Give homes, babyfood and solar lighting to Cyclone+COVID hit Kabira village

My name is Meghna Nayak and I make clothing out of old/used/vintage fabric and employ a small group of tailors who live in a village called Kabira in the South 24 Parganas area of West Bengal. I’ve been in regular touch with them since lockdown started. Seeing as I was supporting them, it was odd that they started to sound slightly desperate by the 2nd/3rd week itself. When asked what was up, they said rations had not been given and since many people had abruptly stopped earning, in just 2 weeks were lacking for basic food.

Over time, I have been compelled to understand that these communities are very close knit. A death/marriage in any family means everyone is present. I say compelled because I didn’t quite get it before, and would lament/get stressed when they frequently took time off due to these reasons. It took me time to understand the level to which they stick by each other, since they have no support systems beyond that. So, they were sharing their food. It was still nowhere near enough. They said they can’t eat properly while the hut next door starves. So they were sharing resources and mostly eating rice and potatoes with chilli powder and salt. New mums have deplorable nutrition and are unable to produce breast milk. There is a food crisis for babies and adults.

At this point (early April) I stepped up the financial support and tried to mobilise resources. I raised some money with the help of some close friends, and together we sent food to the best of our capacity. At one point, we sent a carload of food which wasn’t enough and it got close to a riot situation where clothes were torn and packets of food spilt. The population of Kabira is somewhere around 1800, with 350-500 families. The loss of dignity of these folks - all of whom earned an income 3 short weeks ago - was disturbing. All of us, including the tailors felt quite terrible after this and it was a steep learning curve.

We were just navigating these food issues when cyclone Amphan (same as a Cat. 5 hurricane) hit, and the bar for standard of living fell even lower. People’s roofs blew away, or broke as trees fell on them. Most of the homes are flimsy dwellings, painstakingly patched and repaired every monsoon, constructed with bamboo, straw, mud, and plastic sheets. Most people in the village have damaged homes or broken/absent roofs.

In picture: Urbanu Sapui, 4 member household

My head tailor told me how people in the village had stopped using soap to bathe since that was now considered an unnecessary expense. As I write this appeal, people are calling me, not only from Kabira, desperately asking for tarpaulin to keep them dry and infant formula for their kids. I intend to send resources wherever possible.

Closer to the Sundarbans it’s worse, with people literally in chest deep water! So who do you help in this situation?! It’s been weighing really heavily on me. There are charities working hard, but it’s simply not enough. I have never seen suffering like what I witnessed these past months, and continue to witness.

My mum, sister and I have decided we must go beyond temporary aid. I understand we ALL have donor fatigue and are possibly dealing with crazy issues in our own countries. However, after thinking about it at length, to not at least reach out, would be a disservice to these folks who at least have me as a mouthpiece. You and I don’t have to worry about our next meal, the rain coming in, keeping young children safe and fed, and finding a dry spot to sleep in.

Whether you’re a big-hearted stranger reading this on the internet, or if you have a connection with Bengal, or you know my mum Toopsi, my sister Teesta, or if my work with LataSita has touched your life in any way, we would be so grateful if you want to get involved and contribute.

We want to raise as much as possible, and are continuing to fill any gaps with our own resources, but are at capacity, and so are reaching out. This is our plan:

• To provide tarpaulin for 150 homes and make structural repairs/replace the roofs of 25 homes (more if possible). We need materials (tarpaulin/sand/tiles/cement). We will stretch out the money while still building a sturdy structure under the guidance of a sustainable architect who has volunteered to work on the ground to educate and empower the community with new and innovative building techniques. Budget: Rs.2,50,000++
   
• Power is a long term need. After thorough research, we have settled on locally sourced solar street lamps and a community solar indoor light with phone chargers under the guidance of an expert on solar lighting. Budget: Rs. 1,50,000

• Food, baby food in particular is an urgent and long term need. Most dry ration distribution consists of rice/dal - unsuitable for newborns. Mothers are living off the bare minimum and there is a breast milk crisis. Cow’s milk is unavailable or costly. Some mums are resorting to feeding their babies sugar water. We are looking for the most nutritious but economical options for infant formula and essential rations as we have to continue this for 3-4 months. Budget: Rs: 1,00,000 ++

We have recent pictures, and are documenting every stage of this work in the spirit of accountability. Follow my public Facebook posts or email meghna.nayak@gmail.com if you want more information.  It takes a (virtual) village! Thank you.

Left to Right with no. of family members: Sorbanu Bibi (5), Anoar Bibi (4), Salema Beya (2), Ismail Sapui (7), Suraya Bibi (8)

Here's a quick update