Flooding in Bangladesh leaves millions homeless

Bangladesh (MNN) — Christian humanitarian groups are gearing up to help the suffering in flood stricken Bangladesh. According to reports, more than 1,100 deaths have been caused by flooding this month across south Asia. Millions of people remain homeless in India and Bangladesh at the start of the 2004 monsoon season. The rainy season lasts from June to the end of September, and slightly later in some areas.

According to Food for the Hungry’s Beth Allen, this isn’t new to the people of Bangladesh. Allen says, “This is some of the worst flooding that they’ve seen in 17 years. Food for the Hungry is particularly involved in Bangladesh where we have field office. They estimate that two-thirds of the country is currently under water. We’re moving forward with food distributions and some health kit distributions that will help people stay clean and will also include some water purification chemicals.

Since Food for the Hungry has been working in Bangladesh for several years, they’ve established disaster preparedness committees. Allen says that’s allowed Christians to get involved. “Many times when Christians commit themselves to Christ, they will extract themselves from the world. One of the things that we can do in a disaster is to encourage them to leave that mentality behind. It makes them a light to all people. And, people like the government officials begin to ask questions about their motivations and we can answer those questions about Jesus Christ in a culturally appropriate manner.”

Financial contributions are needed to help in this emergency situation. You can give by going to their web site at http://www.fh.org or by calling 1-800-2-Hunger (486-437).