(Jagganath, flood survivor in Maharashtra, received our emergency aid)
Since this July, India has been impacted by monsoon. This disaster was the most severe flood in recent 25 years. By the end of October, over 2,100 people died, 2.6 million people were inflicted and more than 400,000 houses were destroyed. [1] And Maharashtra, the major cane production area in India, was most severely impacted, where 22 districts were devastated, 430 people died, and over 700,000 residents were forced to seek shelter. [2]
Editor’s note: When we were children, we learned about “climate change” in our textbooks; but this expression is no longer an accurate description of the threat presented to the world nowadays. The term “climate change” has gradually been replaced by “climate crisis”, which indicates that the planet has entered an emergency state. In this issue of SHARE, “Climate and the Poor” was adopted as the theme to remind the Christian communities about the group of people who are hit the hardest by the climate crisis. In “Back to the Bible”, we pointed out that caring for the created world is crucial in our beliefs. We have an article on our supporter’s experience of choosing a lifestyle that reduces carbon footprints, and another article about life education for Ethiopian youths written by our staff.
[“SHARE” OCT – DEC 2019 ] FOCUS
Written by: Edward Lai (Senior Communications Officer)
The world experienced the hottest month ever in July [1]. In fact, 2015 to 2019 may have been the hottest 5 years in human history. [2]
In recent years, the United Nations (UN) [3] has issued several warnings on the imminent peril of climate crises induced by human activities. Under the same climate crisis, the threats borne by the rich and the poor are totally different. As pointed out by the experts at the UN [4], the rich can use money to mitigate the impacts of global warming, but the poor are almost powerless. They are left to bear the brunt of rising temperature, such as drought, famine and infectious diseases. CEDAR has been carrying out disaster relief and disaster risk reduction in various developing countries in Asia and Africa. In India, especially, we witnessed the severity of the impact of climate crisis on the poor.
CEDAR’s partner, ACN, in Nepal has been distributing much-needed relief aid to vulnerable families
Nepal, India, and Bangladesh have been facing the worst monsoon rains in 15 years, triggering severe flooding across the three countries. Over 1,200 people have been killed, and 41 million people have been affected. CEDAR’s partners begun their responses the week after the flooding intensified. The initial responses were carried out in Nawalparasi district in central Nepal and Bihar state in northern India, providing emergency relief items for affected communities.
The response is entering a new stage right now. CEDAR has allocated funds for Asal Chhimekee Nepal (ACN) in Nepal to provide hygiene kits and winter items for 600 households and provide half-month food supply for 200 families (most of them are single-mother households) in Nawalparasi. In Bihar, India, CEDAR is supporting EFIC@R to set up 5 medical camps in affected communities to provide health services and medication, and to also promote human trafficking prevention to help flood-affected people, especially women and children, to safeguard themselves from traffickers.
We have also received a grant of HK$2.88 million from the Hong Kong government’s Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee to conduct aid distribution through our India partner, Evangelical Fellowship of India Commission on Relief (EFICOR), in one of the worst-hit states, Bihar. The distribution will benefit at least 5,000 families, and each household will receive:
Food aid: 35 kg rice, cooking oil, flour, etc.
Household items: 3 bed sheets, 2 floor mats and 2 mosquito nets
Hygiene kits: containing soap, laundry detergent, tooth brush, tooth paste, water purification tabs, and sanitary pads
Two of our colleagues will travel to India to monitor and evaluate on the response, as well as to learn about the condition of the flood-stricken communities. Please continue to support through prayers and donation for the relief effort of CEDAR and its partners in Nepal and India.
Prayer items:
Pray for the flooded communities in Nepal, India, and Bangladesh, especially those located in remote areas, may God provide safe shelters for the survivors, give them clean daily food, protect them from diseases despite the poor hygiene condition after the floods.
May God use CEDAR and other Integral Allicance* members and their local partners in the three countries to bring timely and effective assistance to the survivors.
Please pray for the two colleagues who will be traveling to India. Pray that God keep them safe, and have a smooth and fruitful collaboration with EFICOR’s staff.
