protection- including supply of PPE- being given to doctors, nurses and other health and social care workers. There is also concern over the level of testing that is available to these people to ensure they can do their work safely. 6. It is well known that many hindu families usually care for their elderly themselves providing support for groceries, medicine collection, hospital appointments and any other social care themselves. With many individuals needing to self-isolate for up to 14 days, there is a gap in care provision for these people, who are now turning to hindu charities for support. The dietary requirements to cater for both religious (vegetarian/vegan meals) and health issues (long term conditions such as diabetes, heart disease) is increasing the burden on charities. There is a concern that the longer the lockdown carries on, the more likely that formal arrangements will need to be made to support these people who have never before used social care services. 7. The long term effects of losing a loved one through COVID-19 are not yet understood, given restrictions on both seeing the deceased and conducting the funeral. Within , there is typically a twelve day mourning period during which family would gather and and pay respects to the family of the deceased, as well as conduct prayers for the soul of the deceased. Without an open casket, last rites cannot be adequately performed, despite a number of organisations providing online recordings that are not yet widely available. Local councils have differing guidance on this which is confusing. Clear instructions on how families should navigate a COVID-19 death, whilst respecting hindu norms and practices, both financially and socially, is required. 8. Capacity for cremations, without knowing the exact number of extra people being cremated as a result of COVID-19, is a challenge. There is a concern that the existing three hundred crematoria5 in the UK, which are already lacking in hindu- concentrated areas such as Harrow, will not be adequate to meet the demand for hindu funerals over the next few months. There is evidence that some local councils are no longer taking bookings for normal cremations where families can attend, putting added pressure on those deaths that are not COVID-19 related. 9. Loneliness and mental health problems amongst the elderly in the community who usually use faith-based spaces to socialise remains a key issue. There is a risk that existing mental health and social care services are not adequate or sufficient in overcoming language and cultural barriers to provide the support required. Currently, existing Go Dharmic and Sewa Day helplines are taking calls on both bereavement and mental health, providing a “hand hold and sign post service”. These volunteers do not necessarily have the right training to support or information to pass on in these instances. 10. Support for those who are self-isolating/ people below the poverty line within the community is required. They will not necessarily be identified by the central government as vulnerable or requiring help. This has put enormous strain on food banks that will continue to need support from hindu charities using existing networks outside the usual channels. 11. Over the last three weeks, more than 1050 known Indian tourists and students, many of whom are Hindu, have been left stranded in the UK due to the Indian government's lockdown. There are likely to be significantly higher numbers than this that are unknown. Most have contacted INSA and FISI (UK), who have started a crisis hotline to support housing requests (42), meals (over 2500) and provide general guidance. It is likely that this will put added strain on dharmic organisations to provide support and guidance 12. Risk that existing government literature and messaging is not reaching communities in a consistent manner due to language and cultural barriers. In the light of recent news that COVID-19 may disproportionately be affecting members of the BAME community, targeted messaging becomes all the more important.

Support for Volunteers

13. A number of the Hindu charities mentioned in this document have been operating solely on a donation basis and are struggling to access government funding, despite their work being targeted at supporting the COVID-19 efforts. 14. There is a risk that without extra funding and grants, the community will not be able to sustain support being provided to the elderly and vulnerable. Many larger organisations have fundraising appeals, however, smaller organisations are struggling to do this. 15. Identified volunteers are struggling to connect with the right channels to provide support at the right time. Currently relying on social media and word of mouth campaigns when these resources could be directed by local councils, the NHS or other relevant bodies who have identified those in need 16. Volunteers providing support are not recognised as 'official support' and so people in need may be reluctant to use them.

Local and central government support that would be helpful to the community

Funding and Communications support

1. Grant funding from local or central government to support faith groups and charities, including: a. Wages for religious and other staff continuing to provide faith-based activities in temples, despite temples being closed. These individuals do not fall under the HMRC job retention scheme as they would be required to continue work. b. Support for community-based projects that are providing invaluable networks for outreach, now having to set up new infrastructure such as food kitchens or crisis hotlines to continue doing their work c. Purchase of online/ video-conferencing tools, better internet connection and technical assistance to continue providing services to members d. Ongoing bills for facilities (heating/electricity), maintenance and other costs related to accommodation and subsistence for priests 2. Business rates rebate for charities, like the rates relief provided for small businesses 3. Online media and broadcast connectivity to support organisations pushing out government messages (in multilingual format) and faith based activities to the community. This could be in the form of funding to support broadcasting online or on existing asian channels, access to BBC or other nationwide platforms such as Freeview.

