Blogs

Restoring Lives: Refugee Camp Reconstruction and Rehabilitation

August 17, 2023 by Anoushka Wanchoo Leave a Comment

The recent flood in Delhi has unleashed a wave of havoc, particularly impacting the lives of those residing in two refugee camps: Signature Bridge and Manju ka Tila. Among them, the Signature Bridge camp faced particularly dire consequences.

The floodwater lingered at roof level for nearly two weeks, causing extensive damage to the already humble shelters and belongings. This unfortunate turn of events forced all families in the Signature Bridge camp to relocate to the roadside in the aftermath of the flood. This dire situation has given rise to a multitude of challenges. Health concerns have escalated, livelihoods have been disrupted, and students’ education has been hindered.

Current state of the camp

The destruction is overwhelming, and the support they once received has disappeared, leaving #refugees to face their difficulties without assistance. They’re now forced to rely on their own efforts, gathering whatever materials they can to reconstruct their lives, which were already challenging even prior to the #floods. The absence of government support has only made their situation even more demanding.

Refugees collecting their religious icons to transport them to a safe place.

In their efforts to salvage what they can, they also rescued treasured icons, valuing their faith deeply. Makeshift camps arise, showcasing their resilience.

Meeting with the shelter expert to explore solutions and discuss the plan ahead.

Hence, we’ve embarked on a campaign to reconstruct the camp, recognizing the urgent need for collective support. Guided by the insights of a shelter expert, we’re exploring inventive avenues. This collaborative endeavour seeks to provide sustainable solutions and renewed hope for the affected community.

Monsoon Havoc: Join us in providing aid and relief

July 13, 2023 by Anoushka Wanchoo Leave a Comment

Humanitarian Aid International (HAI) is a non-profit organization whose mission includes global work in four key areas: emergency response, reducing disaster risks, climate change adaptation, and humanitarian advocacy.

Join us in supporting the flood victims in North India and help in providing aid and relief to them.

Continuous heavy rainfall is affecting most parts of North India. In just 12 days, some states have already surpassed the usual monsoon rainfall, leading to flash floods, landslides, and widespread destruction in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Infrastructure and communication networks are severely disrupted, leaving many people stranded.

Preliminary estimates indicate a loss of over INR 40,000 million in Himachal Pradesh alone. In Delhi, the flood level has exceeded the previous highest recorded level of 207.49 meters in 1978. Evacuation efforts have commenced, and two refugee camps in India have already been affected by the floods. The displaced refugees have sought shelter on a nearby bridge. HAI has taken immediate action to address their urgent requirements.

Your generosity will directly provide shelter and food to those affected, offering them hope and comfort during this challenging time. Together, we can work towards rebuilding their lives and supporting their journey to recovery. No matter the size of your contribution, your kindness and compassion will make a difference.

Thank you for standing with us and showing your support.

Donate now!

Rebuilding Lives, Restoring Hope: Supporting Families Displaced by Ethnic Violence in Manipur

May 13, 2023 by abhishek Leave a Comment

In the wake of escalating ethnic violence in Manipur, India, over 45,000 persons have been forcibly displaced from their homes, leaving them vulnerable and in desperate need of our support. We are launching a heartfelt campaign to rally together and extend a helping hand to affected families, offering them hope, stability, and the resources necessary to rebuild their lives.

Background and Context

Manipur, a state in Northeast India, has been grappling with deep-rooted ethnic tensions, leading to violent clashes and the displacement of countless families. Large-scale violence broke out on 3 May 2023 between the tribal and non-tribal communities after massive opposition by Manipur’s tribal communities to the demand of the Meiteis community, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

The entire state is facing violence; homes and villages were raided by mobs and families are fleeing to find shelter or make it to relief camps. The devastating consequences of this violence have left families traumatized, separated, and struggling to survive amidst the chaos.

Our Campaign’s Objective

The primary goal of our campaign is to provide phase-wise support to families displaced by ethnic violence in Manipur, addressing their immediate, medium-term, and long-term needs.

By mobilizing resources, and seeking in-kind support / generous donations, we aim to restore hope and rebuild lives by meeting urgent needs of relief items, addressing early recovery and restoration needs of shelter and livelihood restoration, as well as fostering harmony and peacebuilding efforts in the long-term.

Immediate/Short term Relief required:

SL.NO	Support	Quantity
1	Supplementary nutritional supply	6960 women & children
2	Non-Food items	4025 families
3	Hygiene Items	4025 families
4	Milk and other essential items for children	3409 children
5	Psycho-social first Aid	4025 families

Medium-Term Relief Required

SL. NO	Support	Quantity
1	Shelter restoration support	3675 families
2	Livelihood restoration support	3675 families
3	Psycho-social care	3675 families
4	WASH intervention	3675 families
5	Protection support	3675 families

Long-Term Relief Required

SL. NO	Support
1	Harmony and Peacebuilding interventions
2	Psycho-social care support

Together, let us stand in solidarity with the families displaced by ethnic violence in Manipur and offer them a chance to rebuild their lives and pave the way for a peaceful future.