Donation:
Cheque payable to “CEDAR FUND”
Deposit to HSBC A/C No. 600-385678-001, enclosing with the deposit slip
[1] All funds received will go to “South Asia Floods Relief”. If funds raised exceed the budget devised from the disaster evaluation, the additional amount will go directly to CEDAR’s “Emergency Relief and Disaster Preparedness Fund”. [2] CEDAR is an approved charitable institution and trust of a public character under section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance. Please visit Inland Revenue Department website for details. [3] Donations over HK$100 are tax deductible in Hong Kong with our receipts. [4] Please DO NOT fax any donation information.
Contact Information:
Tel>2381 9627
Fax>2392 2777
Email>sharing@cedarfund.org
Add>G.P.O. Box 3212 Hong Kong
*Integral Alliance is a global alliance of 23 Christian relief and development agencies, working together to present a more effective response to poverty worldwide. CEDAR Fund is one of the member agencies. CEDAR and 14 other members of Integral Alliance are responding to flood-affected communities through local partners and churches.
Incessant rainfalls have triggered widespread flooding in South Asia, affecting over 41 million people, including vulnerable women and children.
Torrential downpour have caused severe and widespread flooding in India, Bangladesh and Nepal, killing 1,200 people and affecting 41 million people. Countless homes have been damaged and destroyed. Many are displaced and deprived of food and water for days.
The region’s monsoon season last from June till September every year, but some aid agencies said things are worse this year. The United Nations said the situation could possibly deteriorate further as rains continue in some flood-affected areas and flood waters move south.
In India, over 32 million people are affected. Several rivers are flowing at dangerous levels in some regions, and helicopters are being sent for rescue operations. The government has established nearly 2,000 relief camps for the displaced.
One-third of Bangladesh is inundated by flood. A total of 32 districts and over 8 million people are affected. The flood has damaged and destroyed about 700,000 houses. Directorate General of Health Services in Bangladesh said there are 13,000 confirmed cases of waterborne diseases, and 2,000 medical teams have been deployed to provide medical support for the affected.
In Nepal, at least 1.7 million are affected by the flood. 460,000 people have lost their homes. Some areas recorded the heaviest rainfall in 60 years. Multiple infrastructures like schools and health facilities are destroyed. As flood waters washed away crops and damaged farmlands, communities’ livelihoods will be severely impacted.
Houses are damaged or destroyed amidst flooding, leaving over a million people in despair.
CEDAR and other Integral Alliance members are supporting local partners to respond to the urgent needs of the affected.
CEDAR and 12 other members of Integral Alliance are responding to flood-affected communities through local partners and churches. The initial response includes:
Distribution of food aid to affected households
Distribution of hygiene kits and water filters to secure communities’ health
Distribution of other items such as tarpaulins, shelter kits, mosquito nets and cooking utensils
Prayer items:
Pray that flood waters will subside, so that relief teams can access remote areas to bring aid to more survivors.
As flood-stricken communities are prone to outbreaks of waterborne diseases, pray that the affected can receive medical support; and pray for the health of relief workers.
Pray for wisdom for our partners to plan the next phase of response.
Pray for the people who have lost family, homes, livestock and farmlands. May God bring them comfort and help them to stand back up again on the road to recovery.
Pray for God’s providence of funding, so our partners could carry out response work; may all help and support from churches and brothers and sisters make an impact in the lives of the affected, bringing them love and hope.
Donation:
Cheque payable to “CEDAR FUND”
Deposit to HSBC A/C No. 600-385678-001, enclosing with the deposit slip
[1] All funds received will go to “South Asia Floods Relief”. If funds raised exceed the budget devised from the disaster evaluation, the additional amount will go directly to CEDAR’s “Emergency Relief and Disaster Preparedness Fund”.
[2] CEDAR is an approved charitable institution and trust of a public character under section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance. Please visit Inland Revenue Department website for details.
[3] Donations over HK$100 are tax deductible in Hong Kong with our receipts.
[4] Please DO NOT fax any donation information.
Contact Information:
Tel>2381 9627
Fax>2392 2777
Email>sharing@cedarfund.org
Add>G.P.O. Box 3212 Hong Kong
*Integral Alliance is a global alliance of 23 Christian relief and development agencies, working together to present a more effective response to poverty worldwide. CEDAR Fund is one of the member agencies.
Houses are damaged or destroyed amidst flooding, leaving over a million people in despair.
CEDAR and other Integral Alliance members are supporting local partners to respond to the urgent needs of the affected.