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“Children, women and the aged were amongst the most badly affected in the aftermath of calamities in Uttarkhand. This is because they are typically the most vulnerable members of society, who then become doubly impacted when disaster strikes”. Mr Thomas Candy, CEO, Save The Children, India.
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Uttarakhand Update!
In June 2013 unprecedented flash floods and landslides in Uttarakhand killed at least 5700 people along with the loss of large numbers of infrastructure. Rehabilitation in the aftermath of disaster has become a challenging task for both governmental and non-governmental agencies. In this regard, Mr Thomas CEO of Save The Children, India has shared his view on the issues of rehabilitation process going on in Uttarakhand with special focus to children.
Thomas has been the Chief Executive of Save the Children India since 2006 and a member of the Global CEO's steering group for Save the Children International members. He is a strong advocate for the most marginalized
children in India. He has served on many non-profit boards. In a career spanning over 30 years he spent 22 years in the corporate world in various senior positions.
1. How is the overall latest rehabilitation process going on in Uttarakhand?
It is now more than six months since the Himalayan Tsunami struck. Most
relief efforts in the area have wound up, and this helped families to tide
over the most difficult aftermath of the disaster. People are generally
happy with the quality of material received and with the compensation handed
out by the government. However, if you travel in the region now, you will
notice that much of the physical rebuilding work still remains to be done.
Some development agencies are still on the ground, providing longer-term
rehabilitation services. Save the Children is one of them. Our immediate
priority is to revitalise health services, ensure that children reintegrate
into their communities from the child-friendly centres we set up in the
aftermath of the disaster, and to ensure that families are in a position to
use the cash transfers we provided to recover from the disaster and restart
their lives.
In Uttarkhand, we are emerging from fairly severe winter conditions, and
heavy snow has been restricting the mobility of our teams in several of the
upper reaches of the state. However, the pace of activity has picked up
since late January. Several families have moved away in search of work and
will return when spring breaks. This is when we expect much of the
rebuilding activity in the region to resume
2. What is the condition of children, women and old age people in the
aftermath of calamities in Uttarakhand?
Children, women and the aged were amongst the most badly affected in the
aftermath of calamities in Uttarkhand. This is because they are typically
the most vulnerable members of society, who then become doubly impacted when
disaster strikes.
After the Himalayan tsunami, children could not go to school as these
buildings were damaged and unsafe. They were also traumatised by the
disaster -- the lack of sleep and the loss of routine only adding to their
troubles. Many lost loved ones, including earning family members.
Women bore the brunt of disaster in many ways. They had to run their
households on reduced income and supplies, and work twice as hard to collect
fodder for their animals -- a role that they usually fulfill. The food
basket for the family was greatly reduced owing to crop damages and the
destruction of small businesses catering to tourists.
Essential supplies for pregnant women and the aged, including medicines and
medical services, were restricted as access roads were impacted by
landslides and blockages. Additionally, the psychological stress and
uncertainty were a particular strain on the aged and other vulnerable
members of the family.
3. It is said that still there are many needy people for whom rehabilitation
has not been reached?
It is true that in the early days following the disaster, those closest to
accessible roads were being reached first. Thus families living far away
from these access points, who were possibly also more greatly impacted by
the disaster, were sometimes the last to be reached with assistance.
Organisations such as Save the Children work doubly hard to reach the most
vulnerable families first. Thus, it was our endeavour to closely follow the
process of road clearance, and to ensure that we distributed relief supplies
at road-heads where it was easy for families living in the upper reaches of
the mountains to trek down and collect them. On several occasions, we hired
pack animals to ensure delivery to homes in the more mountainous and
treacherous areas.
4. How do you see the social and economic cost of Uttarakhand disaster with
special focus to children?
The cost to children is manifold. In the immediate-term, they have lost
study days, uniforms and materials, and have had perforce to overcome the
trauma and uncertainty that is the legacy of any disaster.
