The KwaZulu-Natal province of the country witnessed severe floods triggered by torrential rains in April causing massive devastation. The disaster claimed many lives and rendered thousands of people homeless. In the face of the calamity, our centres in South Africa carried out relief operations, the details of which are given below:
Durban centre, along with its sub-centres, served 250 kg rice, 300 kg maize meal, 250 kg samp, 50 kg pulses, 25 kg pasta, 850 cans of baked beans, 300 kg porridge, 38 litres cooking oil, 375 kg salt, 550 kg sugar, 500 litres milk, 30,000 tea bags, 50 loaves of bread, 2000 litres drinking water, 125 kg banana drink powder, 250 bars of laundry soap, 250 bars of bathing soap, 300 candles and assorted clothes among 300 families in KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa in April.
Phoenix centre served 1110 meals and 7920 litres of drinking water to affected people in Durban in April.
Port Blair centre distributed 474 face masks and 474 bars of soap among the needy people in Port Blair on 30 March.
Rajkot centre distributed 1500 kg rice, 2500 kg wheat, 500 kg pulses, 500 kg salt, 150 kg assorted spices, 500 litres cooking oil, 500 kg sugar, 125 kg tea powder, 500 bars of soap and 500 matchboxes among 500 families in Valsad and Kutch districts from 20 to 30 March. The centre also distributed 13,642 face masks and 400 litres of hand sanitizer among 40 schools in Kutch district.
In the vaccination centre run by Mumbai Corporation at Mumbai centre, 2817 doses were administered between 25 March and 23 April.
Durban centre served 2815 plates of food and distributed 400 kg rice, 208 kg flour, 93 kg mealie meal, 118 kg pulses, 115 kg sugar beans, 390 canned beans, 195 kg porridge, 115 kg samp, 3 kg pasta, 178 litres cooking oil, 155 kg salt, 805 loaves of bread, 115 cans of jam, 115 bottles of peanut butter, 5 litres milk, 13,580 tea bags, 205 kg sugar, 160 packets of soup, 240 matchboxes, 195 bars of laundry soap, 195 bars of toilet soap and 58 litres hand sanitizer in various parts of South Africa in April.
Phoenix centre, along with its sub-centre in Johannesburg, distributed 1720 kg rice, 225 kg maize meal, 20 kg wheat flour, 235 kg cereals, 1150 kg pulses, 100 kg noodles, 2060 kg assorted vegetables, 110 kg assorted spices, 280 kg salt, 710 litres cooking oil, 848 cans of tinned food, 34 kg soup powder, 3815 breakfast cereal sachets, 1010 packets of biscuits, 150 cakes, 32,800 tea bags, 380 litres milk, 370 kg sugar, 900 loaves of bread, 228 litres fruit juice, 30 litres flavoured milk, 60 kg snacks, 60 kg sweetmeat, 92 assorted fruits, 450 matchboxes, 5 litres sanitizer, 710 bars of soap, 255 tubes of toothpaste, 30 toothbrushes, 480 adult napkins and 50 assorted garments among 325 families in April. The centre also provided a litre of milk and a loaf of bread each to 19 families thrice a week and cooking gas cylinders to 14 families.
In the wake of a fire incident at Yigi Kaum village of West Siang district on 16 March, Aalo centre distributed 5 cooking pots, 26 plates, 10 ladles and 26 bowls among the 5 affected families on 17 March.
Aalo centre distributed 120 blankets on 24 April.
The following centres distributed blankets and winter garments, shown against their names, to needy people:
Belgharia, Kolkata: 250 saris on 5 March and 1 April.
Hatamuniguda: 2600 bottles of honey from 23 to 31 March.
Jayrambati: 200 kg pulses, 100 litres cooking oil, 30 kg assorted spices, 100 bottles of hair oil, 100 bars of bathing soap, 100 bars of washing soap, 100 kg detergent powder, 100 saris, 100 towels and 100 face masks on 20 April.
Mumbai: 1260 kg pulses, 420 kg red gram, 168 kg soya chunks, 420 kg salt, 210 kg groundnuts, 420 kg milk powder, 840 kg jaggery, 125 packets of biscuits, 125 packets of chikki (peanut jaggery sweet), 420 bottles of hair oil, 840 tubes of toothpaste, 3360 bars of bathing soap and 420 kg washing powder on 26 March.
Nabadwip: 300 saris on 9 April.
Port Blair: 237 saris and 474 packets of biscuits on 30 March.
Purulia: 150 saris and 150 lungis on 26 March.
Thanjavur: 10 saris on 15 April.
Bagerhat: 84 saris, 35 lungis, 11 dhotis, 35 bed sheets, 60 sets of school uniforms, 4 shirts and 2 trousers from 11 March to 10 April.
Mumbai centre installed a solar-based drinking water system at Shiroshi village in Thane district; it was inaugurated on 26 March. The centre also dug a well for drinking water and installed a solar-based drinking water distribution system and a water storage tank at Dahvadpada village in the Palghar district. These facilities were inaugurated on 22 April.
The Batticaloa sub-centre of the Colombo branch installed a tube well at a school in Batticaloa district on 22 April.
Thanjavur centre donated a cow to a group of transgender people on 15 April to help them earn a livelihood.