Kagera Earthquake - follow-up

Just over a week ago, I posted a blog about the earthquake which struck Bukoda in the Kagera region of northern Tanzania on 10th September.  It caused widespread damage, 17 died at the time and more than 250 people were seriously injured.

I have now received further details about the impact of this earthquake from Dr. Susan Wilson, MBE of the Tumaini Fund (a Guernsey-based charity working in the Kagera region).  Dr. Wilson writes,

 

"There are an estimated 840 families homeless, 2000 houses damaged and 2 schools have had to be closed due to dangerous conditions.  As an example, the hamlet of Minziro, not far from Bukoba, which has many of our orphan families has 150 houses so badly damaged that the children are having to sleep outside.  Day by day we are receiving reports from our Parish-workers in the remote outlying districts with similar stories. It will be weeks before the total scale of injuries and damage can be known, but the desperate need of local communities and our children in particular, is now.

Unfortunately sleeping out is not a good option at this time of the year, we have now entered the Rainy Season, which is also the malaria season - for the children to be sleeping out without mosquito nets is very dangerous for their health - it seems that their nets, like most of their belongings, have been damaged beyond salvage."

The email also included some photographs of one of the families directly affected by the earthquake and the story reflects a typical family in the area: Johnmery Veredian is an AIDS widower and member of the Tumaini community.  He cares for 12 orphans (not all his own children).  The damage to their house and the little "tent" that he and the children (13 in total) are living in now.

Johnmery and his family

 Johnmery's damaged homeJohnmery's temporary shelter

Dr. Wilson advises that it will cost the Tumaini Fund £450 to build a new fired-brick house for Johnmery and his family.  However, many houses are like Johnmery's.  She goes on to write "I believe that, if we act quickly, we can strengthen the damaged buildings and renovate them, and not have to build new houses at greater cost...some houses are flattened, and will need a rebuild, but I believe that most can be saved if we act now. We estimate that for £100 - £200 per home, we could get these children back into a secure dwelling while they rebuild their lives - and get back to school!"

The Tumaini Fund estimates that some 300 Tumaini families' homes have been seriously damaged.  If you are able to assist the Tumaini Fund in their endeavours to help Johnmery and others like him in Kagera to recover from this earthquake and rebuild their homes and lives, please contact Dr. Wilson (email: yesunitumaini@yahoo.com). I know that every £1.00 Dr. Wilson receives for this appeal will go directly to help families like Johnmery's.