Support Families Displaced by Ethnic Violence in Manipur

₹16,894 of ₹75 lakh raised

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Support/Sponsor Refugee Child

March 16, 2023 by abhishek Leave a Comment

Facing religious persecution, the minority Hindu population from Pakistan has been fleeing and seeking refuge in India since the time of the partition. As radicalization increases in Pakistan, the number of people escaping atrocity also increases in the same proportion.

Most come from the Sindh province, where the Hindu population in Pakistan is concentrated. Largely these migrants owned land and did farming in Pakistan. Generally, these refugees arrive at valid pilgrim visas, then seek extensions through long term visas month after month.

The Government of India has administrative arrangements for Pakistani Hindus; they may obtain long-stay visas but they are not considered as refugees by the government.

HAI Members Helping Pak Hindu Refugee Camp In India — HAI Members in Pak Hindu Refugee Camp in Delhi

There are almost 400 Pakistani Hindu refugee settlements scattered around India. Delhi and Jodhpur have one of the maximum numbers of the refugee population that have arrived in the last two decades. About 4,230 people, who have migrated from Pakistan in the past five years, are housed in camps in Delhi and Rajasthan.

Refugees in the Majnu ka Tila camp have been arriving in India since 2013 while those living in Signature Bridge camp have been arriving since 2018. As of now 140 families (700 persons approx.) are residing in the Majnu Ka Tila camp and 85 families (350 persons approx.) are residing in Signature Bridge camp. While in Jodhpur there are 21 camps of the migrants in which around 18,000 non-citizen migrants and 12,000 citizen migrants have been staying.

Out of these camps in Jodhpur, five camps are in dire need of support for health, livelihoods, education, legal aid and basic amenities. The details of these five camps are as under: 1. Gangana main (200 families), 2. Gangana 2 (100 families), 3. Chokha (70 families), 4. Marwad Nagar (80 families), Kali Beri settlement (100 families).

We, at HAI, are rigorously working towards the comprehensive development of refugees in Delhi and Rajasthan through activities across the domains of education, health, livelihoods, basic amenities and legal assistance to ensure their eventual integration in India as healthy and productive citizens.

Current situation of Pak-Hindu refugee camps in India

Affected refugee families are facing the following major problems at this time in the camps:

Washing facilities issues

Lack of bathing facilities/ infrastructure
Lack of a waste collection and disposal system
Health risks and skin conditions due to poor drinking water quality
Fluctuating drinking water supply
Absence of toilet infrastructure leading to open defecation
Lack of communal handwashing stations

Education related issues

Lack of infrastructure and services of Anganwadi: Children below 6 years are unable to receive pre-school education and services such as (i) supplementary nutrition (ii) Pre-school non-formal education (iii) Nutrition and health Education (iv) Immunization and vaccination (v) Health check-up and (vi) Referral services for 0-6 years of children
Refugee children facing difficulties in getting admission at public schools due to lack of Indian identity documents
Children are unable to compete with their peers due to their admission in school on the basis of age than academic levels
Banks refuse to open bank accounts for some of the children, preventing them from enrolling in school and receiving benefits such as uniform/book allowance
Lack of transportation to the closest schools is the major reason for absenteeism in school
Lack of awareness/ unwillingness among refugee parents not allowing their girls reaching the puberty age to attend formal schools
Protection remains a concern for children since they have to walk through the forest to reach schools

Health related issues

No/irregular ASHA worker visits the camps
Cases of malnutrition among refugee children
Lack of access to clean water leading to health issues such as kidney stones and skin infections
Lack of awareness on health and hygiene among the refugee population
Poor water, hygiene and sanitation conditions in the refugee camps
Lack of waste collection and disposal system within the camps, further posing health risks
Common health issues prevalent among the refugee population are hypertension, kidney stones, skin infections and diabetes

Immediate Action required to help the refugee families

Urgent need for mobile toilets since camp residents, especially women and children, have to resort to open defecation in the nearby forest
No electricity in the camps except for the solar lights installed by HAI which has its own limitations. Approaching summer and extreme heat remains a concern along with need of more water supply points
Schooling of children with special needs is the utmost priority
Psycho-social counselling to refugee parents to encourage them to send their children to school and receive formal education
Supporting the drop out adolescents to resume education
Since Signature Bridge camp is located in a remote location in the middle of a forest and the women and children belong to a vulnerable population, protection remains a concern
Improved housing by providing refugee families with local materials so that the families could improve their current living conditions
Restoration of toilet blocks, bathing space, water points, internal pavements, drainage and garbage disposal system remains the major concern

HAI in Action

Livelihood Support: HAI is supporting skill training, entrepreneurship & business training, establishing market links for the sale of products and establishing a group of women producers to improve livelihood and employability among, with a focus on the creation of a Training-cum- Production Centres for women’s groups, skill training for adult refugee men /youth through skill training schemes and programmes, marketing support to refugee businesses along with entrepreneurship & business training.

