TNT India's support

Palashi Mondal, a 20 year old woman from the village of Harbhangi, is glad that after several hours waiting she has finally reached the front of the queue. Together with members of TNT’s Calcutta management team I am visiting a medical relief camp, which has been set up for the afternoon in a village community hall.

6 weeks earlier nature has made a very sudden change to the life in this very remote Sundarbans village, a Ganges delta area in North East India. A cyclone named Aila struck the area with winds 120 km/h strong, followed by a 20m high wave of water from the open sea. Houses and livelihoods have been swept away, leaving behind devastation, homeless people, hunger, and sickness.

Hearing about the many Aila victims, TNT India immediately decided to help. They approached local non-government organizations (NGO) and offered financial and logistical support. Words turned into action. A budget of EUR 50,000 was created to help. For their long term humanitarian partner World Food Programme TNT will soon ship 150 tons of high-energy biscuits to the affected region. The biggest part of the budget is used for medical help. TNT India helps the three NGO’s to hire doctors and paramedics and purchases big quantities of medicine to cure the most common illnesses: diarrhoea, fever, colds, gastritis and skin diseases – all of them caused by the excessive amount of water.

I look at Palashi’s little baby girl, who’s eyes have been watering since the disaster. Palashi herself is suffering from fever, headache and chest pain. TNT’s Nabankur Acharya, in his daily life in charge of Security at TNT India’s Eastern region, registers the family’s details and guides them through to the doctor.

The doctor thoroughly examines Palashi Mondal and her child. Palashi is given medication to ease her complaints, but the little girl will have to go to hospital in order to get proper treatment. In just a few hours, more than 300 patients like Palashi could be helped in this relief camp. Outside the community hall a woman is shaking my hand, thanking TNT for this much needed help in an area, where public medical assistance is otherwise not available.