Catholic University students spend holidays helping flood victims

Oct 10, 2014

INDIA: Responding to the recent floods that ravaged several villages in the eastern Indian state of Assam, Don Bosco University (ADBU) students returned from their puja holidays to bring relief to the flood victims.

Students and faculty have formed three teams to help with relief and rehabilitation.

While two groups of students and faculty members are mobilizing relief materials by way of food, clothes and medicine in Shillong and Guwahati, another team of ten ADBU students returned from their holidays to help the flood victims in relief camps.

The flood relief team, from both B Tech and MSW of Azara campus, set out yesterday to bring relief and help with the rehabilitation of the people of Garo bustee at Hahim in the Boko Circle of rural Kamrup district.

The villagers have lost everything; twelve houses were wiped out, scores of houses damaged and crops, livestock and property were lost in the flood waters in the area. Urgent help is needed to clean up the devastation left by flood waters, to gather bamboo and tin sheets to make shelters for the villagers. Also, the children will need classrooms and books to prepare for upcoming exams.

A team consisting of MSW faculty Father Jose Karipadam and students had visited Hahim on September 28 to assess the situation.

Next day, they mobilized university authorities, faculty and students, even though the university had been closed for the puja holidays since September 27.

Under the leadership of Dr Riju Sharma of MSW Department, two teams swung into action to mobilize relief and rehabilitation materials from Shillong and Guwahati.

Faculty member Mr Victor Nazary leads the third team comprising only boys that has gone to the field camps at Hahim, some 65 km from the university.--ucanews.com