Update on Fire Emergency in Kasampur, Northern India

In April this year one of our India Partners, Herbertpur Christian Hospital, contacted us asking for emergency assistance. Kasampur, a local village, had been destroyed by fire. Kasampur had a population of approximately 6,000 and in just over one hour 420 dwellings were destroyed, 4 people killed and 2,300 people left destitute.

ORAF sent A$30,000 to provide for emergency aid including for medicines, food, shelter as well as to help the community to re-establish their lives.

We have recently received the following update on how the people of Kasampur are coping after the tragic incident:

“It is said that there is no disaster that can’t become a blessing and no blessing that can’t become a disaster.

Looking back at the last 2 months since the fire at Kasampur, we have become more and more aware of the truth of this observation.

The communities, including the Herbertpur Christian Hospital community, helped provide clothes, utensils and grains. A disaster committee was formed at the village level and along with the Panchayat, they took over the responsibility of the community kitchen and the distribution of the relief supplies. In fact, so many supplies came in that the villagers were able to stock up grains for the next six months. The government involvement has been in giving Rs. 2000/- per family.

Need assessment was done by the project and they identified the families and school children requiring immediate intervention. The disaster committee and the Panchayat helped finalize 165 children out of the list prepared by the project staff who needed school uniforms and supplies. The orders for uniforms and carpets have been placed. The children get back to school in July 2009.

Like the quote says a blessing has the potential of becoming a disaster. We learned that lesson as well, as we looked at rebuilding homes. While we have the funds to rebuild, there were big issues among the villagers in trying to decide who needed help. It has taken this long, but finally the disaster committee and the Panchayat decided on a list of 100 families. Work has started on the structure of 50 of the houses. Despite their differences, it has been encouraging, however, to see that the structure and labor has been volunteered by the villagers themselves.

Our immediate future plans include completion of the roofs of the houses, training of teachers in identifying and helping children with stress reactions and planting of trees which will wait till after the rainy season is over.

So, while these are the obvious blessings that followed the disaster, we also had the privilege of having so many people who reminded us again about the strength of fellowship by choosing to keep in touch, pray and give generously. We write this with the awareness that a mere thank you does not cover the overwhelming support we have received.”