Project/s Location/s
India-Bangladesh border
Urban Workspace, 69 Steward St, Birmingham B18 7AF, United Kingdom
India-Bangladesh border
On Wednesday 20th May, Tropical Cyclone Amphan began hitting the India-Bangladesh border. It then carved north-eastwards towards Kolkata home to fourteen million people, destroying everything that came in its path. Sadly, more than 100 people have been killed, hundreds of thousands have been left homeless, causing billions in damage. The death toll is expected to rise dramatically, as the districts worst hit are amongst the poorest who are left without food and shelter. Furthermore, Coronavirus restrictions have been hindering emergency and relief efforts and social-distancing has made mass evacuations more difficult, with shelters unable to be used to full capacity. There is a very urgent requirement to get food, clothing and shelter out to those affected by the Cyclone, to prevent the death toll from rising even further. Therefore, Sikh Aid International have teamed up with our trusted partners at West Bengal Red Cross which is a 100% unpaid volunteer run charity, like Sikh Aid International, to combine efforts to get much needed supplies out to the worst hit areas immediately. The West Bengal Red Cross has already mobilised 150 volunteers to support the relief effort and has so far distributed 6,000 tarpaulins to only some of those whose mud houses have been completely wiped out by the Cyclone. However, there is still a desperate need for food, clothing, PPE and more tarpaulins to reach those impacted by the disaster. Sikh Aid International will be sending all funds raised from our Cyclone Destruction Campaign to the West Bengal Red Cross, as they already have active volunteers providing support in the areas devastated by the Cyclone. As little as a £5 donation buys tarpaulin which can provide cover for families who currently have their children exposed to extreme temperatures and tropical thunderstorms that are imminent. Every donation will also count to providing dry food, full of essential nutrients as well as clothing, to prevent further starvation, severe illness and death. Please join us in making a positive difference to this relief effort, by donating whatever you wish, via JustGiving or PayPal from wherever you are in the world.
Sukhpal Singh Kundan
Inderjit Singh Bhogal
Dr Surinder Singh Bakhshi