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Slough charity given award for humanitarian efforts

Kemi SpenceSouth of England
News imageKhalsa Aid A man wearing a red turban and a blue blazer with a white shirt is holding a trophy that's in the shape of a lion that is clear.Khalsa Aid
Founder Ravi Singh accepted the award on behalf of Khalsa Aid

What do the former First Lady Nancy Reagan, the 39th US President Jimmy Carter, Italian singer Andrea Bocelli and Khalsa Aid, a Slough-based charity, have in common?

They are winners of the Lions International Humanitarian Award, which "recognises exceptional dedication to humanitarian service".

Khalsa Aid International, founded in Slough in 1999 by Ravi Singh, is guided by the Sikh principle of Seva, which means selfless service.

Its work includes delivering emergency supplies, medical care, clean water and long-term recovery assistance to communities affected by war across nearly 50 countries.

The award also includes a $500,000 grant to support ongoing global relief efforts.

News imageGetty Images/Wally McNamee Then-First Lady Nancy Reagan is smiling, wearing a polka-dot blazer. She stands in front of busy people in the background, looking at the microphones being held towards her.Getty Images/Wally McNamee
News imageJimmy Carter stands in front of a gold curtain, wearing a black blazer and a red tie, stood by a cluster of microphones.
Then-First Lady Nancy Reagan won the award in 1983-4 in recognition of her own activities against the abuse of drugs and alcohol
Former US President Jimmy Carter received the award in 1995-96 for his humanitarian efforts, as well as being a long-standing Lions Clubs member

Founder Ravi Singh accepted the award at the beginning of July during a special ceremony at the 2026 Lions International Convention in Hong Kong.

Singh said he felt "humbled" that the charity's work had been recognised "around the globe."

"It's a huge amount for us, because the recognition, the fact that they recognise the work" of volunteers home and away.

News imageKhalsa Aid A child, wearing a hat and a fleece, and a man wearing a blue turban and a navy blue fleece are posing by some boxes.Khalsa Aid
Khalsa Aid has recently been working in Assam, a state in India, to support people after the floods

Singh said the grant would go towards current projects, such as flood relief efforts in Assam in India, and building shelters in Beirut for the thousands of people moving from the south of Lebanon.

Khalsa Aid is also supporting people in Sudan during their civil war.

"Charities only grow with organic support from donors," said Singh.

"I love people full stop, I don't see religion, race, colour, I see people struggling and that's genuine drive."

News imageKhalsa Aid A person is wearing an orange hi-viz jacket with silver strips, standing at a yellow balcony rail, The hi-viz jacket reads, "Langar Aid, feeding humanity, a project by Khalsa Aid."Khalsa Aid
Khalsa Aid has also set up the Langar Aid community kitchen in Coventry, providing hundreds of hot meals

Lions Clubs International is a global volunteer network, founded in the United States in 1917, where people work together to help their local communities.

It has now grown into the world's largest service club organisations, with over 1.4 million members in just under 50,000 local clubs in 200 countries and geographical areas around the world.

Across Berkshire, there are Lions International Clubs in Reading, Windsor, Newbury and Bracknell.

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