In the medium-term, children will have to achieve more with less. Family
resources have been severely strapped in the aftermath of the disaster owing
to crop losses and the loss of small family-run businesses catering to the
local tourist industry which came to a standstill. Yet, children will have
to make up for losses at school, and work harder to overcome their
circumstances. Many are now facing final examinations after a largely
disrupted school year, including a severe winter. Families will have to bear
the economic cost of an additional school year where this becomes necessary.
Else, the replacement of books and materials as well as a kit for the new
school year are going to be another set of costs for families to worry
about.
In the longer-term, families will be impacted by the economic set backs
suffered in disaster. Those cultivating crops along riverbeds, for instance,
may not be able to replant owing to the loss of land resulting from rivers
changing course. Many homes have been damaged by landslides and rain.
Families have lost business owing to an abrupt ending of the tourist season.
It may take a year or two for families to overcome these set backs and for
children to be able to enjoy a home where their needs can once again be
prioritised. Meanwhile, Save the Children is ensuring that it builds on its
child-centred emergency work - including the establishment of child friendly
spaces in the immediate aftermath of the disaster - to ensure that children
have the resources they need to bounce back quickly from its effects.
5. How do you see the role of state in rehabilitation process of
Uttarakhand?
The state has played a key role in the rehabilitation process of Uttarkhand.
State agencies have implemented direct relief where possible as well as
coordinated the relief of non-state actors, including Save the Children. In
the months following the disaster, they were engaged in surveying the damage
and assessing who was eligible for compensation due to loss of human life
and property. They were also responsible for clearing damaged roads and
access points. From all reports, this process has taken place effectively,
and families are on the whole satisfied with compensations disbursed to
them.
In the coming months, the state must use the opportunity, in the
aftermath of the disaster to 'build back better'. With the assistance of
non-state agencies and other civil society actors, they must capitalise on
the momentum already created to restore essential services, to improve
facilities on the ground and make them better than before.
6. What are the efforts of your organization?
Save the Children's niche has been to provide a child-centred response to
the disaster in Uttarkhand. In the days following the disaster, the first
thing we did was to establish Child-Friendly Spaces where children could
congregate, under the watchful supervision of a trained facilitator, to
learn and play, and achieve a semblance of normalcy in their lives, even as
their parents tried to piece their lives back together. This child-centric
work has been the central theme across all our efforts.
Save the Children has now successfully completed its relief work in the
region. We distributed blankets, tents, hygiene kits, food and other
essential items to ensure that 7,074 families were able to tide over the
most difficult days following the disaster. To date, we have set up 60
child-friendly spaces benefiting 4,887 children. We also provided much
needed cash relief -- directly to 2,505 needy families -- to ensure that
they could tide over the economic losses resulting from the disaster and
refocus on their children's priorities.
Currently, we are moving into longer-term rehabilitaion work. We have
started to revitalise the health system and boost nutrition especially
targeting 5,343 women and young children, building on the 91 health camps we
held during the relief phase. We will also restore water, hygiene and
sanitation in the area, thereby protecting children and their families from
disease. Through our education work, we will help children reintegrate into
schools, and assist the state machinery to deliver an improved quality of
education. Our future child protection work will focus on participatory
methods to ensure that children are vigilant about their rights, and about
protecting themselves from harm and abuse, including child labour and
trafficking. We will also be engaged in child-centered advocacy,
strengthening governance, and building overall resilience.
7. Do you think the ongoing rehabilitation work from all agencies is
sufficient? What are the key issues and challenges?
This has been a large disaster impacting tens of thousands of lives. Thus,
almost no rehabilitation work will be enough! However, with the delivery of
key relief materials and services, families are now well on their way to
rehabilitation. This means that with their immediate needs taken care of,
they can focus on restarting their lives and livelihoods.
The key issues and challenges are to ensure that these efforts -- be they to
restart essential services such as education and healthcare, or restarting
businesses -- take hold, and that families' resilience is not further
compromised by future disasters, or risks from upcoming national elections.
Coordinated by Sabita Gyawali
Date: 2014, Jan, 28
th
For your feedback:
secretariat@earthconcernasia.org
Note: Opinions expressed in interview sections and individual write ups are of interviewee/ authors; Earth Concern facilitates to bring ideas and perspectives.