Health, Social & Bereavement Support

4. Funding for funerals where individuals have died suddenly and are being with funeral costs needing to be met by the family without planning 5. Making last rites prayers (here is an example from VHP UK) widely available to hospital chaplains/ funeral directors in the event that someone passes away suddenly. Ensuring funeral directors and local councils have some way to share the funeral by videoconference to support the family of the deceased. 6. Clear guidance for the community on who can attend services at a crematorium, given the differing guidance from different councils. 7. Social isolation is impacting the community both mentally and physically, restricting usual social ties with family and friends and dampening community spirit. Local mental health and social services may be required, with practitioners understanding language and cultural nuances, including background and dietary needs. In lieu of this, support for organisations to provide this themselves by sharing training and guidance would be helpful. 8. Providing testing kits for those who are elderly and vulnerable and their carers (usually a child) as a priority so that carers can continue their support for the elderly/ vulnerable without putting an extra burden on local social care services

Support For Volunteers

9. Create formal links and contacts between Hindu voluntary organisation and the NHS (hospitals, surgeries), MHCLG and local councils where vetted volunteers can support efforts on the ground in a more targeted manner a. Provide accreditation (similar to the GoodSam APP) so that the work can be trusted 10. Funds for expenses incurred by volunteers, in particular a. Kitchen expenses to cook hot meals b. Personal Protective Equipment c. Meal creation and distribution costs (petrol) 11. PPE & Testing for volunteers a. Access and supply of protective clothing, masks, gloves and other safety equipment to protect health and safety of volunteers. Although these are rightly being prioritised for frontline NHS staff, access to provision for established volunteering organisations is vital to allow the third sector to continue its work safely b. Testing kits for volunteers in order to ensure that volunteers and the people they are supporting remain safe.

Appendix

Survey Respondents

A survey was created on Google forms and circulated by Hindu Forum of Britain & APPG for British Hindus Secretariat to over three hundred Hindu groups based in the UK, of which the following 37 organisations responded between 3rd April 2020 to 30th April 2020:

Arya Samaj (Vedic Mission) West Midlands Asian Foundation for Help BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha UK & Europe Birmingham Pragati Mandal Bolton Hindu Forum Caribbean Hindu Cultural Society Edinburgh Hindu Mandir & cultural Centre GIEO GITA Gujarat Hindu Society Gujarati Arya Association London Gurjar Hindu Union Crawley Go Dharmic Hindu Cultural Society Bradford Hindu Cultural Society Middlesbrough Hindu Forum Walsall Hindu Mandir Glasgow Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh UK Indian Association Oldham ISKCON London Ltd - Temple ISKCON Scotland Mandhata Youth and Community Association (MYCA) National Association of Patidar Samaj Radha Krishna Mandir (Manchester) Sewa Day UK Shirdi Saibaba Temple Association of London Shree Bharatiya Mandal (Indian Association- Tameside) Shree Krishna Mandir Shree Association (UK) Tameside Branch Shree Prajapati Association Leicester Shree Ram Mandir, Walsall Shree Shree Radha Krishna Cultural Centre Coventry - ISKCON Coventry Shree Sorathia Prajapati Community/Shree Ram Mandir Shreegaud Brahm Samaj SKSSTemple The South Indian Cultural Society of Scotland, Glasgow The Hindu Mandir Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) UK

Survey regarding COVID-19 community impacts

The following questions were posed to the community:

1. What are the non financial risks that you and the community face? a. Buildings and facilities i. Are there any issues with your physical structures and facilities, including maintenance, security or other critical issues? b. Social support for the congregation and community i. What support are you able to give members of your organisation (including those who are elederly or socially vulnerable)? ii. What is the impact of social isolation on individuals and families, including vulnerable individuals and families? iii. Do you have anything in place in case of identified cases of Covid- 19 infection? iv. Do you have any support systems for people who will experience death in their family over the next few months? v. Do you have guidance for cremations for Covid-19 victims and their families? c. Spiritual activities and welfare support for priests & staff i. Have you got any issues providing spiritual support to your community? ii. Is spiritual support available for individuals and families? iii. Do you have any issues with changing over to providing online spiritual support? iv. Are your priests and staff/volunteers and their families receiving adequate social and psychological support

2. What is the extent of the financial risk that you and the community face? a. Are you a registered charity? b. Does your community have other establishments that are not registered charities? c. Can you afford to continue providing faith-based services over this period? d. Are there any issues with your finances that prevent you from doing so? What is the total financial impact on your organisation? e. Have your finances been affected by losses in donations due to the reduction in congregations and community gatherings? f. Are there any issues with the financial status of priests and other staff? Are there any pending or upcoming issues regarding their residential status/visas? g. Are there any areas of your organisation operations that require financial support?

3. What type of government support would be the most helpful to you? a. What type of funding do you require? b. What type of health and social care provisions do you require?

4. How are you assisting the wider community with the COVID-19 response? a. Can you provide voluntary support or other services?

May 2020

1 The 2011 census puts the population at 817000, however a more recent FOI in 2018 gives the figure of 1,021,449 2 According to the National Council for Hindu Temples UK 3 https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-daily-deaths/ 4 https://www.nhsemployers.org/case-studies-and-resources/2019/05/diversity-in-the-nhs-infographic 5 According to the Cremation Society UK