Rebuild 200 women's homes destroyed by Bihar flood

Apne Aap Women Worldwide works with 1692 survivors of prostitution and their daughters and also the women and children from oppressed castes living in the red light area of Forbesganj in Bihar for last fifteen years. We work with these girls and women, to prevent their trafficking by facilitating their access to legal, social, economic and political rights. The massive flood of 14th August, 2017  not only washed away the homes and possession of these women and their families but also destroyed our school, community center and field office. 

We have put up a plea to the global community to help us rebuild homes of 200 women from the red light area and adjacent areas which becomes the target area for the traffickers during flood and earthquake, the two major forms of natural disaster which is prevalent in this region in foothills of Nepal. Thanks to the donors, we have been able to help 17 survivors of prostitution and their daughters rebuilding their lives. We have uploaded the reports and  photographs of the houses in the previous reports.

However, there are still at least twenty women from the oppressed communities who continue living in despicable condition. One more rainy season would wash away the tattered bamboo frame which currently are their homes.

We renew our call for helping us rebuild houses of at least twenty more women living in the red light area to prevent their exploitation by the traffickers.

Each house costs about $1174

On 16^th August 2017, Forbesganj Bihar was hit by one its worst floods in recent times. Apne Aap Women Worldwide works with women and children in the red-light areas of Forbesganj in the Araria district of Bihar. We work with the children, adolescent girls and women who are often immersed in poverty, are low-caste, and often uneducated, making them disproportionately vulnerable to being targeted by traffickers. The households headed by 200 women and 100 children we work with were destroyed in the floods, and it has led to an uptick in recruitment and targeting by traffickers of women and girls in the area. Which has made them even more vulnerable than they already were to exploitation?

1.    Hasina Khatoon:

One of the households we work with in the Bhagkohaliy, district of Araria is headed by Hasina. Hasina is from the Sekh community, a small, marginalized Muslim community where women and girls are very vulnerable. When she was 10 years old, she was abducted by someone and was sold in Katihar's red light area. There she stayed for 10 years and gave birth to a daughter and a son. Once she got a chance, she ran away and reached Forbesganj somehow but both of her children were left there. After two years, Apne Aap rescued her children.

When  Apne Aap started to work in the red light area of Forbesganj, then she joined the organisation and started to work as a teacher for the small kids. One day she met the founder of Apne Aap in the organization and narrated her full story and urged to save her children. She also told them that her daughter is now 10 years old, they have forced her in the body trade. When she visit Katihar seeking her children, they beat her badly. Later her children were rescued with the help of Apne Aap. Now she is happy with her children and has build a house outside the red-light area in Forbesganj by the support of Apne Aap

Hasina is one of 100 women whose houses Apne Aap has rebuilt after the floods using funds raised around the world. 100 women like Hasina have been protected from traffickers and their vulnerabilities to prostitution have been reduced- but there are still 100 more households to go. 100 more households have stories just like Hasina's, but many have it even worse. Traffickers and pimps have been more active in the community in the aftermath of the destruction, but Apne Aap aims to protect these households from them. We need more funds to rebuild the homes of the remaining 100 women, and we need the help of all of our friends and supporters at Global Giving to do so.

2.  Chandani Khatoon:

One of the households we work with in the red-light district of Araria is headed by Chandani. Chandani is from the Nat community, a small, marginalized muslim community where women and girls are often trapped in inter- generational prostitution. However, ten years ago Chandani convinced both her family and her husband Vikky that prostitution was no dignified way to live. She then joined Apne Aap and began taking sewing classes at the Apne Aap center. After learning how to sew, she applied for a loan with Apne Aap's help to start her own tailoring and sewing business. Chandani managed to build a good life and a modest home for herself, her husband, and their family after combining her income with her husband’s income. Her husband  runs a small fruit stand. When the floods devastated Bihar, Vikky's vegetable and fruit stand, Chandani's business and their home itself was swept away in the destruction. Their situation became worst, and they were afraid their daughter or she herself would be forced into prostitution, so Chandani appealed to Apne Aap to help her rebuild her home.

Chandani is one of 100 women whose houses Apne Aap has rebuilt after the floods using funds raised around the world. 100 women like Chandani have been protected from traffickers and their vulnerabilities to prostitution have been reduced- but there are still 100 more households to go. 100 more households have stories just like Chandani's, but many have it even worse. Traffickers and pimps have been more active in the community in the aftermath of the destruction, but Apne Aap aims to protect these households from them. We need more funds to rebuild the homes of the remaining 100 women, and we need the help of all of our friends and supporters at Global Giving to do so.

3.    Sarita Devi

One of the households we work with in the outside red-light district of Araria is headed by Sarita Devi. Sarita  is from the Dom  community, a small, marginalized Schedule Caste  community where women and girls often works as cleaners and sweepers. However, ten years ago Sarita’s husband died and she became helpless. She has three little children and no help.  She then joined Apne Aap and began taking sewing classes at the Apne Aap center. After learning how to sew, she applied for a loan with Apne Aap's help to start her own tailoring and sewing business. Sarita managed to build a good life and a modest home for herself and her children. But in the flood her house was broken and the situation became very miserable. So Sarita appealed to Apne Aap to help her rebuild her home

Sarita is one of 100 women whose houses Apne Aap has rebuilt after the floods using funds raised around the world. 100 women like Sarita have been protected from traffickers and their vulnerabilities to prostitution have been reduced- but there are still 100 more households to go. 100 more households have stories just like Sarita's, but many have it even worse. Traffickers and pimps have been more active in the community in the aftermath of the destruction, but Apne Aap aims to protect these households from them. We need more funds to rebuild the homes of the remaining 100 women, and we need the help of all of our friends and supporters at Global Giving to do so. 

