Bhuj

Country information

The Kutch area of Gujarat province, the land of Black Hills, is a very peculiar geographical region. This westernmost part of India is isolated from the rest of the country by a salt marsh desert known as the Runn of Kutch. About a thousand years ago, the river Indus emptied into it, making it a fresh water lake. Later the eastern arm of the Indus changed its course and the area was invaded by the sea. Nowadays, the Runn is a salt marsh during the rainy season (May - August) and a salt desert during the rest of the year. Temperatures can rise up to 48 degrees Centigrade in summer. There is not a single blade of grass and drinking water is scarce. About twice every century, this area is hit by strong earthquakes, which have changed its topography by altering river courses and creating elevations such as Allah's Bund (Allah's dam). On 26 January 2001, when the whole country was busy celebrating Republic Day, such an earthquake struck. Within minutes, more than 100,000 people lay trapped under debris in the streets or in their homes. SOS Children's Villages India moved deftly to provide emergency relief. Within weeks, 25 child-relief centres had been set up. Over two thousand children were provided with day care, medicines and diet supplementation. The SOS Child-Relief Centres operated for six months, until families had been able to re-organise and schools and medical centres had been restored in tents. By then, it had become clear that more than a hundred children would need permanent care as they had lost both parents or one parent, with the other not being in the position to take care of the children alone. As time passed, some children who had been taken care of by their extended families were also abandoned. In the end, there were 125 children in need of long-term care. Since there was no SOS Children's Village in this area, it was decided to set up a new one. The site of the new SOS Children's Village is located on the outskirts of Bhuj at Madhapur Township. Next to the village, there is a newly set up colony for those whose houses were destroyed during the earthquake. For the time being, twelve of these houses are inhabited by the children under the care of SOS. These houses will form a temporary SOS Children's Village until construction of the actual village has been completed. The SOS Children's Village will consist of 14 family homes, the house of the Village Director, a community house, staff quarters, a house for the SOS aunts (family helpers) and some other buildings, such as a garage and a workshop. There will be a kindergarten, which will also be open to children from the neighbourhood. Since there is a special need to encourage the education of girls in this area, SOS Children's Villages is planning to set up an SOS School with a small hostel for girls and a vocational training centre.