Cyclone Aila Fund raising today (20 June 2009) at CSIRO
Dear all,
We will be donating the funds raised for “Cyclone Aila” to Mr. Zahid Iqbal one of our Canberra residents instead of ICDDR,B. We have taken this decision as “Koira” in Northern Khulna has been a worst hit area and there is a severe shortage of drinking water. Moreover, through Iqbal bhai, we can send the funds directly to the “Aila affected people”. Please see below for further details
The collected money will be donated to small village called Lokha of Moharajpur union under the Koira upozila (one the worst hit area by the cyclone Ayla) in northern Khulna. This is small village with population of less than 700 located at the bank of the river Kopothakha. This village has a primary school and mosque and few small grocery shops. Most people in the village are dependent on agriculture (Amon rice) and small scale prawn farming. Due to cyclone Ayla not only they lost their income but also lost their dwelling –traditional house with Hogla/tin roof with mud wall. This part of the Khulna district had never been affected by flood or cyclone in the last 100 years presumably due to close proximity to the mighty Sundarbon that protected the villages around the region from severe storms in the past decades. The villagers had very little time to go to a shelter as water from the river expanded in a matter of hour on the cycle night.
The money will be spent for;
· Fixing and re-excavating the main pond (pumping out saline water) for drinking water;
· Supplying some bottled water;
· Cash money to the villagers to buy essential (food & fuel); and
· Money to some extremely needy people to rebuild their house.
We will be collecting donations for “Cyclone Aila” on the 20 June (tomorrow) at the 5th Anniversary of PriyoAustralia (Venue: Optus Lecture Theatre, CSIRO Discovery, Clunies Ross St, ACT). If anyone would like to make a donation by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) please contact me for bank account details.
A summary report of Cyclonic Storm “AILA” attached within for your information and kind consideration. Please come forward to help meet the most critical needs of the Aila affected peoples in Bangladesh. If appropriate, please forward this email to your family and friends.
Please donate generously! The very least we can do is make donations!
“Who will stand for our people if we don’t?”
Thank you
Borhan Uddin Shafi (Bijoy)
Mob: 0421708882
P.S One of the Art of Zakia Hossain (Details: www.priyoaustralia.com) will be on auction and the funds raised will be donated for “Cyclone Aila”. Thanks to Zakia and PriyoAustralia.
Dear all,
Koira is one of the remote and worst Cyclone Ayla affected upozila in Bangladesh. Koyra is located 70Km north of Khulna city by the bank of famous river Kopothakha and few small rivers surrounding the mighty Sundarbon. This Upozila comprise of few big union called Dakhin Bedkashi, Uttar Bedkashi, Amadi, Moheswaripur, Bagali, Moharajpur, Amadi. My small village Lokha is located by the bank of the river Kopothakho under the Moharajpur union. All those unions are hardly affected by cyclone Ayla. The river Kopothakha is very ferocious and highly saline around Koira as this is the beginning of this long river.
Traditionally people in this part of Khulna only grow Aman rice after the establishment of 100s of miles of huge embankment established by the then Pakistan government in mid 60s. Recently villages This embankment has been effective for last 40+ years and still very effective but appears to be a piece of paper on the way to cyclone Ayla that flooded the whole area on that night. Because of high salinity and close proximity to famous mangrove forest Sundarbon – just by a 7-80 m river houses are built by clay with roof made from Hogla (a durable palm type plant grown in Sundarbone). Also people have to drink filtered water from some designated ponds tube wells are not effective.
I have been in contact with my family, relatives and villagers since then and tried offer some financial help but as you understand was not adequate enough for the demand. The saline water now started to recede people leaving are people facing the hard job of rebuilding their mud houses and fixing those ponds (pumping saline water out) to access drinking water ASAP. I was told that the village is now very smelly because of dead fish (all fresh water fish are dead because of contamination by saline water) poultry and cattle. They told me that some relief workers including TV camera are coming but they are restricting their distributing alongside the main road and easily accessible popular area. Unfortunately my village is bit away from the main road and current require boat to get to the village.
I will appreciate if you come forward to help those needy people. I will send my money as well donation from my friends using my personal contacts (cousins and relatives) in Moharajpur union so that they can organise some bottled water (immediate need) and hand out some money to the needy people for.
Food and essentials;
Fixing ponds for drinking water; and
Buying building materials.
Regards
Iqbal Zahid
Ph- 6292 3598 (AH), 6272 3426 (Bh) 0411108781
Email – izahid.iqbal@gmail.com.au
Regards
IQBAL ZAHID
From: Borhanuddin Shafi [mailto:bshafi@iinet.net.au]
Sent: Sunday, 14 June 2009 9:37 PM
To: priyocanberra@yahoogroups.com
Cc: Borhanuddin Shafi
Subject: Cyclone Aila
Importance: High
Dear All,
Thank you very much for your response to ‘Cyclone Aila’ fundraising Appeal in Bangladesh. After good discussions and advises from many of you it is decided that we will donate our funds to ICDDR,B-the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (previously known locally as the Cholera Hospital). ICDDR,B has dispatched an emergency team to southwest Bangladesh in response to the diarrheal outbreaks taking place in the aftermath of “Cyclone Aila”. According to ICDDR,B assessment, an estimated 2000 to 3000 patients are suffering from diarrhoea every day in the affected areas with many of them are severely affected.
Three casualties are reported due to diarrhoeal disease till 7 June 2009 in this region. Moreover, the Cyclone Aila affected areas are still flooded and an increase in diarrhoea cases following the subsidence of flood waters is highly likely. Our donations will help ICDDR,B to buy and dispatch IV fluid, sachets of Oral Rehydration Saline (ORS) and other emergency medicines including antibiotics, skin ointments, water purification tablets and combat any future diarrheal disease outbreak.
We will also request ICDDR,B and other organisation to install tube wells in the ‘Cyclone Aila’ affected area from our donated money to source safe drinking water.
We will be collecting donations for “Cyclone Aila” on the 20 June at the 5th Anniversary of PriyoAustralia (Venue: Optus Lecture Theatre, CSIRO Discovery, Clunies Ross St, ACT).Thanks to Manik bhai. If anyone would like to make a donation by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) please contact me for bank account details.
A summary report of Cyclonic Storm “AILA” (as on 7 June 2009) is attached within for your information and kind consideration. Thanks to Mr. Mamun Ezaj for forwarding this information.
Please come forward to help meet the most critical needs of the Aila affected peoples in Bangladesh.
Please donate generously! The very least we can do is make donations!
The target amount of fundraising: $4,000.
“Who will stand for our people if we don’t?”
Thank you
Borhan Uddin Shafi (Bijoy)
Tel: 0421708882 M
email: bshafi@hotmail.com
