POSTED December 8, 2020
Cyclone Nivar: how has it affected communities where we work in India?
Find out how children and families are coping following the natural disaster
By Lavanya Kesavaraj, program manager, IndiaÂ
The world has seen the devastating impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on India, and last week Cyclone Nivar unleashed its fury on the country’s southern states, including two communities where we have sponsored children — Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Emergency planning through the government and organizations such as Children Believe ensured there were safe spaces, food, clean water and sanitation facilities for many children and families, but there has still been significant loss.
A reported 11 people died, including six community members from the district we work (not from our sponsorship communities where no lives were lost). This came as 3,500+ homes and 10,000 hectares of land were damaged or destroyed. And, this week, flooding is keeping able-bodied parents from work.
The good news is there are now 4,000+ government-relief camps, housing 1.3-million people, and we’re helping 2,300+ children and their families, including 1,100+ sponsored children.
We’re providing food to 2,500 people and dry-ration kits — including rice, oil and pulses (or edible seeds) — to 318 families, while helping coordinate housing for the especially vulnerable as well as counselling and emotional support.
Our team is doing whatever possible to ensure parents have what they need so they don’t feel they have to send their children to work or into early marriages to meet the family’s basic needs.
To provide support today, email (askus@childrenbelieve.ca) or call (1.800.263.5437) our donor-relations’ team. Stay tuned as we provide further updates, including news on the landfall of another approaching cyclone.
**Update: Cyclone Burevi (noted above) caused heavy rain for 30 hours in communities we work. Mud houses have been damaged, so our teams our working to determine the needs, connecting with families who remain in relief camps following the landfall of Cyclone Nivar last week. **
ABOUT CHILDREN BELIEVE:
Children Believe works globally to empower children to dream fearlessly, stand up for what they believe in — and be heard. For 60+ years, we’ve brought together brave young dreamers, caring supporters and partners, and unabashed idealists. Together, we’re driven by a common belief: creating access to education — inside and outside of classrooms — is the most powerful tool children can use to change their world.
About ChildFund Alliance:
A member of ChildFund Alliance, Children Believe is part of a global network of child-focused development organizations working to create opportunities for children and youth, their families and communities. ChildFund helps nearly 23-million children and their families in 70 countries overcome poverty and underlying conditions that prevent children from achieving their full potential. We work to end violence against children; provide expertise in emergencies and disasters to ease the harmful impact on children and their communities; and engage children and youth to create lasting change and elevate their voices in decisions that affect their lives.