Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has decided donate prize money of 1 million euro (approximately Rs 8.76 crore) for flood relief efforts in India and Bangladesh. Greta was awarded 1 million euro for winning the Gulbenkian Prize
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has decided donate prize money of 1 million euro (approximately Rs 8.76 crore) for flood relief efforts in India and Bangladesh.
Greta was awarded 1 million euro for winning the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, announced last on July 20.
In a statement, the Greta Thunberg Foundation said it will donate the full sum to charitable projects combatting the climate and ecological crisis and supporting people facing its worst impacts, particularly in the Global South.
The donations will go to 3 NGOs in desperate need of funds for flood relief work in India and Bangladesh, it said.
About 50,000 euros will be donated to ActionAid India and Bangladesh, working in both countries to provide emergency relief, as well as long term rebuilding.
Goonj, which provides clothes, food, medicines, and other essential items to affected areas in India, will be given 25,000 euro donation.
The third NGO BRAC will also get 25,000 euros donation. It is working on the ground in Bangladesh to provide critical relief for impacted families, including dry food, temporary shelter and health services.
The money will go to organisations providing direct relief to people suffering from the humanitarian crisis caused by ongoing extreme monsoon flooding in both countries, currently affecting over 9.6 million people in the region.
In India, more than 6.8 million people have been affected by recent severe monsoon floods. The north eastern states of Assam and Bihar are particularly badly affected, with 113 deaths recorded since this year’s monsoon season began.
Meanwhile, close to one third of Bangladesh is already suffering flooding, with 2.8 million people affected. Although floods occur annually in these areas, the climate crisis is increasing their frequency and intensity, with current flooding among the worst in years.
This flooding has also come during a period of overlapping crises facing communities in India and Bangladesh. In May, Cyclone Amphan destroyed crops, infrastructure and more than 2,60,000 homes in both countries, while a Covid-19 lockdown has contributed to over a third of Bangladesh’s population dropping under the poverty line.
“The climate crisis is urgent, and people, particularly in the Global South, are suffering devastating impacts already today. Millions of people in South Asia have been severely affected by recent flooding, at a time when many had already lost so much from Covid-19 and Cyclone Amphan,” 17-year old Greta Thunberg said.
“I am incredibly privileged to be in a position to be able to donate such sums of money through my foundation, and we are supporting these organisations to make sure it reaches communities affected by the flooding as soon as possible. If you are able, please consider donating to the relief effort,” she added.
ActionAid India Executive Director Sandeep Chachra said that monsoon flooding in the Indian states of Assam and Bihar is increasingly catastrophic, year on year. It is making living conditions for vulnerable communities in these regions ever more precarious.
“This year the floods are a part of a double whammy, on top of the Covid-19 pandemic and accompanying lockdown. Emergency responses need to be linked with long term development work aimed at advancing social and ecological justice, in an effort that prioritises the leadership of communities most affected,” he said.
Goonj Founder and Director Anshu Gupta said right now, floods in parts of India have heaped more misery onto the lives of millions of people already struggling with the impact of Covid-19.
“In our two decades of disaster response work, we have been highlighting monsoon floods as an ignored disaster that are becoming more intense and frequent. In this difficult time we must all work closely with the communities most affected,” he added.
