Pratham - How can you Help

Financial Help

• Chief Minster Relief Fund : Cheque/ demand draft drawn in favour of the ‘Chief Minister Relief Fund’ payable at Patna and should be sent to Chief Minister Relief Fund, Chief Minister Secretariat, 4 Deshratna Marg, Patna – 800001. You can also drop cheques into nearest SBI drop box.
• Chief Minster Relief Fund : You can also electronically send money into the account of ‘Chief Minister Relief Fund’, SBI A/c No – 10839124928, Patna Secretariat Branch, Patna, Bihar.
• Ramakrishna Mission: Cheque/demand draft drawn in favour of Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Patna, R.K. Avenue, Patna 800004
• The Red Cross Society of Bihar: Red Cross Building, North Gandhi Maidan, Patna. You can directly contact Red Cross officials at 9234741100, 9334102385, 9334102385, 9334172767, 9931705627, 0612- 2201035, and 0612-2234869 to make a pledge.
• Pratham: You can also send a cheque to Pratham Mumbai Education Initiative; in a covering letter please mention clearly that you are sending this for Bihar Flood Relief. Please indicate your name, mailing address, phone number, contact email so that a receipt can be sent to you immediately. These funds will be used for supporting the flood relief work via volunteers, training of volunteers, materials needed in relief camps, packaging, delivery and of course materials for childrenn

For more inf/rmation for financial contributions from Pratham office in Bihar

• Satish Prasad : 0 9431821154 & satish.pratham@gmail.com
• Neeraj Trivedi: 0 94318 21152 & nirajiit@gmail.com
• Pratham office in Patna: 0612 329 8410

Materials and Donations in kind

There is need for many different kinds of materials for flood affected people.

1. Drinking Water - Bottles, Pouches and any other sanitized means
2. Milk - Powder, UHT Pouches
3. Food items - ready to eat foods, canned food, biscuits, etc
4. Medicines like water purifying tablets
5. Shelter materials - tarpaulins, polythene sheets, etc.
6. Other items - dari, sheets, mosquito nets, gamcha, towel
7. Clothes – dhoti, sari, children’s clothes
8. Cleaning and sanitizing agents (soaps, bleaching powder, etc.)

Red Cross is recommending are that a family pack can be made which includes the following items. We have also added some items.

• Tarpaulin or plastic sheet – 5 meters by 4 meters
• 2 dhotis and 2 saris
• Some children’s clothes
• 2 sheets
• 2 mosquito net
• 2 gamcha (thin towel)
• 2 blankets
• Set of basic kitchen utensils

These items should be packed in compact water proof packaging. Family packs would be very useful for distribution. More details will be made available to us shortly. Do not send clothes that are not in good condition.

Once relief camps are stabilized we will request educational materials for children like notebooks, pens, pencils etc.

Materials and donations in kind can be sent to:

• Red Cross Society in Patna: 0612-2201035 and 0 9334172767
• Pratham in Patna : Pratham, 7 IAS Colony, Kidwai puri, Patna 800001

Pratham office in Patna will function like a collection centre and take responsibility of packaging and also of delivery to the District Red Cross offices in the affected districts. For more information : Pratham office in Patna Call : Salim 0 94316 02366

In these initial stages, it is sometimes difficult for flood affected areas to absorb volunteers effectively. However, as relief camps get set up there will need to be a medium term plan of action to bring some normalcy to the lives of children through daily activities.

A senior Pratham team has gone to the flood affected districts and should return by Sunday – September 7th. We will make detailed plans based on their ground level assessment.

However until then we would like get ready to know who and how many can go immediatey and how many people we can mobilize for longer run work in the next some months. We are getting lists of volunteers ready. After discussions with specific districts, we will be able to send teams of volunteers to districts and blocks and to relief camps.

VOLUNTEERS MUST BE ABLE TO WORK IN VERY ADVERSE AND DIFFICULT SITUATIONS. VOLUNTEERS MUST BE IN GOOD HEALTH.
VOLUNTEERS MUST BE WILLING TO TRAVEL ANYWHERE.
VOLUNTEERS MUST BE PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY PREPARED TO DO ANYTHING THAT IS NEEDED.

Volunteers will need to arrive in Patna. For Pratham to deploy people effectively we will need to know in advance who is coming and when. We recommend that volunteers should be willing to give a MINIMUM OF 10 WORKING DAYS IN THE FIELD. (This is not counting travel to Patna, time taken in orientation or travel to the district). Once in Patna, they will then undergo orientation and some basic training before sending them to the location assigned to them. Please indicate whether volunteer is willing to give time in September or October and after.

SPECIAL NEED FOR:
Doctors
People who have worked in flood or other disasters
People who know how to set up and maintain toilets in difficult terrain
People who have experience in rapid training for first aid
People who have experience in trauma counseling
People who can cook for large numbers of people in difficult situations

For this we will need detailed information. Please see the sample sheet that is attached. For more details contact :
Manish 094318 21142 and Arvind 094318 21144