Providing Support To Women, Children In Regions Affected By Floods

At the first glance, the veil on a new mother Shabana Begum and the temporary shelter sheathing her strike as one. They both cover just enough to conceal the awkwardness of living in open spaces. Shabana, 20, a single parent living with her mother, was forced to live in a temporary shelter in her third trimester as the flood water in 1 number Pakali village of Kampur, Nagaon district in Assam submerged her only house.

Walking cautiously through the swamp lest she slips, Shabana made her way to the shanty her mother quickly built on the elevated road. As strong winds smacked the plastic sheets that night, she delivered her baby with the help of an ASHA worker. Leave alone access to the public health centre, the place does not even have basic hygiene needed for a delivery. The entire village still remains submerged, with light showers every now and then that makes living impossible.

Let alone nutrition to produce breast milk, Shabana has not even eaten two full meals. The baby born to her is also underweight, and has received no immunization yet.

I was very scared of losing the child with no access to the hospital. But thanks to the ASHA worker, I was able to get some assistance. My child is very weak and I'm concerned about his well-being in this current condition, - she said.

Their woes don't end here. Due to home-based delivery the young mother will now struggle to get her child's birth registration certificate, an important document that will be needed for all things in future.

The floods have not just ruined whatever little people had, but also left the futures of children indefinite.

How Is Save the Children Helping Them?

The recent floods in Assam have left hundreds of thousands of people and children in severe distress. Apart from loss of property, household items and the stock food items, this has affected the livelihood of people severely as a large part of farmland has been damaged. Many families with children are taking shelter in relief camps and roadsides in unhygienic condition without access to safe water and sanitation.

Schools and Anganwadi centres are damaged and non-functional in large numbers making continuity of education an almost impossible option. Children, especially the girls, remain particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation in such terrible situations. Adolescent girls and women are facing tremendous challenges related to menstrual hygiene. Save the Children has already mounted a response reaching out to the families in relief camps with immediate support.

They have plans to set-up children-friendly spaces for education continuity, required care and protection as well as psycho-social support to children. They will also be providing temporary shelter materials, education kits, family hygiene kits and food items to children and families. In the longer run, our intervention will include support for livelihood restoration of families in distress.

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