News

ADRA India Goes Green

With the support of the Press Club of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) as media partner, ADRA India initiated the “Green Campaign 2008” in the Andaman Islands. The Campaign started with a mass sensitization program through a rally participated by 1000 people including students, teachers, government officials, NGOs, and concerned citizen.

The campaign was officiated by Director of Education, Mr Udaya Kumar. The Greening Campaign 2008 aims to preserve forests for future generations and promote public awareness of the importance of trees among schools, communities, civil groups and businesses. ADRA India made a plantation target of 14,000 trees and under the auspices of the Greening Campaign 2008, ADRA India planted 6000 plants and is in the process of completing the remaining 8,000 tress in the coming month. The participants were shown a documentary film “Climate Change: An untold Story”.

Mr. C. Targay, Honorable Chief Secretary was chief guest and said, “There is nothing permanent in this world except the change. If we want to change our world we need to control our greed, discipline our life and harmonize our habits with nature” In recognition of the efforts to preserve the environment, ADRA India felicitated the students and teachers of Eco Clubs with Green Ambassador Certificates, and awarded Green Awards to the schools through the Chief Secretary.   

Mr. Stanzin Dawa, Project Manager, ADRA India said, “When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of development, seeds of humanity, seeds of compassion, seeds of peace and seeds of hope. Our present is the baby of our past and our future is going to be the baby of our present. What we are doing today as individual, families and institutions is going to decide where we will stand in the future.”

Mr Ashok Chand, Superintendant of Police ANI said, “…there is a strong relationship between the social and physical environment. In order to have a clean and green environment we should have clean and green habits. Cleanliness and greening of our environment should be our way of life not for days and weeks but for ever.”

Mr. Abdul Salim, President Press Club of ANI said, “Partnership between media and NGOs to deal with environmental challenges is relevant in the present context, as both these intuitions are principal agent of social change in this century. Today we have to rethink and reform our policies which are damaging the environment, as the islands ecology is very fragile.”

Under the slogan ‘One Student One Plant’, ADRA India distributes 1000 seedlings of indigenous species to participants. While filling the pledge form the participants have committed to plant more than 4000 trees and to ensure their survival. The students were given a manual on importance of plants and the process of plantation including the roles of Green Ambassadors.

Early Monsoon Floods West Bengal

The monsoon rains washed in early this year, taking millions of people across India by surprise. So far, 432 people have been killed in the rapid rising waters. As usual the northeastern states have been the worst hit. The state of West Bengal in particular has suffered substantial losses, with over 3.7million people affected and 3 deaths having been reported in the last 24hours. The government calculates that 313317 people are stranded in 521 relief camps.  There are 505 medical teams, 175 boats and 2 helicopters with the assistance of the Army, that are deployed in West Bengal, attending to the needs of the most affected.

ADRA India is currently responding in West Bengals worst affected district of East Midnapore, with emergency food aid packs of rice, dhal, salt and oil to 4125 people at the cost of $10,000USD. East Midnapore district has over 200,000 people living in 1,122 tents since early June when the floods first hit.  Nitin Kenny, ADRA India’s Program Officer, states “These people have seen over 70cm of rainfall in just 3days, turning their villages into islands and their homes into waste. Schools, hospitals and shops are either closed or destroyed. The flood affected people are now facing diseases such as Malaria, Diarrhea and TB.”

ADRA India is distributing the life saving aid with the help of volunteers from the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the local community in the area. The families whose houses have been completely destroyed, and that have lost all their belongings are given first priority, and according to social and cultural considerations; pregnant mothers, the elderly, infants and children are given immediate priority.

To donate or find out more about ADRA India’s Emergency Management Program, please visit our website www.adraindia.org.

ADRA India provides community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race, or ethnicity.

ADRA Expands Emergency Relief in Myanmar

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is expanding its response in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, committing $265,500 in emergency funds for immediate disaster relief, and providing food assistance and medical supplies to communities in the hard-hit Irrawaddy Delta region in southern Myanmar. These funds are complemented by an additional $100,000 from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

In an effort to assist survivors, the ADRA network is funding an emergency response project that will provide food rations (rice, pulses, and salt), temporary shelter materials (tarpaulins, bamboo, and nylon rope), 5-gallon water containers, kitchen sets (bowls, spoons, and cups), tool kits, and hygiene kits to approximately 20,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who escaped low-lying villages in the delta region during the May 2 and 3 storm. Donors to this project include ADRA International, ADRA supporting offices in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Czech Republic, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, United Kingdom, Portugal, Netherlands, Japan, and HELP International.

