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Disaster update: Cyclone Sidr, Bangladesh |
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Emergencies
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By Jonathan Gomes, World Vision Bangladesh
It has been over six months since Cyclone Sidr raged through coastal
communities of Bangladesh in November last year, killing 3,363 and
affecting 8.9 million people.
Long after the catastrophe has fallen out of the media interest, World
Vision Bangladesh continues its response to the communities devastated
by the ravaging Cyclone Sidr.
In a model of recovery that is one of World Vision’s most recognizable
and successful approaches, Cyclone Sidr Recovery programme has
concentrated medium term on interventions that line up with
developmental needs, including livelihood, education, WASH (Water,
Sanitation and Hygiene) and DRR (Disaster Risk Reduction) in the
southern coastal area of Bangladesh.
As well as working with affected communities within World
Vision’s existing development areas, Mongla and Chitalmari in Bagerhat
district, the programme focuses on two non-Area Development Programme
(ADP) areas, Morelganj in Bagerhat district and Bhandaria in Pirojpur
district.
The livelihood project provides short-term cash to affected people to
increase their ability to access to basic necessities. From January to
March 340 farmers in Morelganj sub-district received orientation
trainings and two different varieties of paddy seeds, each farmer five
kilograms of seed.
The Upazila Agriculture Extension Officer of Bhandaria said
“These rice seeds provided by World Vision are very high quality, which
will enable farmers to get expected yield in this season. The
germination rate of the seed is about 95%.”
Cash-for-Work activities supported 1,456 households in
Chitalmari ADP, which repaired 12.5 km of road and excavated 3.5 km of
canals and drains in different locations. Cash-for-Work is designed for
a quick economic recovery of cyclone-affected families, involving both
women and men who may have lost their ability to earn money
post-disaster and meet their families’ basic needs.
As well as helping with development initiatives, renovation of
community infrastructure, like raising grounds or renovating roads,
reduces vulnerability to future disasters.
To help children, twenty schools from Morelganj and Bhandaria
are currently funded for reconstruction. World Vision Bangladesh staff,
including engineers, conducted assessments alongside the government to
list these schools and plan for their rebuilding.
Six schools will be built with a view to protection from future
cyclones, doubling as disaster shelters. Three will be in Morelganj and
three in Bhandaria.
“We are very pleased to know that World Vision is going to construct
one school-cum-cyclone shelter in our Harinpala village. We lost 15
people due to Sidr as there is no cyclone shelter nearby our community.
World Vision’s initiative will definitely save our lives during future
disasters,” said one of the cyclone-affected resident of Harinpala
village in Bhandaria of Pirojpur district.
Through the cash-for-work activities of WASH, 2,317 community
members received money for their part in cleaning and purifying nearly
400 ponds. 71 of these ponds were for drinking purposes and 325 for
bathing and washing. This has restored clean water as a priority to
over 75,000 people.
To
support the ongoing use of these water sources, Department of Public
Health Engineering certified volunteers conducted 257 health
sessions for 6,388 beneficiaries in February and March in Mongla ADP.
The sessions included topics like maintenance and hygienic usage of
pond water and the benefits of purified ponds. |
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