THE Arya Samaj was founded on April 10, 1875 in Mumbai, India by Maharishi Swami Dayanand Saraswati. At the time of its establishment, India was experiencing religious, social, economical, and political ills. These prevailing conditions catalysed the Maharishi to establish this organisation, not merely as a religious body, but more so as a unifying force to bring the people of India together for the reformation of the existing religious, social, economical, and political climate. The Arya Samaj is grounded upon ten Vedic principles that provide the mandate for its operation and for its membership to follow. These ten principles: (1) God is the primary cause of all spiritual and physical sciences and of everything know through their means. (2) God is existent, intelligent and blissful. He is formless, omnipotent, just, kind, unborn, endless, unchangeable, beginning less, unequalled, the support of all, the lord of all, omnipresent, immanent, unaging, immortal, fearless, eternal, holy, and the Creator of the un-verse. He alone should be communed with. (3) Veda is the scripture of all true knowledge. Reading, teaching, hearing and reciting the Veda is the first duty of all Aryans. (4) One should always be prepared to accept truth and reject falsehood. (5) All work should be done in keeping with righteousness, i.e. after due reflection over right and wrong. (6) To do good to the whole world is the main object of this Samaj, i.e., to improve the physical, spiritual, and social states of human experience. (7) One should have dealings with all in accordance with love, law, and propriety. (8) No-one should remain content with his/ her own prosperity. Individual prosperity should be considered in the prosperity of all. (9) Everyone should be bound in following altruistic, social rules. However, in matters relating to personal welfare, let all be free.
When the Maharishi founded the Arya Samaj, he declared:
“I have not come to preach any new dogma or religion nor to establish a new order nor to be proclaimed a new Messiah or Pontiff. I have only brought before my people the Light of Vedic Wisdom which had been hidden during the centuries of India’s thralldom.”
The Arya Samaj, through Maharishi Dayanand, was the first to propagate swaraj or self-rule in India. Later on, after the first Vedic Missionaries of the Arya Samaj came to British Guiana (now Guyana), and established the Arya Samaj here, leaders of the Arya Samaj joined in the political reformed movement of British Guiana during pre-independence period for the propagation of independence. The leadership of the Arya Samaj became deeply committed then, as now, in the political and economical reforms of Guyana.
For decades thereafter, the Missionaries, both foreign and local, have been busy with spreading Vedic wisdom to the Guyanese people through the rituals and yajna across the communities. Its intentions were to make religious reforms in Vedic practices.
However, the activities of the Arya Samaj in Guyana began to witness and bring a new wave of change in the hearts of the Guyanese people, more so the downtrodden as of 2005. This became possible through the Humanitarian Mission New Jersey Arya Samaj Mandir, Inc. This was the year of the major flood that affected the lives of many of our Guyanese brothers and sisters. The Arya Spiritual Centre of New York and the Guyana Central Arya Samaj (along with its district bodies in the different regions) made tremendous contributions to alleviate the hardships of the flood victims where ever they were in Guyana. But the Humanitarian Mission of New Jersey Arya Samaj Mandir, Mandir, Inc. did not stop there. The Mission recognized the critical role it can play in the well-being of the less fortunate’s in the Guyanese society.
The HM of NJASM embarked on its robust work as an annual feature by partnering with the Berbice Central Arya Samaj first. And then with the Guyana Central Arya Samaj to carry out its mandate as part of Arya Samaj International to serve the Guyanese people. The New Jersey Arya Samaj Mandir /Guyana Central Arya Samaj Humanitarian Mission, as it has been registered under the Friendly Society Act of Guyana as being a non-profitable, charity organisation in 2008, has jumped the boundaries of religion, race, politics, and gender to become a service- provider to humanity.
Over the years, assistance was given to orphanages, needy families, the sick, school-children, the bed –ridden, the homeless, sports clubs, youth groups, and even NDCs.
Over the years, the Mission has partnered with other NGOs, most notably the Food For The Poor Inc. (Guyana) that has been most helpful in helping the Mission in accomplishing some of its projects, governmental agencies, and international agencies. They have all contributed towards making the Mission becoming more viable in executing its works as an integral part of the Arya Samaj.
However, a new light has dawned on the Humanitarian Mission to move away from the continuous handout process to one in making those who think that they are helpless from the lack of empowerment to prosperity through empowerment and education.
And so, a new dawn has risen in the life of Arya Samaj in Guyana with the establishment of the Humanitarian Mission Village to serve humanity at large.
The Government of Guyana, more so the Ministry of Social Services, has piloted the requisite Bills relating to Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, and other social problems facing the Guyanese people with a view to protecting and empowering them. Despite these initiatives by the Government, these social ills continue to thrive on a daily basis. The Humanitarian Mission realised that there is a dire to need to be in partnership with the government agencies and other NGOs involved in activities meant for empowerment of the underprivileged.

