1. Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation Program Overview Click to see how the program works! Click to see how the program works!

2. Objectives Once a child enters DCI’s Sun Child Sponsorship Program, we accept a moral obligation to do everything possible to promote and safeguard the child’s welfare. When natural disasters affect sponsorship areas, DCI stands by the child, his/her family and community by providing immediate relief and longer-term rehabilitation.

3. Approach DCI responds to natural disasters in its project areas with a two step process: Step1: Providing immediate relief by emergency support such as food, water, blankets, and medicine. Step2: Surveying affected people and rehabilitating the community by providing building material support and rebuilding homes and schools.

4. DCI Executive Director Dr. Hoque went to Bangladesh to be with the affected people and supervise the relief process . In 2007 two disasters hit Bangladesh; a flood followed by a cyclone. Thousands lost their lives, and hundreds of thousands more were left without food and shelter when Cyclone Sidr struck Bangladesh. The Patuakhali district, one of DCI’s Sun Child Sponsorship project locations, was devastated by the storm. Because DCI already had infrastructure in place and trained workers, we were able to provide immediate relief. As a first response, DCI distributed about 4000 emergency kits containing food, water, blankets, warm clothing, and medicine. Once local residents were out of immediate danger, DCI focused its efforts on reconstruction, and 30 homes were rebuilt between December and February.

5. Homes destroyed Rice fields damaged Livestock killed Families broken

6. DCI workers distributing relief blankets & food to victims of Cyclone Sidr in Patuakhali DCI leadership group and staff directing relief efforts from a distribution center DCI Team making bread and oral saline for cyclone victims DCI team arrives in Patuakhali as hundreds of cyclone victims wait for help Relief Work to Help Victims of Cyclones & Floods

7. Officers visit each sponsored child’s home to assess the situation & provide support People living in temporary shelters set up by DCI

8. DCI workers take building materials to remote locations

9. DCI volunteers helping to rebuild the homes Building materials donated to cyclone victims Rebuilding Homes

10. Rebuilding Schools Cleaning up a destroyed school Reconstructed school

11. Cyclone victim Sahera Begum’s story This is Sahera Begum. She is a 46 year-old woman from Shaula village, Patuakhali, Bangladesh. Her husband passed away 6 years ago. She was living with her 14 year-old boy Ayub and 11 year-old girl Sabina in a small hut. She earned a living for her family by working in other people’s homes as a maid or by begging. Life was tough as it was and then Cyclone Sidr hit the village. All her belongings, along with the hut, were completely destroyed. She had no money to afford food, let alone rebuild her home. DCI rebuilt her home and created a safe place for her children and her. She said, "I could not even provide my children three meals a day. A house where they could live was out of the question. I never thought that this would be possible. Thank you DCI for giving me a way to survive and so much more.“

12. Ongoing Need DCI's presence in Cyclone Sidr affected areas still remains strong and determined. Join us in reaching out to these people. Thank you for your continued prayers and support to DCI 3 years have passed since cyclone Sidr. These days, the media is no longer focused on the affected people and communities, but their turmoil is still not over. They are still suffering from the loss of all their belongings and shelter. As a small organization, DCI’s capacity is limited and with that we have tried to rehabilitate people but it’s not significant compared to the need that still exists. .