BENEFICARIES: 1’000 FAMILIES
With a windspeed of more than 200 km/h the cyclone “Fani” reached the pilgrimage town Puri at the Indian east coast on Friday, 3rd of May. A large part of the infrastructure was swept away or flooded. The fishing village of Penthakata, where Usthi runs a school, was also severely affected. Countless families have lost their homes and income. Until state aid reached the village, they urgently needed help. Part of the Usthi school grounds was also damaged. The windows and a large part of the school books and computer infrastructure were completely destroyed.
Since the walls of the classrooms are very massive, the rooms could fortunately be used during the cyclone as emergency accommodation for affected families. After the cyclone, the families of our pupils and other severely affected families were able to obtain food and building materials from our partner organisation in order to make ends meet in the critical phase immediately after the storm. Until mid-May, hot meals were distributed daily for about 600 people. In addition to food and building materials, clothing was also handed out if needed.
After the most urgent clean-up work, school operations resumed on 17 June. This also ensured that the children continued to receive a warm meal every day. After state aid reached the village and school operations could be resumed, the emergency relief in Penthakata was completed at the beginning of July 2019.