By Matters India Reporter
Bengaluru, August 27, 2019: A Bangalore-based NGO provided a food kit for ten days to 1,400 flood affected families in Kerala’s Wayanad district.
The Project Vision under the banner of ‘Bangalore Cares for Kerala’ supplied the kits on August 26 and 27.
Unprecedented floods have also affected Karnataka, Maharashtra and Assam.
Kerala was in a greater problem since it suffered flood fury in two years in a row. People who had lost everything in the 2018 floods were just getting back to their normal life, sticking together pieces of whatever was left, when floods hit again in the same fatal month of August this year, says a Project Vision report.
Project Vision volunteers were immediately in the field to identify the needs of the affected people. A total of 255,051 people were in the 1,341 relief camps across Kerala. Fatalities amounted to 120, mostly due to landslides in Malappuram and Wayanad Districts.
The Project Vision focused Wayanad where 196 relief camps sheltered 35,878 people. Unlike the previous year, a great organizational strength was shown by the government which ensured good care in most of the relief camps.
“Therefore our focus shifted to the people when they return home and to those who did not have to go to the relief camps, but had lost everything. They also did not have any job and income to sustain their families,” the statement explains.
Having discussed with large number of people who were affected, the Bangalore team decided to provide them with a food kit, as they return to their ‘empty houses’. The team made a list of twenty essential items as suggested by the affected families that included five kilos of rice, one kilo each of dal, pulses, sugar, salt and all other items for them to sustain for a week including a bucket. Each kit 1,000 rupees.
The NBO also sought public support to raise funds. Big Family, a group based in Chennai under the leadership of Soy Joseph, provided 150 kits.
Father Thomas Therakam of Mananthavady diocese and the St Sebastian’s Church at Edappetty opened the church campus for the Bengaluru team to store and pack all the materials. The parish volunteers made family kits of all the materials that were sent in bulk by packing them in sacks or the buckets.
Our staff on ground Mr Sibu George and Ms Simi Mathew coordinated with the community to identify the most needed groups in different areas. Ms Usha
Special attention was given to the tribal communities and the persons with disabilities. Hundred kits were reserved for the families with persons with disabilities. Father George Kannanthanam, director of the Project Vision, and Father Mario Zalki went to each of the twelve locations across Wayanad District to distribute the food kits to the families.
Father Kannanthanam reminded in every place of distribution to the people receiving the kits that they are taking a responsibility upon themselves as they receive the kit to repay the same support to someone in their community in their moment of trouble.
“Most satisfying days of my life as we could personally provide the kits that would enable them to have a secure life for sometime,” the Claretian priest said.
Project Vision had made 330 temporary shelters and 25 permanent houses for flood affected in 2018.