The aftermath of Phailin

An open letter from our co-founder, Anoj Viswanathan: We saw Uttarakhand happen. And then there was Phailin exactly a month ago. In the last few months, we've received many requests from our community enquiring about how Milaap can play a role in post disaster relief efforts.We have all been putting our thoughts as to how we can support the people who've witnessed loss of property, assets and more importantly their near and dear ones. We realized that while relief efforts should continue in an appropriate manner, our focus has and should always be in building long term assets and creating lasting change in the communities we serve post disaster.One of the biggest challenges faced after a disaster is the outbreak of contagious diseases like cholera and dengue. Reports from Cuttack, one of the regions affected the worst by the cyclone, and the flood in Orissa reflect an acute shortage of clean water and sanitation facilities, contributing to this. Our community partners in Cuttack are doing pioneering work in this region - while Maa Tarini focuses on building toilets in the poorest households, eKutir trains and provides capital for local masons to build low cost toilets, serving upto 20 homes per month.We have been working with them for a while, but they need our support now more than ever before. Let us support entrepreneurs like Ananta Charan Behera and families like that of Pratima Swain.Let us not forget Phailin and Utharakand when it disappears from our national headlines. Real work has just begun. If you have feedback and comments on how Milaap can be involved in these efforts, do write to us at anoj@milaap.org Truly,Anoj ViswanathanCo-founder, Community Engagement.