Distributed BSS kits to 127 needy women at Mithagari Mohalla . Tears in their eyes, and goosebumps while listening to the story of their life escape from the fury of the flood.
BSS VOLUNTEERS HUGE CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS HELP AFTER DEVASTATING FLOODS IN CHIPLUN- MAHARASHTRA
BSS Chiplun undertook a mammoth action to help women in Chiplun and surrounding areas affected by floods. Thousands of women lost all their clothes in flood as they had left their homes with only the clothes they were wearing. Their need was for garments to wear in house like gowns, inner wear, towel, sanitary napkins. BSS Chiplun made an appeal to BSS Members across the country and then also made an appeal to general public through social media. The appeal was made on 25th July and aid started pouring in kind and through ‘Electronic Fund Transfer’.
They had planned to help minimum 1000 women affected by floods. They have distributed around 700 sets of clothes to affected women. Distribution and help are an ongoing process for BSS volunteers in Chiplun.
From Mumbai team, lead by Nirmala Apte, Shailajaa Guntuk and Raginee Chandratre are advising them from time to time and also doing purchase of materials in Mumbai and then sending them to Chiplun. Mrs. Nayana Sahasrabuddhe, Vice president (NEC) also was advising and guiding all these activities.
They were also helped in distribution by three BSS Members from Thane, Mrs. Anjali Bhalerao, Manjusha Deshamukh and Gauri Kulkarni who carried the first batch of 100 kits in a hired car the clothes for 100 sets purchased by BSS Mumbai and came all the way to Chiplun and participated in distribution of sets to affected women. This gesture of theirs went down all the way to encourage BSS Chiplun members. Second batch of 600 kits were sent couple of days back
Financial contribution from BSS branches from other states, districts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh etc. and individuals and organisations is trickling in. The complete picture will emerge by end of the month.
Essential Material sets for women being sent from Mumbai to Chiplun.
Chiplun is grateful to BSS Mumbai who collected fund required for women’s essentials sets and purchased best quality clothes in Mumbai and sent them to Chiplun. They also got around 125 sets from Mrs. Rajashri Bodas from Khed Town near Chiplun who took imitative and collected fund from her ex ABVP friends required to but these sets and then handed over these sets to BSS Chiplun. Similarly, ladies from Ratnagiri sent clothes for making around 40 sets of clothes. One Shri Chafekar from Mumbai sent 26 sets and is planning to send more. Many known and unknown persons and groups have contributed to Funds by ‘Electronic Fund Transfer’. The funds continue to pour in even today.
During the meeting on 2-8-21 the team discussed as to how to help the women in particular affected by floods.
- Help women and their families help to get certified duplicate copies of documents which were lost in floods. BSS Chiplun members Mrs. Mrunmayee Sohani, Dr. Nilam Shinde and Dr. Sujata Khot will focus on this activity.
- Help meetings with affected person to help them overcome trauma caused by floods and subsequent loss of all their belongings and interruption in their family businesses. Help of Women Psychologists will be taken to arrange such camp. Prof Kanchan Tatakare was assigned the responsibility to organise this activity.
- Chiplun was surviving on bottled drinking water for more than seven days. Bottled drinking water was generously made available by Janakalyaan samiti and then various organisations and individuals from Ratnagiri. This however led to thousands of water bottles dumped in residential areas causing pollution. It was decided to take help of NSS volunteers from local college and collect all these water bottles and hand over to a company in Dapoli engaged in reprocessing of these water bottles. Prof. Mrunmayee Sohani and Prof. Snehal Kulakarni were given responsibility to do coordination
- It was decided to explore possibility of helping a Self -Help group of women to undertake a project for manufacturing Sanitary Pads of good quality at competitive prices. This will generate employment for Women. Mrs. Sandhya Dalavi and Mrs. Arti Khadilkar and Mrs. Priyanka Kolatharkar were assigned the responsibility of exploring this possibility.
- It was decided to carry out survey and identify needs of flood affected young teenage girls and then take up an activity to help them in their needs.
- It was discussed that BSS Chiplun should work on starting a Help Desk for women in Chiplun to give them information of various Government Schemes for women welfare.
- Organise workshops for women to help them start cottage industries by giving them required training.
Update of this massive effort by Karyakartis of Bharatiya Stree Shakti will be posted in as more Comprehensive format as soon as possible.
