Chennai: Caritas India plans to reach out to some 50,000 flood-hit people in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu by Christmas.
“We start from the peripheries as most poor live there,” said Fr. Frederick D’Souza, executive director of the aid agency of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, explaining the organization’s strategy
The agency will meet the target in two phases with a fund of 10 million rupees.
The first phase started immediately after the floods hit the state in the last week of November and ended on December 14. It brought relief services to 24,000 flood hit people.
Caritas volunteers provided dry ration (food kit), non-food item such as clothes, hygiene kit and cooked food. They also conducted health camps in flood-hit areas in Chennai, Cuddalore, Kanchipuram, Thiruvallur and Villupuram districts. The agency spent 4 million rupees in the first phase, according to a press note from Caritas Public Relations Officer Amrit Sangma.
The second phase began on Tuesday extending similar support to some 26,000 people.
One of the villages the agency reached out was Kamarajpura of Thiruvallur district where 120 families live with bare minimum livelihood options. They have neither toilets nor access to education.
Caritas’ 40-member medical team has attended to 520 patients through eight medical camps in the first phase. Major cases treated were skin infections, respiratory problems, anemia, arthritis, gastritis and various other stomach infections.
Anjan Bag, who heads Caritas India’s Disaster Management Desk, said the agency will launch the third and the final phase from January first week to focus mainly on shelter recovery.
Caritas has appealed to donors within India and abroad for long term intervention.
Caritas network includes among others Caritas Germany, Sphere India, TN State Inter Agency Group and Catholic Relief Service.