Local Aid Groups Are Key To Disaster Relief. So Why Are They Overlooked?
Community-based charities are at the front lines of the flood response in South Asia. But global charities get almost all the attention — and money.
The mid-August monsoon floods in South Asia were the worst in a decade. But for Rajdeep Bora, it's a familiar feeling.
"We suffer two to three floods a year," says the 29-year-old farmer, who lives in Gohpur, Assam, in northeastern India. Last month, his 2-acre rice crop was ruined and he lost two cows — worth about $800.
"The loss of livestock is heartbreaking enough," he says. "But the morning after a flood, there is no clean water to drink. Mobile services and transport shut down. In some parts of Assam, floodwaters don't recede for as many as two months."
But he doesn't feel he's been forgotten. An Indian relief group called is there
