Earthquake Relief

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Thank you to all Samaj and Community members and Twin Cities businesses for your kind support in giving the gift of life back to Gujarat state. Together we rebuilt a village from rubble.

Perhaps the greatest disaster in Gujarat state and western India was the January 26, 2001 earthquake that killed over 20,000 people. This massive 7.9 Richter scale earthquake struck the morning of Republican Day at about 8:46 a.m. local time with an epicenter near Bhuj.

The earthquake left 400,000 homes destroyed and countless dead or injured. This was the largest earthquake to strike India in the last 50 years.

The humanitarian response to this devastating quake was swift from the Indian community. In partnership with the India Association of Minnesota, the Gujarati Samaj of Minnesota was able to raise $283,000 in an Earthquake Relief Fund effort. This large donation was made possible from generous contributions by the Gujaratis in this state as well as donations from local corporations.

Rebuilding

With this aid, we were able to completely rebuild the village of Vijaypar (located in the Kutch district of Gujarat). In this village, many buildings were rebuilt:

  • 117 homes,
  • a community school,
  • an anganqadi center,
  • and a panchayat ghar.
  • Furthermore, several livelihood restoration activities were performed in Vijaypar:
  • repaired the village's water reservoir,
  • completed skills enhancement training for local workers,
  • established enterprises to provide building materials,
  • provided insurance coverage to poor women,
  • distributed vegetable and fruit tree seeds and demonstrated proper planting techniques,
  • provided craft training to local artisans,
  • and formed community self-help groups.

These accomplishments would not have been possible without the humanitarian support of Minnesotan-Indians. The Samaj is grateful to all those who donated their love to Gujarat.

Earthquake Related Links

BBC News: Gujarat Quake - provides many news items including articles, pictures, and video.
Asian Week - an article published by the Associated Press and AsianWeek.com about the Gujarati Samaj's earthquake relief efforts.
Wikipedia - has information on the Gujarat earthquake.
Relief Web - an international site for relief efforts.
Indian Embassy - governmental site has information on the quake.
India Association of Minnesota - co-sponsored a humanitarian effort with the Gujarati Samaj.