DISASTER MANAGEMENT
EMERGENCY RELIEF AND REHABILITATION OF DISASTER-AFFECTED COMMUNITIES
Pragya delivers immediate and effective disaster relief, and going beyond that, we stay with the disaster-affected communities to help them build back their lives- better.
In the immediate aftermath of disasters or other crisis situations, Pragya’s numerous field offices, long-standing relationships with local communities and authorities, and extensive experience in emergency relief enables us to act swiftly and effectively, addressing the most urgent needs through the provision of relief material, including temporary shelter and portable toilets, food (including baby food), cooking utensils, safe water, hygiene and sanitation kits, medical supplies and other essentials as fits the need. Pragya networks with other organisations and government agencies for in-field information sharing and coordinated response, and also liaise to help the disaster-affected access government-delivered support or compensation.
Following comprehensive needs assessments, Pragya continues to work with communities to rebuild lives of the disaster-affectedthrough various initiatives, whilst also building their resilience to future disaster events.
- In post-disaster settings, with the destruction of toilets and water sources, waterborne diseases such as dysentery and cholera can reach epidemic proportions, with pregnant women, children, and older people most at risk. We provide water and storage and filtration unitsfor shared community use for the long-term provision of safe drinking water. To help reduce the widespread open defecation that follows disasters, we take up construction of community toilet blocks, with designs adapted to the location.
- Where livelihoods have been permanently destroyed, we initiate both immediate income generation measuresfor the worst off, whilst providing longer-term inputs and training for alternative livelihoods appropriate to the region. Where appropriate, we deliver livelihoods rehabilitation initiativesspecifically targeting women, through the provision of handlooms and accompanying training in traditional handicrafts. We also help smallholding farmers to rehabilitate their farms, and undertake the reconstruction of damaged water sources used for agriculture, so they can begin growing crops again as soon as possible.
- To help mitigate the impacts of disasters on education, we replace lost teaching and learning materials, and where appropriate we work with teachers, parents and peer groups for psychological careof traumatised children.
