India has become an epicentre of COVID-19… and we need you…
India is accounting for nearly one fifth of all COVID-19 cases worldwide. It is battling the onset of a humanitarian crisis. This, plus the devastation experienced as a result of Cyclone Amphan in May, means families across India need our help to recover and rebuild more than ever before.
Sabitri* had a house made of hay and mud. The house was completely destroyed by the cyclone. Sabitri and her husband are daily wage earners, labouring under appalling conditions in Basirhat’s brick-making fields of West Bengal. During lockdown, they could not earn any income to feed their family and had no savings to help them survive. The family was dependent on the food provided by you, MWIA supporters, and distributed by the Kolkata Mary Ward Social Centre (KMWSC) staff and Sisters. Support is now being extended to families to assist them in rebuilding their homes. Sabitri shares…
I had no hope that we would ever have a roof of our own again. Today, my son, daughter, and family can live in our own house. Thank you so much for helping us build a new home.
Impact made thanks to your support – A message from the EO
Despite the many challenges of 2020, Mary Ward International Australia has continued to strive towards supporting those most in need. Alongside our Sisters on the ground, with your support, we have repaired and rebuilt houses, in addition to providing food, clothing, tarpaulins, mosquito nets, and medical supplies to cyclone hit communities in West Bengal, India.
Sister Monica and her team will soon reopen their outdoor schools for the migrant children living in the brickfields on the outskirts of Kolkata. Now that families are returning in search of work, the Sisters will also need to continue to provide free health care to the children and adult workers needing treatment.
With your support this Christmas, they also hope to meet other basic needs. They hope to bring light to the homes of the families they serve by providing solar lanterns so that families have light to study, cook, sew, and fish after the sun sets. They plan to produce and provide sanitary napkins to the girls and women of their communities, where menstruation remains a social taboo.
This Christmas, a gift from you will make a real difference in a family’s life. All that we have, and will continue to achieve, is a tribute to the generosity of every one of you who contribute in so many ways. As difficult as this year has been for us all, we appreciate your unwavering generosity toward MWIA. It is this generosity of spirit that allows us to pursue our work to create just and sustainable change among women, children, and communities.
Hannah George, Executive Officer
This Christmas, many families will be back labouring in the brickfields of West Bengal. Join MWIA and KMWSC in helping these families impacted by the pandemic and cyclone rebuild their lives. Together, we can make a difference.
