More than 40 years of civil war in Angola came to an end in April 2002 with the historic signing of a peace agreement. Soon after, an urgent request to The Oneness-Heart-Tears and Smiles was made to help strengthen the peace by sending humanitarian assistance to the country. Immediately The Oneness-Heart-Tears and Smiles world-wide began sending large amounts of pharmaceuticals, medical and surgical supplies, food, clothing and more to Angola.
To date, millions of dollars of assistance from 13 different countries have been sent in a pioneering project to the country which UNICEF has called "the worst place in the world to be a child." When we began, our group was told by most other organisations that it was too dangerous to send aid to Angola and also too expensive, due to government-imposed taxes.
After months of our networking with NGOs in the country and speaking with many Angolan ambassadors and other government officials, senior officals of Angola directed that our 21 sea containers were to be let into the country immediately with no duties or other taxes added. This was a first for Angola!
About Sri Chinmoy - The Founder of the Oneness-Heart-Tears and Smiles
Sri Chinmoy Centres International
