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Last Updated: Friday, 23 November 2007, 19:24 GMT

Aid workers describe cyclone misery

Workers from emergency relief charity Action Aid helping people affected by the devastating cyclone in Bangladesh are sending daily reports to the BBC News website this week.

In the fourth entry, Naima Chowdhury visits a remote district where women and girls are now particularly vulnerable to unscrupulous people trying to take advantage of their desperation.



People have come in greater numbers hoping to get some food

MOKIT BILLAH - 23 NOVEMBER

"At least 3,000 people are still missing from this area and people may not know for years what has happened to a family member"

"We arrived early today and spent time delivering aid to the 1,000 people living here.

We gave people a slip with a time to return to collect some aid. Women and children are our priority. People are still queuing now, three hours later.

We managed to deliver 5kg (11lb) of rice, 1kg (2lb) of dhal, one litre (35 fl oz) of oil, two candles, one gas lighter and one huge blanket to each family.

We still need clean water and we hope this will be done by building wells. Then the rebuilding of homes needs to begin. But food is still a priority.

There are many sad stories here. I spoke to one mother called Roshonora, who discovered the body of her 10-year-old daughter three days after the cyclone hit.

'Brother, please help'

She was sobbing, asking why this had happened. She also spoke of her fears that her five-year-old son would get ill because he had drunk some contaminated water.

I asked her where her husband was and she said he was with his new family in Dhaka and isn't really interested in what has happened to them.

Roshonora spoke directly to Wahida, Action Aid's theme leader on emergency response based in Dhaka, on my mobile phone.

They spoke about what people need here, and Roshonora asked for a small pot to be delivered because, at the moment, she has been feeding her son dry rice.

As she left me, she clung to me with tears in her eyes and said: "Brother, please help us, we are hungry."

I was in this particular village a few days ago and the number of people living on the streets has definitely increased.

My opinion is that people must have heard we were coming, so have come from other parts of town to get some food.

At least 3,000 people are still missing from this area and people may not know for years what has happened to a family member.

Even though the cyclone hit over a week ago, it is still very chaotic. Relief urgently needs to continue. Then we can focus on the long-term solutions for these extremely poor and now vulnerable people."

Short-term relief will not solve the problems of many women



"Even now I find it very hard to talk about what I saw there - I don't think I can find the words"

NAIMA CHOWDHURY - 22 NOVEMBER

"Today my colleagues and I went to assess the damage and deliver aid to a highly affected village called Southkhali in Bagerhat.

Short-term relief will not solve the problems of many women

The village suffered the full force of the wave. Everything has been destroyed. Houses have been crushed, trees lie on the road and many children have drowned.

This is the first time we have been able to get here because it is a very remote area, and trees have been blocking the roads.

For six days these people have been without any food, shelter, clean water or electricity. The only relief they have received is 1kg of rice.

We arrived at 1100 and I just broke down in tears. Even now I find it very hard to talk about what I saw there. I don't think I can find the words. No film or painting can ever accurately portray what the place is like.

Smell of death

The first thing I came across was a grave containing 17 dead bodies. The smell is horrible - a mixture of dead bodies and dead animals. There is an extremely high risk of disease here now.

Action Aid, with our local partners, will be bringing more aid in the next couple of days and then we will start looking at long-term solutions.

In this area alone, 1,000 people have been killed and 3,000 are still missing.

Most families have lost their children, and when bodies are pulled out of the sea, they can't even identify their faces to see if it is a loved one.

This area is particularly vulnerable because of the lack of food and shelter.

Traffickers have started moving in to take advantage of this situation.

Then there are local policemen, people who are meant to be trustworthy, who are using this disaster for their own ends.

I heard one story of a policeman stroking a young girl's cheek and telling her that if she went with him, he would give her some biscuits.

The girl, who had lost her mother in the disaster, told him that he should bring the biscuits out if he had some.

But how long will they be able to resist these kinds of men?

I warned many women about this, but we need to get them protected shelter and food desperately.

Relief for a month is no good for these women and girls, they have lost everything, their families, their cattle, their homes.

Please keep my country in your prayers."