Bihar Flood Relief: UDAI (University for Development Action and Integrated Learning): As things get tough, the tough get going...

Thursday, October 9, 2008

As things get tough, the tough get going...

Update from the field: 30th September 2008

There was heavy storm and thunder to add on to the plight of the flood victims of Bihar. Since morning the team was contemplating whether to go to the site or not as the adverse weather condition had blocked all the practical ways to reach the site. Finally a small team was sent under the leadership of Mr. Aditya Choubey. The team took with them tarpaulin sheets and emergency medicines and reached Bhutahi Baandh with great difficulties. On reaching the site at Bhutahi Baandh it was found that no other agency had gone there for relief in the entire stretch. The local people were eagerly waiting for our team and seeing our volunteers they shouted with joy and felt relieved. The team distributed tarpaulin sheets and medicines to the most needy. The condition was so worse there that one tarpaulin sheet was shared by atleast 50 affected persons. Those people had no clothes to wear as all their clothes got drenched in rain. Targetted intervention was required as the team was short of the relief materials at that time. The team had some cotton towels (gamchha) with them. Those were given to the new born babies. Next day the team went all prepared to distribute the relief materials to the identified families.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Plan of Action

Download POA

Download Appeal Letter

Following the desk review of the situation in Northern Bihar as also through the information available from the state and district administration, the Department of Social Work, University of Delhi has developed its plan of action. Based on our experiences of working with victims of earth quake in Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttrakhand, we have taken the initiative for long-term relief and rehabilitation project- UDAI (University for Development Action and Integrated Learning-II) for the flood affected people in Bihar with two fold objectives:

a) To contribute in relief and rehabilitation of flood affected victims on long term basis.

b) To bring back experiences of learning into the knowledge system of the university.

We have already started our intervention from August 28, 2008 and a team of seven students and one non teaching staff led by Dr. Manoj Kumar Jha, Reader, Department of Social Work has set up base camp at Saharsa. This team left with relief material worth Rupees twelve lacs collected from various quarters.

Our Vice Chancellor Prof. Deepak Pental has contributed Rupees twenty lacs to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund and has also supported the Volunteer based UDAI project of Delhi University. The University has given us all support to make requisite intervention in affected areas. All Colleges/ Departments of Delhi University are joining us in this task.
In view of the severity and the magnitude of the problem, the department realizes that post-rescue interventions can be made at four levels and that too in collaboration with civil society organizations based in Delhi as well as in Bihar:

1. Reaching out to affected families and individuals in the worst affected districts such as Madhepura/Purnea/Araria/Saharsa

2. Helping them with necessary and scarce items such as - packed food, medicines, chlorine tablets, torches, mosquito-nets/repellant, plastic sheets (tarpaulin ones) etc.

3. To liaison and work with government and non-government agencies.

4. To focus especially on children, elderly, Dalits, Muslims and extreme backward class communities as their vulnerability is relatively high compared to other groups and communities in the same region.

WHAT WE INTEND TO DO

We intend to work at three levels- immediate relief, long term post rescue relief and long term rehabilitation. For the same our strategy is as under:

1. Identification of an area (we might focus on a cluster of villages alone) and there too identify the vulnerable locations and populations
2. Development of base and network with government and non-government agencies (for facilitating relief and rehabilitation packages and measures)
3. The impromptu relief camps need better trained staff in the initial phase and professional social workers can have a better impact on coordination
4. Taking a team of twenty students with at least three faculty members which shall liaison and network with the district administration ensuring coordination and cooperation from different government departments as well as NGOs.
5. We also realise that sanitation will be a major problem for these areas as most of the people are residing on the impromptu found cluttered spaces. We intend to liaison and work with organisation based in Delhi as well as the ones working locally.
6. Ready to eat food is more suitable for these areas as availability of fuel will be a problem.
7. We are also informed that ORS packets are not adequate for the affected areas. There is a need for bleaching powder, lime and chlorine tablets immediately for the affected districts.

Bihar Flood Relief: UDAI (University for Development Action and Integrated Learning)

Thursday, October 9, 2008

As things get tough, the tough get going...

No comments:

Blog Archive

Department of Social Work, Delhi University

Plan of Action