In September 2008, floods in the Kailali District of Nepal brought death to the people and disruption. Tens of thousands of families are affected. People have lost homes and their livelihoods are threatened. Winter is coming. The ROPEholder requested emergency funding. He wrote: "The situation is very bad. Many people are missing as well as homeless and without food." ROPE has provided £750 towards the cost of health camp medicines. A recent report highlighted the desperate need for shelter and clothes, particularly for children.
Heavy monsoon rains in northern Pakistan brought misery to many people. The homes of poor people were damaged, with roofs and walls collapsing. Some of the poorest people work in brick kilns. The kilns have been damaged and the fields to dry the bricks have been flooded. The brick workers are threatened with bondage and debt. The ROPEholder reports that families which remain homeless during the coming winter will be vulnerable to cold, hunger, thirst and chronic illness. He stated that there is an urgent need for reconstruction and rehabilitation. ROPE has provided ?1,000 for the help of the needy.
Cyclone Nargis swept across the Irawaddy delta on 2nd May 2008 destroying buildings and flooding a huge area of land. So far 84,500 have been killed and 54,000 are still missing. It is estimated that the cyclone has affected 2.4 million people of which 110,000 have been displaced. ROPE has sent fourteen thousand pounds of crisis funding which initially was used to provide emergency food and water. Water purification kits were supplied to 20 locations and 4 boats were used by medical teams to take doctors and nurses to give treatment in the villages and to ferry sick people needing hospital treatment to the main land.
People are being encouraged to return to their villages and some people are being given help with supplies for rebuilding their homes and tools for their farms. It is important that rice is sown ready for the next harvest.
Many children have been orphaned and 2 homes have been set up and already have 190 children.
Over 50 church buildings were completely destroyed in the delta region and help is being given to pastors to encourage the Christians in these areas. These people have lost all their material possessions and livelihood, and some have also lost family members. As well as all the practical issues of survival, coming to terms with their losses will be psychologically and emotionally difficult.
There is still a need for basic supplies of food and water. But supplies of goods to enable people to start living again are also needed, such as clothing, cooking utensils, mosquito nets, fishing nets and boats. Motorised hand tractors and seed are required to enable farmers to plant for a future harvest.
Towards the end of 2007 one of the worst cyclones in history hit the Southern part of Bangladesh. This was in addition to the severe floods of July 2007, for which ROPE sent three thousand pounds for emergency relief to help 1,000 families in the worst affected areas of Sirjganji, Kurigram, Gazipur and some southern parts of Bangladesh. Food relief for the July 2007 floods included rice, pulses and salt. Oral saline solution and water purification tablets were provided to help with the supply of safe drinking water, and help was provided to control water-borne diseases.
The cyclone caused havoc especially in the districts of Patuakhali, Barguna, Shatkhira as well as the greater Barisal district. Over 10,000 people died or were missing and millions of people lost all their housing and crops. ROPE sent two thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds of crisis funding to help with the effects of the cylcone. This was initially used to provide emergency food packages to over 300 families. Each package contained rice, pulse, oil, salt and ORS. Remaining funds were used to repair houses that could be repaired and provide new houses where necessary.
Our ROPEholder wrote "we send you our sincere thanks and gratitude for helping us with the finances and helping the church to stand by the affected people with the love and compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ. We did not speak a work to the people about the Lord but when they saw Christian team including pastors were helping, they were blessed and asked many questions about the Lord."
