Ensuring Safety and normalcy in the lives of children affected by cyclone Fani
New Delhi: Aligning their efforts with the ongoing relief work by the Government of Odisha, World Vision India has started setting up Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) in the communities affected by cyclone Fani. 3 CFSs are already running and 10 more will start from tomorrow in Bhubaneswar to engage with children and provide a safe abode to express themselves freely.
Cherian Thomas, CEO and National Director of World Vision India said, “The cyclone damaged many schools. We are working quickly not only to repair schools but to help children regain some sense of normalcy, which is so important to their long-term recovery”.
Thousands of hectares of crops have been completely damaged by the winds and inundation from the sea water in coastal areas. There has also been severe loss of livestock. Many of the fishermen’s boats has been rendered damaged. “Recovery will be difficult for the farmers who lost thousands of hectares of crops and livestock during the storm and the ensuing flooding. That is why World Vision India has livelihood recovery as one of the priority sectors. We plan to help restore people’s hope and dignity by enabling them to get working as soon as possible,” Cherian Thomas further added.
World Vision India will also be focusing on immediate relief, shelter, child protection and livelihood interventions. World Vision India has initiated the process to provide emergency relief to 20,000 families in the districts of Bhubaneshwar, Puri, Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur, which are among the worst impacted areas. The response will include providing food, shelter, WASH and child protection, with a special focus on gender and disability. Livelihood recovery will be a priority sector, as thousands of hectares of crops have been destroyed.
The relief phase is likely to span three months while recovery phase might continue for a year. “Our response teams on ground in Odisha are assessing the situation to begin immediate relief response.” said Franklin Jones, Head – Humanitarian Emergency Affairs – World Vision India.
Being one of the first responders to the cyclone, World Vision India had activated their disaster preparedness plans in many locations at the community level as a precaution. Apart from deploying their local staff in these locations, members of the World Vision India disaster management team were also on standby. These included experts on child protection, health, WASH and shelter. As part of its immediate relief kit, around 150,000 PuR water purification sachets were also pre-positioned for distribution.
World Vision India prioritizes investment in building community resilience and the resilience of children to cope with disasters. World Vision India was geared to provide a timely response that caters to needs of the most vulnerable communities, especially, children. 20% of its annual local programme budget was already set aside to help start the response immediately after landfall.
As a humanitarian relief organization, in times of calamities and natural disasters like Tsunamis, earthquakes, floods and droughts, World Vision India not only provides immediate relief, it is committed to ensure that the affected communities get back on their feet through long term rehabilitation initiatives. World Vision India is also a member of Sphere India, whose members include key nodal agencies from the Government of India, UN, INGOs, NGO Networks and National NGOs.