Working in conjunction with the World Food Programme (WFP), ADRA has already distributed 25 metric tons of rice and power biscuits to an estimated 50,000 IDPs in Labutta, a rice-trading town in the delta, which has become a refuge for thousands of people. Additionally, the distribution of 45 metric tons of rice is currently underway in 14 Labutta IDP camps where approximately 20,000 people have taken refuge. In the Piensalu islands south of Labutta, a separate ADRA food distribution program has provided nearly 5,000 lbs. of rice and a supply of clean drinking water to affected villages. Food distributions are expected to increase in coming days.

ADRA International, through a partnership with World Emergency Relief (WER), is shipping 20 medicine packs containing medical supplies valued at approximately $129,000 to be used by a medical team already providing first aid assistance to residents of an isolated part of the delta. Each pack provides about 1,500 treatments from mixed medicines, antiseptics, and antibiotics. In a separate shipment donated by Heart to Heart International, ADRA has sent 150 lbs. of medical supplies, including broad-spectrum antibiotics, analgesics, vitamins, topical creams, oral rehydration salts, anti-amebic drugs, bandages, and disposable vinyl gloves. Additional donations include 250 medical kits provided by Germany-based Johanniter International Assistance, which have already been transported to the disaster area, together with a new shipment of plates, spoons, and cooking equipment for IDP camps.

ADRA has also received water filtration units capable of providing clean water for 46,000 people a day, three small water systems that will help purify water for up to 2,000 people each, and one million water purification tables.  These items, donated by Global Medic and Muslim Aid, are currently being delivered to Labutta, where residents can only fetch water from a 15-acre pond. Training for the water equipment will also be provided.

In the last few days, ADRA has distributed 10,000 sets of plates, spoons, cups, and other kitchen equipment for cooking rice to 10,000 IDPs in various camps in Labutta. Another shipment is expected to be delivered May 13, the same day that ADRA will transport and distribute 20 large tents and tarpaulins donated by SDC.

Downed trees, debris, and widespread flooding have hampered transportation efforts to and from affected areas in the delta. In many instances, reaching villages has only been possible by boat. On May 12, ADRA brought approximately 250 people by boat to Labutta from remote low-lying areas.

ADRA’s emergency response is centered in the devastated Irrawaddy Delta region, which suffered the most damage as a result of cyclonic winds that reached more than 120 mph (193 km/h). Although officially at least 31,000 people have died and 29,000 remain missing, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates, as of May 13, that between 63,000 to 101,000 people have died, while some 220,000 remain missing, and at least 1.5 million have been severely affected and left vulnerable to diseases.

On Sunday, May 4, a state of emergency was declared across five regions, including Yangon, Irrawaddy, Pegu, Karen and Mon, in which 24 million people live.

Today, the most urgently needed items include food, water purification supplies, plastic sheeting, cooking sets, mosquito nets, fuel, and emergency health kits.

Updates will be released as ADRA’s response efforts expand.

ADRA India is stopping TB

ADRA India promoted and celebrated World TB Day 2008, which aims to raise the awareness of Tuberculosis (TB) and its deadly effects if left undetected or untreated. Over 400,000 people in India die each year due to TB. TBC India, the national Tuberculosis Control Program for India states, “In India today, two deaths occur every three minutes from tuberculosis (TB). But these deaths can be prevented. With proper care and treatment, TB patients can be cured and the battle against TB can be won....”

The WHO (World Health Organisation) advises that, “World Tuberculosis Day, held annually on 24 March, commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch presented his discovery of the TB bacillus to a group of doctors in Berlin. This year, World TB Day will focus on the efforts of frontline TB care providers and their crucial role in stopping TB.”

In the city of Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu state, ADRA India promoted and advocated for the awareness and education of TB, to over 3,000 people. The local government, schools and general public were involved in rallies, competitions, poster/banner advertising, street art, exhibitions, street theatre and video screenings. The local school children were involved in TB themed drawing competitions and the local women in street art competitions.

Jude Stephen, TOPA (Treatment of One is Prevention for All) Project Manger said “In continuation of our project and organisational visibility in the area of TB control, we have developed a WORLD TB YEAR 2008 POSTER in line with WHO's global TB theme - " I AM STOPPING TB" which was officially released by the District Collector of Cuddalore on 31st March 2008 in the presence of District TB officer, Deputy Director of Health Services, Joint Director of Health Services and other government officials.”

ADRA India’s TOPA project started in May 2006 and is worth €431,000 which is funded by Aktion Deutschland Hilft through ADRA Germany. TOPA benefits 196,000 people in 140 villages, and works directly with the community in raising education and awareness of TB, as well as providing direct medical and social support to patients struggling with TB. TOPA works with the Government’s Health Services Department in providing DOT (Directly Observed Treatment) Providers who assist TB patients by administering and advising on their medication, as well as providing counseling and support to the patients and their families.

To donate or find out more about ADRA India’s Health Program, please visit our website www.adraindia.org.

ADRA India provides community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race, or ethnicity.

