Tajem Ali escapes death but not suffering

Tajem sits in the spot where his house used to stand

Eighty-five year-old Tajem Ali has had two brushes with death in his life; both the result of natural disasters in his homeland of Bangladesh.

“Fridays bring misery to my life”, Tajem told IR with tears in his eyes.

Narrow Escapes
The first near miss was during the rains of 1970 when Tajem lost 27 members of his family. This happened on a Friday night.

The second was the shocking cyclone of November 15 2007, which started on Thursday night and continued into Friday. This time, though Tajem lost no loved ones, he lost his home.

Forced to beg
Tajem, who was a cattle broker in his youth, lives in the village of Katakhali, in the Panpatti Union, Upazila Galachipa, Patuakhali District. He has one son; having lost his three daughters sometime ago. His son lives far away and so Tajem lives with his adopted daughter who takes care of him.

Tajem has no choice but to beg in order to raise money. He goes to a nearby city for 2 or 3 days at a time, after which he returns in order to rest for 1 or 2 days.

Sidr
Tajem was not at home on the night Sidr began. He had broken his wrist just two days before and so was in the hospital. If he had been at home he would most certainly have died, as the house was totally destroyed.

His adopted son-in-law lost his fishing boat, which, besides the proceeds of Tajem’s begging, was the family’s only source of income.

Food supplies
With the help of the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO), IR Bangladesh distributed supplies (food packs containing 30 kg of rice, 5 kg of lentils, 2 kg of salt and 2 litres of oil) in the Katakhali area on December 5 2007, helping 318 families.

Tajems’ son–in-law was one of those to receive a food pack. Prior to this the family had received no help at all. They were very grateful and Tajem’s son-in-law decided to express his gratitude by helping IR distribute more food parcels.

Frightened and cold
While Tajem was lucky to escape death for the second time, he has not escaped suffering. He is now living in a temporary shelter made from the scraps of wood his family was able to collect after the cyclone.

Tajem has no bed. He sleeps on the ground on a thin mat made of dried leaves. He can feel the cold ground through the mat and cannot sleep. He is afraid that he will become ill and worries that he will not make it through the winter. Tajem urgently needs help to rebuild his house.

Maqsuda Thanks Islamic Relief

Maqsuda, Wahab and Afroza in their ruined home

While roaming around the Katakhali village of Galachipa Upazila, in Patuakhali district, we found Maqsuda, a 28-year-old housewife, sitting among the foundations of what was once her home while her husband made a roof from coconut branches. The house had been destroyed by Cyclone Sidr.

Maqsuda’s husband, Wahab, 32, is an agricultural laborer and fisherman. He is suffering from a hernia. The couple have two daughters; Jannatul Ferdaus, who is seven-years-old, and Afroza, who is four-years-old.

Lucky Escape
On the night Cyclone Sidr hit (November 15 2007), Maqsuda, Wahab and the children were at home, cheerfully oblivious to the imminent devastation. Their house is on the other side of a dam which protected them from the tidal wave, but when the wind started blowing at around 240-260 km an hour a tree fell and the roof collapsed.

Luckily the family managed to escape, taking temporary shelter in Wahab’s grandmother’s house.
Wahab injured his right hand during their flight. Their house was totally destroyed; only the foundations remain.

Thank-you
Maqsuda and Wahab had received no help since their home was destroyed. They were in desperate need of food as Wahab has been ill and unable to work since the cyclone. The food pack IR provided them with will enable them to eat three meals a day for around 15-20 days. Maqsuda was very pleased with our help, saying: “Islamic Relief ke Dhonnobad” (Thanks to Islamic Relief).

More Needed
The house needs to be repaired as soon as possible. The family is currently staying with relatives, but it is not possible for them to stay there much longer.
They urgently need money in order to carry out the repairs and to continue Wahab’s medical treatment.

Islamic Relief Emergency Appeal

IR has launched an urgent appeal for £3 million to fund emergency relief and recovery projects in the worst-hit coastal regions.

Phase 1

• To benefit 30,000 families;
• Emergency distributions of food, blankets, jerry cans, utensils and shelter kits;

Phase 2

• To benefit between 15,000 - 20,000 families;
• Support shelter and livelihoods recovery and rehabilitation;

Please DONATE now to support people living in cyclone-ravaged areas.