Education support activities: There is a strong need to provide education for youth who have missed educational opportunities at home and need basic literacy/numeracy education and to acquire a productive vocational skill. HAI is engaged with building remedial education centres for children of school-going age, higher and tertiary education support programmes for refugee youth and adolescents and arranging adult education classes for refugees on language, literacy, numeracy and financial literacy.

Creation of legal aid, awareness and documentation support centres in each camp: HAI is working towards establishing legal support centres managed by one advocate and camp administrators. The legal support centre will be responsible for undertaking activities like the creation of legal aid, awareness and documentation support centres in each camp.

Long term action plan

Need-based relief support
Long-term livelihood activities
Psychosocial health care support
Local employment generation with a focus on skill development for the refugee population
Adoption of community approach to limit dependency

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We have created this video report on the condition of Hindu refugees from Pakistan. Please watch it and share it on social media so that more people are aware of this humanitarian issue

Here are some pictures from HAI team’s visit to Pak refugee camp in Majnu Ka Teela in Delhi.

Sponsor a Child

March 16, 2023 by abhishek Leave a Comment

These persecuted people emigrate from Pakistan each year to escape discrimination, denial of equal development rights, violation of human rights and forced conversions. While in Pakistan, the girls felt unsafe, and all faced pressure to convert; one primary negative coping mechanism was to drop out of school. Most come from the Sindh province, where the Hindu population in Pakistan is concentrated. Primarily these migrants owned land and did farming in Pakistan. Generally, these refugees arrive on valid pilgrim visas and then seek extensions through long-term visas

month after month. The Government of India has administrative arrangements for Pakistani Hindus; they may obtain long-stay visas but

are not considered refugees by the government.

Child sponsorship is a powerful way to make a difference in the life of a child living in poverty. Through child sponsorship, you can help provide a child with access to essentials like food, clean water, education, and healthcare. By sponsoring a child, you can allow them to break the cycle of poverty and build a brighter future for themselves and their communities.

When you sponsor a child, you will receive updates on their progress, including reports on their health, education, and overall well-being. You may even be able to correspond with your sponsored child, sending letters of encouragement and support.

Child sponsorship is a meaningful way to make a difference in a child’s life and benefits entire communities. When children have access to education and healthcare, they are better equipped to become productive members of society, improving the economic stability of their families and communities.

Consider sponsoring a child today and make a lasting impact on their lives and the lives of those around them.

Empowering Refugees: Scholarship Programme

March 16, 2023 by abhishek Leave a Comment

Humanitarian Aid International is a non-profit organization that works towards providing support to Pakistani refugees from the Hindu minority community living in Delhi through its Refugee Programme.

Launched in 2018, the programme aims to provide humanitarian, developmental and integration assistance to these refugees. HAI operates in two camps in Delhi, namely Majnu ka Tilla and Signature Bridge, and has been covering approximately 230 families through various interventions focused on health, education, livelihood, legal assistance, and access to basic amenities and essential services using a rights-based and participatory approach.

HAI’s Scholarship Programme is founded on the belief that every child has an inherent right to education, irrespective of their circumstances. The program’s core objective is to alleviate the financial burden of schooling for Pakistani refugee families residing in Majnu Ka Tila and Signature Bridge Camps. By doing so, it aims to encourage children to continue their education into secondary school, a critical step in equipping them with the skills and knowledge necessary for pursuing a university degree.

whatsapp image 2023 08 25 at 4.04.49 pm 1 — *Scholarship Exam was organised by HAI for classes 9 to 12.*

This initiative has three primary goals: first, to support refugee children in completing their secondary education; second, to reduce the financial strain of education on refugee families; and third, to enhance the awareness within refugee families about the profound importance of their children’s education.

Scholarships are granted to students who meet specific criteria, including being a Pakistani refugee residing in Majnu Ka Tilla or Signature Bridge Camp, enrolling in a formal schooling system and HAI’s education center, and being in class IX, X, XI, or XII. Students in classes IX and X receive a monthly stipend of Rs. 500, while those in classes XI and XII receive Rs. 1000 monthly. This assistance aims to empower these students to pursue their education and create a brighter future despite the challenges they face as refugees.

whatsapp image 2023 08 25 at 4.04.51 pm 1 — *Girls in classes 9 to 12 participated in the scholarship exam organised by HAI.*

Overall, HAI’s Refugee Programme aims to assist and support Pakistani refugees. Join us today to support the Scholarship campaign and make a difference in the lives of Pakistani refugee families in Delhi.

Donate now!