By Britt Lake | Senior Director of Programs
Four months ago, some of the worst rainfall in 100 years caused devastating flooding in Chennai. For weeks, floods ravaged the surrounding communities, claimed more than 500 lives, and caused extensive damage.
Thanks to your support of this relief fund, our nonprofit partners were able to quickly provide aid to thousands of displaced families. In addition to immediate aid, our partners in Chennai are also committed to long-term recovery efforts, like restoring damaged buildings and creating comprehensive disaster management plans for schools. Today, I’m excited to share three stories from our partners that demonstrate the incredible impact of your donations.
For 17 years, GOONJ has been responding to disasters in India. And when the floods in Chennai worsened, GOONJ's staff immediately activated their Urban Plan India Network to provide relief kits to those in need. These life-saving kits included sheets, utensils, solar lights, and other necessities.
Their fast-acting volunteer teams brought kits to more than 15,000 people in five districts across Chennai. Often more rural areas affected by disasters are some of the hardest to reach and are the last to receive aid. GOONJ’s goal is to go beyond those centrally located affected areas and reach rural populations.
In the aftermath of the Chennai floods, Bhumi volunteers mobilized alongside local Indian organizations to transport relief materials and to set up temporary camps for families. The Bhumi volunteer team went above and beyond to set up a relief center in Chennai. At this relief center, more than 100 volunteers collected in-kind donations from community members and distributed them to the most affected areas in Chennai, Chidambaram, Cuddalore, Kancheepuram, Panruti, Pondicherry, Tindivanam, Tiruvallur, and Virudhachalam.
Over the last four months, Bhumi has been able to work with the Tamil Nadu government to identify some of the most affected schools in Chennai. They've not only helped schools rebuild their facilities but also set up computer and science labs. Bhumi staff are also working with schools to create more resilient disaster plans for the future. The long-term impact of their work will transform lives of school children and their communities for years to come.
VOICE Trust—an organization that empowers people in India socially and economically—has helped more than 1,000 families in Chennai recover from the floods. Their relief and recovery packages included tarps to act as temporary roofs, rice, and sustainable cloth bags.
Their efforts went beyond just providing immediate relief. One hundred families affected by the flood were given goats to increase income generation. School bags were given to children to continue learning while their homes and schools were rebuilt. VOICE Trust has given vulnerable families the tools they need to continue leading sustainable lives after the Chennai floods.
Because of organizations like VOICE Trust, GOONJ, and Bhumi, affected families and children will be able to continue down the road to recovery after the Chennai floods. These are just a few of the success stories you’ve helped make possible. From myself and the entire team at GlobalGiving: thank you so much.
Warmly,
Britt Lake + the GlobalGiving Team
P.S. Because you’ve generously supported disaster relief work on GlobalGiving, I’d like to invite you to a special event we’re holding on Wednesday, May 18th at 6pm EDT. “From the Front Lines: GlobalGiving Disaster Response Panel” will feature staff from our nonprofit partners who’ve responded to a range of disasters, including earthquakes in Japan, Ecuador, and Nepal, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and the Syrian refugee crisis. They’ll be sharing stories of their work and answering questions from attendees. You’re welcome to attend the panel either online or in-person at our Washington, D.C. office. Learn more about the event and RSVP today.
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When a disaster strikes, recovery efforts led by people who live and work in affected communities are often overlooked and underfunded. GlobalGiving is changing this reality. Since 2004, we've been shifting decision-making power to crises-affected communities through trust-based grantmaking and support.
We make it easy, quick, and safe to support people on the ground who understand needs in their communities better than anyone else.
They were there long before the news cameras arrived, and they’ll be there long after the cameras leave. They know how to make their communities more resilient to future disasters, and they’re already hard at work. GlobalGiving puts donations and grants directly into their hands. Because the status quo—which gives the vast majority of funding to a few large organizations—doesn’t make sense.
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