They can make a difference
3rd of July 2006 saw the people of Mumbai holding their breath and keeping their fingers crossed. Heavy rains that was lashed the city had stated inundating low lying areas and water was slowly but steadily submerging some of the lifelines of the city. The trains on the central and harbour lines came to a grinding halt and a number of roads were closed to traffic. The images of 26th July 2005 filled the minds of all in Mumbai and many in the rest of country. Television screens across India were beaming the scenes from Mumbai. The rains continued for the next two days keeping everyone guessing and the administration on their toes. The city witnessed 25 cms of rain in the first week of July. The youth from seven of the most vulnerable wards swung into action helping the administration and communities to deal with the sudden challenge. The training in disaster preparedness and developing, along with the communities, the disaster preparedness plans was put to the best use. The slum communities were determined to script a different story this time. “The difference was there to be seen” says Ankush, the ward coordinator from Paulkuna Samaj Sevi Sanstha, an NGO that has been partnering UNICEF in implementing the disaster preparedness project in the city. 200 slum volunteers (both boys and girls) from each of the seven wards have undergone training in disaster preparedness and with the help of their communities have developed the slum preparedness plans. These trained youth volunteers who had divided themselves into various teams (relief and response, evacuation, resource management, health) took on the challenge and mobilized the communities to take appropriate action. Sheik Shafik, a facilitator from the coordinating NGO, Aamrae, says “In all the seven wards the youth trained in community based disaster preparedness took active role in relief and rehabilitation activities in tandem with the government machinery. During my visit to Valmiki nagar of H/E ward, I could see a group of our trained girls and boys working with the Duttakwasti Yojana members to clean up the gutter. Two kilometers ahead, a medical camp was run by Sion Hospital. Another group of youth volunteers were assisting the medical team. The team ensured that there is adequate distribution of chlorine tablets and they moved house to house giving key messages on health, hygiene and sanitation. They were alert about cases of diarrhea, ORS packets were distributed and severe cases were referred to health posts.” Vishnu Pasikar, a 12th standard student, an active youth volunteer from L ward says, “we pitched in to help the marooned, shifted 300 people, mostly women and children from kranti nagar and sandesh nagar to Jarimari municipal school and Karachi school. We could reach the rescue team and they took adequate measures to prevent children from getting washed away. Bombay Municipal Corporation supported our efforts to distribute chlorine tablets in the community. We also provided ORS packets to the families with children affected with diarrhea”. Post training, Vishnu with his group of volunteers had taken up various community meetings to prepare a slum response plan. Their contact with the Health Post and the ward office has considerably been strengthened making access to services easy. UNICEF, along with the Municipal Corporation and eleven NGOs, initiated the implementation of a disaster preparedness project covering 550 slum pockets from the seven most vulnerable wards covering a population of 3.6 million people. A five day micro planning exercise was taken up in each of the slum pockets to mobilize youth and communities into action around issues related to children. This was followed by the training of youth in disaster preparedness and the development of the community plans. “In the programming in Maharshtra, we are more and more realizing that youth participation is perhaps the most critical factor in the development process. Change and impact is much faster when they lead the process.” says Gopi Menon, the UNICEF State Representative.
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