When torrential monsoon rainfall affected more than 41 million people in India, Nepal and Bangladesh, Oxfam India was on the ground saving lives and helping people to survive the disaster. At least 900 people lost their lives and tens of thousands of houses, as well as schools and hospitals, were destroyed leaving people displaced and in urgent need of life-saving support.

Oxfam India’s team continues to work in the worst affected districts of Assam, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Bihar by supporting the communities with long-term and urgent humanitarian assistance which includes essential emergency shelter, water, sanitation & hygiene (WaSH) non-food items such as tarpaulins, groundsheets, containers/buckets for safe drinking water, and menstrual hygiene along with emergency food security and vulnerable livelihoods as also building toilet, safe drinking water facilities and helping communities to become self-sustainable. Below are some of Oxfam’s Humanitarian team members who helped thousands of people in need.

Mamta Pradhan

Public Health Promoter, Oxfam India

“My journey in the Humanitarian sector started during the 1999 super cyclone in Odisha. As part of Oxfam’s public health program, relief support is not the only crucial part we focus on but nutrition is also an important aspect of the public health intervention. Gender response can be challenging as women and children are the worst affected by disasters but we try our best to help every individual in need as possible.”

Rwisumwi

Community Mobiliser in Dhubri, Oxfam India

“Through Oxfam, I got the opportunity to serve the most marginalized people affected by floods. They lose everything, their house, belongings and even their livestock. As a community mobiliser, I was able to work very closely with them and help them rebuilt their lives to make a new beginning. I am very happy to be a part of the response team supported by Oxfam.”

Siva Prasad Bora

Logistician, Oxfam India

“I have been working with Oxfam since 2011 and got the opportunity to be part of more than 10 Humanitarian Responses. Being a logistic person we have to be proactive all the time as we all know that logistics is the backbone of every response. For a logistician, nothing is happier than a successful closure of a response Program where we are able to provide maximum support and supply to help people recover.”

Somen Dasgupta

Accountant, Oxfam India

“My association with Oxfam started with the Uttarakhand Flash Flood Response. Since then with the team, I have been able to efficiently work on various responses in states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Manipur and Assam. Although my role is to manage finances during response but being a part of various programme interventions mainly cash transfer programme helps me give a different perspective that improvises my work which in turn drives me to plan Oxfam’s finances to procure and distribute more material/supply chain for people in need.”

Thanks to continuous support from thoughtful individuals like you, Oxfam continues to give long-term support to flood-affected people and help them become self-sustainable and recover from this disaster. Monthly donations make it possible.

Read how Renu and Aarati found relief with the help of Oxfam.