Salesians in India plan to create a Disaster Management Endowment Fund to help communities in southeast India devastated by Cyclone Thane. In the aftermath of the storm, thousands of buildings were damaged and destroyed; 20,000 families were left homeless; 80% of crops were wiped out; and dozens of men, women and children lost their lives.

Nearly two months later, the landscape is still one of utter destruction. Many residents remain without electricity and running water. In some villages, entire cashew groves were wiped out and not a single cashew tree is left standing. Construction debris and remnants of thatch homes litter the countryside.

Our Salesian missionaries at the epicenter of the disaster continue to work around the clock to provide victims with the financial, logistical and emotional support needed to pick up the pieces, instill hope and rebuild lives.

Already, the Salesians have delivered water, food, stoves, clothes, bedding and school supplies to ravaged communities. Moving forward, the Disaster Management Endowment Fund will help underwrite the costs of replacing roads, restoring electricity and constructing new homes with stronger materials better able to withstand severe weather.

The fund will also support the rehabilitation of decimated farmlands, a process that could take up to seven years to accomplish.

As our Salesian Missionaries plan for the years of recovery ahead, they are still scrambling to repair their own facilities that were damaged by the cyclone, and restore vital services that have been disrupted.

Despite these challenges, our Missionaries remain determined and hopeful. Inspired by our long-standing humanitarian and educational work in the region, the Salesians are dedicated to helping residents not only envision a sustainable future, but to participate in building it.

To assist with the recovery efforts, Salesian Missions has created the “India Cyclone Relief Fund” and is calling on caring friends like you.

Your generosity enables Salesian Missions to come to the aid of children, families and communities immediately following disasters like this – so we can stand by their side during the long road to recovery. Thank you for whatever you can give today.