Following the devastation caused by Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh nearly two weeks ago, Tearfund partners Koinonia and Heed continue to work with communities affected.
Working in the Bagerhat (south west) and Barguna districts in the east, Kononia’s Dilip Dutta has been visiting communities and says, ‘Small roads are still largely blocked, you have to rely on rickshaws and walking to get to many rural villages…and as well as food, people need utensils to cook.’
Koinonia is giving people small loans in order to get seed for crops and repair their houses as well as providing medicine to communities. ‘People also need clothes and blankets because the winter is coming,’ adds Dilip. Heed is also working with people to provide them with small grants to help with repair of houses and equipment.
As well as the government and many aid agencies working to get help to people, food and water aid has been airlifted by the United States into Bangladesh in an attempt to enable communities from isolated areas to access help.
Heed and Koinonia are also working to access all affected areas and reach people in isolated communities.
Many people from areas not accessible by road had not been reached and had begun to emerge in more central locations of the country to receive help.
‘Rivers are full of dead animals, chickens, cows,’ says Dilip. ‘With this pollution and the salt water that came in with the tide wave caused by the cyclone, people can’t use the water from the rivers for the next six or seven months,’ he says.
Tearfund launched its joint DEC appeal for Bangladesh one week ago – read more about the work that we are doing and how you can help here.
- Please pray that damaged transport and communication networks will be restored soon and ask that there will be clearer access to people in isolated areas
- Ask that partners will be able to find skilled staff to carry out the work with communities
- Please pray also for those communities traumatised by the cyclone.
World Aids Day special prayer point: one of the main areas of need in Bangladesh is for life skills training for those living with HIV and awareness amongst young people.
- Please pray for The Salvation Army who are working with communities in Dhaka and Jessore regions of the country.