By Kate Peng | Project Manager
Many thanks for being a great ActionAid supporter to help floods victims in Bihar. ActionAid’s long-term engagements were undertaken to restore livelihoods, create new jobs and build community resources in Bihar after one of the worst floods in its history. We focused our efforts on women and children. The villages that were worst affected had a large number of single women households, with men working in cities for the lack of livelihood.
“This foot-enabled machine allows me to stitch clothes faster than I used to, when I had a hand machine,” says Sarita Devi.
“I can now take many more orders and deliver them on time, which is helping me earn more money,” she adds.
Sarita, 40, mother of four children is a very happy and brimming with confidence of being able to become a bread-winner for the family, after her husband passed way. She received the foot sewing machine as a part of the livelihood initiative taken up my ActionAid Partner.
The cyclonic storm has swept the part of Bihar, West Bengal and Assam during mid-night of 14th April 2010 and left a trail of destruction along the path with at least 111 deaths and hundreds injured in eastern parts of Bihar and northern part of Bengal and Assam. "From the extent of twisted trees and poles, the depth of thundercloud and volume of devastation, it appears to be a tornado," said G C Debnath, Director, Regional Meteorological Centre, Alipore, "The casualties were high because the storm struck when people had retired for the night and were caught unaware.
ActionAid was in Supaul district where it was implementing rehabilitation program for Koshi floods survivors along with its two local partners. Some ActionAid’s operational areas were affected by the storm.
ActionAid was working closely with its partners to provide relief items, including drinking water, food and temporary shelters for storm victims.
ActionAid stood alongside with hundreds of landless and marginalized women and men marched on foot in Bihar to demand action on unfilled agenda of land reforms on December 25, 2010.
The poverty in Bihar, like elsewhere in India, is rooted in lack of control over land and the consequent feudal structure. This is reflected in Bihar having one of the lowest per capita incomes in India. Those who suffer denial of basic rights and atrocities are dalits, tribal and women, from the marginalized communities.
"The march passed through areas that have seen land struggles and dominated by upper castes land lords. The peaceful march came in as a new approach for the struggle for land to the landless," said ActionAid Bihar regional manager Vinay Ohdar.
Please visit our website at www.actionaidusa.org to find out more information about “Land March” in Bihar.
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