Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT) and the lady managed department (AMURTEL) is an international organization for disaster relief, rehabilitation, and development cooperation. The guiding principle of AMURT is that a team of highly motivated volunteers can make an important difference to people’s suffering. The success of this idea inspired many thousands of young people in other countries of the world to help in the same efficient and non-bureaucratic way.
One of the few voluntary organizations of Third World origin, AMURT was established in 1970 and incorporated in the USA in 1985. It is a non-profit NGO – formally recognized as such by the United Nations through its Department of Public Information – having charitable and tax-exempt status in the US, UK and various other countries.
Its objectives are to aid the poor and underpriviledged of the world through disaster relief in the event of natural or man-made disasters, and long-term community development and rehabilitation projects.
In pursuit of these goals AMURT has maintained a long-established working relationship with the Red Cross and numerous other disaster relief and development organizations.
AMURT and AMURTEL have undertaken numerous disaster relief responses over the past five years including Indonesia, USA, India, Haiti, Myanmar and Philippines.