Action Aid charity officials are still working hard on the front line of the devastating flooding that still effects Thailand and Cambodia 5 months on. The flooding, the worst seen in both countries for decades, has affected nearly seven million residents as people are forced from their homes by overflowing water.
ActionAid officials have provided 36,900 people in Cambodia with –
- Food
- Shelter
- Water purification kits
- Seeds
- Livestock
Whilst in Thailand, the charity has reached over 10,000 with emergency packages. The main focus now is to help people to try and rebuild their lives by ensuring all health and sanitation needs are met. In Cambodia, the ruined rice harvest is causing continued problems through food shortages, malnutrition and of course lack of funds, as these crops were many people’s livelihoods.
ActionAid Head of Emergencies, Bijay Kumar, said –
Although the attention of the world’s media may have moved on, the misery continues, with hundreds of thousands of people still living in appalling conditions. One third of Thailand’s and two-thirds of Cambodia’s provinces have been devastated. The floods have killed hundreds of people, destroyed millions of homes and livelihoods, triggered some serious diseases and ruined the countries’ rice crops. Our work has only just begun. We are moving out of the emergency phase where we have helped people to survive the initial impact of the floods. Our next challenge is helping people rebuild their lives – this will involve long term support that will help people become more resilient to future disasters.
