“My parents are still in the village which is marooned by water and I have the responsibility of looking after my brother and sister”, six-year-old Munna tells me, who is sheltering in a camp in Madherpura.
At least 2.5 million people across seven districts were forced from their homes, in the northern Indian state of Bihar after monsoon rains caused a river to burst its banks.
Munna tells me that his parents are still living inside the village as they don’t want to leave their house for fear of losing whatever they could save from the flood.
“I have to provide food and protect them from any further danger”, he explains as his five-year-old sister Shilu busily eats some biscuits that Munna has collected from the relief camp. His youngest brother Bhola, 3, just sleeps.
Munna is worried about Bhola’s health. He has made a bamboo platform for his siblings, but struggles everyday to find food.
Every day he stands in the queue for food aid, and visits nearby areas where some food is being distributed.
Some children are desperately moving from one camp to another in search of food. Others who are suffering from fever, diarrhea and eye infections need medical help.
Munna’s is not a unique story. The floods in Bihar have forced many children to come closer as families.
This situation has made them responsible towards their siblings and others.
CAFOD’s partner, Caritas India will be providing food and medical care to more than 270,000 people and will make sure that aid reaches the most vulnerable, including children like Munna and his siblings.
Posted by StalinS
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