Rebuild and Restore: Flood Recovery Fund 2024
Rebuild and Restore: Flood Recovery Fund 2024
The Flood
In July 2024, the community in Banbasa, Uttarakhand, India, was struck by an unprecedented flood. Homes were submerged, agricultural resources were lost, and the campus of the Good Shepherd Agricultural Mission faced significant damage. Despite these challenges, the dedicated team and children there worked immediately and tirelessly to support the community and begin the cleanup process.
After seeing their stories on Instagram many people reached out to see how they could help. This has led to this specific fundraiser which is designed to rebuild and recover from this devastating event and set protections in place to prevent future losses.
The Damage
Over a few hours, the water across our campus rose to between 2-4 feet, flooding many staff homes, our senior boys hostel, our workshop and store rooms. Thankfully, due to some quick thinking from our staff and kids, most furniture, clothing, and assets were lifted to higher ground, reducing the damage! However, the flood still caused significant losses to our campus. The most notable damage includes a large section of our northern boundary fence being pushed over, a wall collapsing in a staff home, damage to our rice paddy crop, loss of stored grain and agricultural supplies, all our fish pond stock escaping, a 220-litre drum of diesel lost from our workshop, and many electrical tools being damaged. It’s hard to estimate the monetary loss, but it is easily in the thousands of dollars.
Rebuild and Restore
There are two key goals for this fundraiser:
1. REPAIR & DRAINAGE:
One wall in a staff home and a 140ft section of fence in our fields were destroyed by the flood. These walls are critical for the safety and security of our campus. We estimate that we need approximately AUD $1,500 to reconstruct these walls. Additionally, we will construct a large drainage ditch to help move water away from our campus—the cost of this is relatively negligible.
2. BUILD & RENOVATE STOREROOMS:
This has been a long-term hope for our NGO for many years. We even mentioned it in one of our latest newsletters. Currently, we store our grain and supplies in some extremely old storerooms. Cracked walls and the sands of time mean that they are no longer protecting these resources from the elements. Better storage of farm supplies will lead to more profits for our agricultural department and better quality food for the children at the Mission. This project isn’t as flashy as others, but its impact will be immense. The current kulla (grain drying floor) has two large storerooms: one in need of replacement and the other in need of major repairs. Construction costs are expected to be about AUD $20,000. We hope to offset some of these costs with this fundraiser.
The Focus
Our immediate focus is on reconstructing the wall, fence, and digging the drain; however, renovating the kulla is a longer-term project that is just as important for our future stability and growth of the Good Shepherd Agricultural Mission.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Every donation, no matter the size, will make a significant impact. You can also consider sharing this fundraiser with friends and family. With your help, we can rebuild and come back stronger than ever. Thank you.