Bihar Flood Survivors Start to RECOVER

ADRA India has commenced the RECOVER project that assists and enables the survivors of the massive floods, that devastated India and South Asia in 2007, in being self sustainable and earning a living again. ADRA India is building up the capacity of the communities to respond and to survive future disaster floods, by educating and training them in disaster preparedness and response.

RECOVER is constructing community emergency centres that serve as raised platforms for the more ‘at-risk’ people to escape to when the next flood washes in. The emergency centres are also the locations where ADRA India brings the community together for preparedness training and disaster evacuation drills. RECOVER conducts education, training and promotion of hygiene and health, as well as restoring the water and sanitation facilities that were destroyed and damaged in the flood. A RECOVER employee represents the affected communities to the local and district governments, advocating and lobbying for the committed government assistance to be delivered in an enhanced manner.

More than 45,000 people in 18 villages will benefit from the RECOVER project that is worth €425,000 funded by ECHO through ADRA Germany, and is a 2nd phase emergency management project that is based on rehabilitating the survivors in areas such as  livelihood, health, water and sanitation, government representation and disaster preparedness.

ADRA India is providing the communities with replacement cows that were killed in the flood. The cows give them access to milk and dairy products that they use for personal and commercial purposes. They also provide the farmers with labour assistance, and a livelihood option for renting the cows out on a day to day basis.

The floods in 2007 killed over 3,100 people and affecting over 50 million people in India. ADRA India was present in Bihar and West Bengal and responded with emergency relief of 45,000Ltrs per day of purified drinking water and emergency life kits that contained tarpaulins, soap, antibacterial cream, water purifying tablets, buckets and electrolyte sachets for re-hydration. ADRA India’s total response benefited over 36,000 people and cost $210,000USD.

To donate or find out more about ADRA India’s Emergency Management Program, please visit our website http://www.adraindia.org.

ADRA India provides community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race, or ethnicity.

Mizoram's Million Face Famine

ADRA India has initiated a $10,000USD emergency response, called MIZOFAM, to the rice famine that is affecting approximately 1 million people throughout the northeastern state of Mizoram which borders Myanmar. The famine is caused by a plague of rats, and usually occurs every 48 years, as the bamboo that is native in the state and surrounding regions, produces a special flower that triggers a mass movement of rats. After the rats ate all the bamboo’s flowers, they moved onto the rice crops devastating more than 90% of Mizoram’s rice paddies and other crops.

The crisis is increased by the fact that most families are ‘slash and burn’ farmers, meaning that they only have small and temporary plots to cultivate their crops. The severe food shortage has forced many families to have only one meal per day, and search for food in surrounding forests, eating wild berries, yams and roots in an attempt to survive.

ADRA India has completed an assessment and has had meetings with and is coordinating its response with ECHO, Actionaid, UNICEF and Save the Children, for the MIZOFAM intervention as well as any larger scale emergency food security intervention for the famine affected families of Mizoram. ADRA India has found that there are 3 main vulnerability factors of poverty, displacement and location that are key issues to be addressed in the Emergency Response.  The poverty factor indicates that the most affected families are the poorest with the least amount land, meaning that most if not all of their crops have been destroyed. The displacement factor indicates that many families are nomadic and move around as shifting cultivators, and that any potential land they would cultivate has also been destroyed. The location factor indicates that the mountainous terrain in Mizoram makes a lot of communities impossible to reach by car or road, often leaving transport by foot or by air as the only options for reaching these families.

To donate or find out more about ADRA India’s Emergency Management Program, please visit our website http://www.adraindia.org/.

ADRA India provides community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race, or ethnicity.

ADRA India Goes Live

ADRA India is celebrating its new website www.adraindia.org. After 4 months in the making, it offers detailed information, news, stories, pictures and videos on the various development and emergency sectors that ADRA India works in. With up to date information on the implementing projects, the site is fresh and easy to navigate through.
 
The site allows people to sign up for the new E-NEWS updates, the soon-coming newsletter called The Advocate, as well as allowing people to support the agency with Donations to our various sectors that we work in. The site also features Employment and Volunteer sections, where browsers can see what positions are available and register their interest to volunteer.
 
ADRA India is also increasing its online presence with the innovative commencement of an online TV channel. www.youtube.com/adraindia is ADRA India’s YouTube Channel, currently with more than 15 videos on our work across the sub-continent, it is a place where viewers can watch the short documentaries and subscribe. ADRA India will be increasing the videos to include more project-specific documentaries that report and advertise the hard work that is being done in the field throughout India.
 
ADRA India’s new media department is helping to forge a new path for the agency, with the understanding that communication, in all its forms, is an integral part of good development practice. As such, ADRA India encourages people to visit both locations online, subscribe to the new online publications on the website as well as the YouTube Channel.
 
To donate or find out more about ADRA India, please visit the Donate or the About Us pages on our website. 
 
ADRA India provides community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race, or ethnicity.