After committing $30,000 in emergency relief for flood victims in Gujarat, Share & Care continues to seek donations to fund temporary shelters, restore schools and healthcare centers, and provide water and sanitation provisions.
Note: We’ve added the Texas and Florida hurricanes — Harvey and Irma — to our relief operations, marking the first time we’ve needed to spread our resources across three disasters at the same time. But we must pull together to meet this unusual challenge.
Over the last few days, torrential rainfall has caused catastrophic floods in the state of Gujarat, where hundreds of lives have been lost and thousands have been left homeless. Vital roads and communication systems have been wiped out.
More than 60,000 families have to be evacuated to safer areas, with meager resources to live on. Thousands of acres of farmland are totally flooded and domestic livestock have been swept away. The death toll is rising daily and is expected to reach over several hundreds.
As the authorities and the media have yet to reach remote areas to assess the full extent of the disaster, it is feared the damage may be far more extensive than currently estimated. Because affected villagers have very little access to food and clean drinking water, we are likely to see the spread of serious epidemics such as cholera and malaria.
Our Response
Share & Care Foundation has approved an immediate release of $10,000 to reputed local NGOs currently providing the relief work directly in the affected areas. Another $20,000 is planned to be sent shortly, bringing our initial contribution to $30,000.
These funds will be utilized to provide basic survival kits containing food rations, utensils, and basic medical aid as needed. We believe this funding will sustain at least 1000 families immediately until the larger funds from the government and private sector start to flow. We are gratified that other organizations such as the Indian American Senior’s Organization of NJ (IASONJ) have expressed their intent to join hands with us in this effort.
Based on over 30 years of disaster response experience, Share & Care has undertaken an immediate, short- and long-term response program to reach out to the affected communities. With this being our 15th disaster response, our team has the invaluable experience of working in partnership with local communities.
Our Goal
Our goal is to raise $150,000 in disaster relief funds. Your support and generous contribution will make a huge difference in the lives of the people affected by this tragedy. Please make your check to “Share & Care Foundation” and mark it for “Disaster Fund” and send to Share & Care Foundation, 676 Winters Avenue, Paramus, NJ 07652. Or donate online now.
- Immediate relief: $30,000
- Supply of provisions, food rations, and basic utensils to homeless families (estimated cost ~ $30 per family)
- Short-term to long-term relief: $125,000
- Construction of temporary shelters for families in the fall of 2017. The temporary shelters are made of GI sheets and wooden frames to provide protection from the elements and some security.
- Provision of potable water and sanitation under consideration
- Restoration for livelihoods, schools, and primary healthcare centers, especially empowering women
- Estimated to provide support for about 400 to 500 families
