Over 70 survivors of the landslides that hit Mundakkai and Chooralmala in Wayanad district, Kerala, were pleasantly surprised when the essentials for their daily living came into their homes on 5 November 2024.
In the immediate aftermath of the devastating landslide in July 2024, the affected people received plenty of relief materials in the form of groceries, clothes and stationery items. After a month-long stay in the relief camps, all the affected families were shifted to rented houses, largely in the same district. Life in the rented houses has turned out to be burdensome for many people. Unlike in the relief camp where everything was taken care of, they had to struggle for even basic amenities and household articles. Seeing their plight, BREADS in collaboration with Don Bosco College Sulthan Bathery, decided to provide basic household articles and essential commodities to ease their situations.
The staff appointed by BREADS visited the people to ascertain their individual needs. For instance, there was an elderly couple, suffering from diabetics, who needed a refrigerator to store their insulin. Mohan and his pregnant wife, with their two-year-old child, needed a refrigerator to stock milk. The staff found Meena, who had not only lost all her family assets in the landslide, but also her father, who had been the sole bread winner of the family. She was in urgent need of a chair and table for her to sit and study, uniforms, and stationery to continue her paramedical course. Few of the men and women were without a mobile phone, creating a lot of difficulty for them as all the Government information and rehabilitation notices are communicated through WhatsApp messages. The list of the items goes on: for some, it was kitchen utensils, for others, table fans, iron box, induction cooker, and the like. Through family visits, the BREADS team identified exact needs and procured the items accordingly.
The staff also observed that after the disaster, hardly any ladies went out for jobs. They were either still traumatised or their previous employment avenues such as the resorts, no longer existed. Some ladies expressed their hope of taking up tailoring if they had sewing machines. And other ladies were encouraged by the BREADS staff to open an eatery, which is in demand in Wayanad.
On 5 November, the movement #We4You was flagged off by Fr. David Alinkal (Director- SHREYAS) at a small gathering in Don Bosco College. The items were then delivered to the various beneficiaries in their houses.
Fr. George PS, Executive Director of BREADS, who was part of the process says, “It was affecting to see the life condition of the people; on one hand they are still coping with the trauma of the disaster and on the other, they are struggling to make ends meet. They are in a crucial situation where they do not have money to buy some basic things. I could see the joy of the people when they received items such as refrigerators, televisions, mobile phones, mixer grinders etc. It was a big surprise for them. Tears rolled down many faces as they received the items.”
Fr. George reiterated that We4You Post-Disaster Relief Material Distribution would continue to help survivors rehabilitate themselves and meet the challenges ahead of them. We remain committed to supporting the affected communities and fostering resilience. We thank all our donors, both foreign and local, whose generous solidarity supports us in this mission with the affected people in need.