The Humanitarian Mission Village will provide accommodation for street children, abused persons, aged persons without family, as well as provide a skills training centre meant to train and empower not only the residents of the Mission Village, but also single parents, teenage mothers, school dropouts etc. The Mission realizes that such critical and aggressive empowerment programmes are necessary to reduce poverty and at the same time to increase the individual’s sense of independence and marketability in the world of work.

The Mission Village, therefore, will enhance the implementation of the Government’s social policy on empowerment of the underprivileged in our country.
VISION: The Humanitarian Mission Village will: ( Produce a tech-voc education programme for accreditation with the Ministry of Education for empowerment; ( Work towards the eradication of poverty through empowerment and education by making available competence -based skills for the Village residents and even school dropouts living in nearby Area R, Ankerville and surrounding communities ; (Empower residents with personal development skills; ( Reform residents for positive contributions to society

MISSION STATEMENT: The Humanitarian Mission Village will work towards the reformation of its residents for worthwhile contributions to the Guyanese society, and instill in them values and skills to eradicate poverty and social ills by the use of an aggressive education skills programme based on the tenets of religion, education, and social transformation process. AIMS:  The Humanitarian Mission Village aims: (To develop positive thinking and attitudes in its residents;
(To contribute towards community and national development; (To partnership with NGOS, Children-conscious organisation, relevant Governmental agencies, and international organisations for the implementation of its programmes; ( To partnership with the Berbice Business community in the implementing of its education programme.
SOCIAL Benefits: This Project will facilitate the Mission’s Vision to partnership with Governmental Agencies and MHSSS, and other Non-governmental organisations, viz. Food for the Poor, to improve social circumstances of Guyanese people in the following ways: Taking street children off the streets and giving them a home;
Providing shelter and empowerment for abused men, women, and children;
Providing shelter, food, clothing, and medical assistance for the elderly who are left on their own;
Empowerment of street children and others through basic education and skills training.

ECONOMIC Benefits: The Project intends to facilitate employment opportunities for all persons empowered by it in the wider community. This will ensure that all beneficiaries of the Project will be meaningfully employed and will be able to earn financially. This initiative on the part of the Project will further help in the economic activities of the country.

Facilities: The following facilities will be available in the Humanitarian Mission Village:  30’ x 110’ two flat building to house boys and girls (from age 6 years) 30’ x 110’ two flat building to house seniors, abused persons, fire victims.
Two flat building to house general office, manager’s office, conference hall – (In lower flat) while a library will be in upper flat – Two building to house overseas guests/volunteers in the upper flat while the lower flat will house quarters for off-shift nurse aides and other personnel –  A flat building to house kitchen and dining facilities –  A two flat building for the empowerment center: computer Lab., sewing facilities, catering classes in upper flat while lower flat will be for basic mechanic and other artisan skills training –  A storage bond –  Security hut –  A multi-cultural interfaith prayer rooms. –  A multi-cultural Auditorium –  The complex will be powered by solar energy and wind power.