Christian Aid Helps Kerala Flood Victims

Countering Kerala's destructive and deadly floods that has reportedly claimed over 350 lives and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes, a Christian charity group has provided with life-saving assistance for around 20,000 people who have lost their homes.

Christian Aid has lain its feet in the state's poorest and most vulnerable villages. The charity has provided safe drinking water, sanitation supplies, hygiene essentials such as soap, and shelter materials including tarpaulin, rope and blankets.

"Many people are currently sheltering in government-run camps and one major worry is how they're going to recover their lives when they try to go home," said Shivani Rana, Emergency Program Officer with Christian Aid.

"For some families, everything they had has been washed away or ruined," Rana said, according to Relief Web.

"The rains have caused flooding and also landslides – and we still don't know how bad the damage is because many areas remain impossible to reach," she added.

An amount of £77,000 has been granted for initial charity's relief work. The funding comes from the UK government-backed Start Fund, which releases money quickly after disasters, to enable rapid responses.

Also, an amount of £30,000 has been provided from the charity's own funds, hoping to speed up its emergency response with the assistance of local partners in Kerala.

Christian Aid will work in Wayanad district and Idukki district, the hard-hit areas. It will support 10,000 people in each of the two districts, targeting areas where many people are considered to be Dalits and 'Tribals' – among the most deprived and excluded in society.