4.    Dolly Khatoon:

One of the households we work with in the red-light district of Araria is headed by Dolly. Dolly is from the Nat community, a small, marginalized Muslim community where women and girls are often trapped in inter-generational prostitution. However, ten years ago Dolly convinced both her family and her husband Jabbar that prostitution was no dignified way to live. She then joined Apne Aap and began taking sewing classes at the Apne Aap center. After learning how to sew, she applied for a loan with Apne Aap's help to start her own tailoring and sewing business. Dolly managed to build a good life and a modest home for herself, her husband, and their family after combining her income with her husband’s. Dolly's husband runs a small vegetable and fruit stand. When the floods devastated Bihar, her husband’s vegetable and fruit stand, Dolly's business and their home itself was swept away in the destruction. Their situation became bad, and they were afraid their daughter or she herself would be forced into prostitution, so Dolly appealed to Apne Aap to help her rebuild her home.

Dolly is one of 100 women whose houses Apne Aap has rebuilt after the floods using funds raised around the world. 100 women like Dolly have been protected from traffickers and their vulnerabilities to prostitution have been reduced- but there are still 100 more households to go. 100 more households have stories just like Dolly's, but many have it even worse. Traffickers and pimps have been more active in the community in the aftermath of the destruction, but Apne Aap aims to protect these households from them. We need more funds to rebuild the homes of the remaining 100 women, and we need the help of all of our friends and supporters at Global Giving to do so. 

5.    Sajda Khatoon:

Sajdah Khatoon's house is next to Rampur red light area. She belongs to a very poor marginalized Muslim community. Her husband is a driver and she has 8 children. Her husband earns a little and there is no other way to earn livelihood for the family. They were very poor and were living a life of great difficulty. She then joined Apne Aap and began taking sewing classes at the Apne Aap center. After learning how to sew, she applied for a loan with Apne Aap's help to start her own tailoring and sewing business and earn a little and support her husband to run the family. . But in the flood her house was broken and the situation became very miserable. So Sarita appealed to Apne Aap to help her rebuild her home.

Sajda is one of 55 women whose houses Apne Aap has rebuilt after the floods using funds raised around the world. 55 women like Sajdaa have been protected from traffickers and their vulnerabilities to prostitution have been reduced- but there are still 145 more households to go. 145 more households have stories just like Sajda's, but many have it even worse. Traffickers and pimps have been more active in the community in the aftermath of the destruction, but Apne Aap aims to protect these households from them. We need more funds to rebuild the homes of the remaining 145 women, and we need help of all of our friends and supporters at Global Giving to do so.  

6.    Baby Khatoon:

One of the households we work with in the red-light district of Araria is headed by Baby. Baby is from the Nat community, a small, marginalized Muslim community where women and girls are often trapped in inter- generational prostitution. However, ten years ago Baby convinced both her family and her husband Raja that prostitution was no dignified way to live. She then joined Apne Aap and begin to take sewing classes at the Apne Aap center. After learning how to sew, she applied for a loan with Apne Aap's help to start her own tailoring and sewing business. Baby managed to build a good life and a modest home for herself, her husband, and their family after combining her income with her husband’s. Baby's husband Raja is an auto driver and Baby also runs a small tea shop in front of her house. When the floods devastated Bihar, Raja's auto drowned in flood water and gets damaged and Baby’s shop as well, Baby's home business and their home itself were swept away in the destruction. Their situation became dire, and they were afraid their daughter or she herself would be forced into prostitution, so Baby appealed to Apne Aap to help her rebuild her home.

Baby is one of 100 women whose houses Apne Aap has rebuilt after the floods using funds raised around the world. 100 women like Baby have been protected from traffickers and and their vulnerabilities to prostitution have been reduced- but there are still 100 more households to go. 100 more households have stories just like Baby's, but many have it even worse. Traffickers and pimps have been more active in the community in the aftermath of the destruction, but Apne Aap aims to protect these households from them. We need more funds to rebuild the homes of the remaining 100 women, and we need the help of all of our friends and supporters at Global Giving to do so. 

7.    Tharun Khatoon:

Tharun, a 35 year old woman, trafficked from Nepal to Forbesganj in Bihar had exited prostitution. With the help of Apne Aap she was running a tea stall and bringing up her four children aged 12, 8, 6 and 4 and looking after her old mother. Suddenly on 14th of August a flash flood swept away her home and tea stall. She and her children were literally left without food, clothing or shelter. Even her source of livelihood-the tea stall was gone. Apne Aap has helped her rebuild her home and get a loan to restart her tea business. In the interim Apne Aap provided her basic provisions.  In a few weeks, before the onset of the winter, Tharun's home will be ready and her tea stall will be open for business.

Tharun in one among the 55 women whose homes Apne Aap is rebuilding on a priority basis. The needs of these women are the greatest among the 200 women affected by the floods in the red light areas. Apne Aap held a meeting with alll its members and then decided to focus on rebuilding the homes of the 55 women whose needs were the greatest. 

Construction material like bricks, bamboo, ropes, steel sheets for roofs, cement, readymade pillars, straw, readymade doors and windows, sand etc has been provided with the help of Apne Aap to these women.

Another 145 women still don't have doors or windows. Floors in many houses have caved in and the first instance of rain will flood the houses.  Some houses are even missing a wall. Most household are in desperate need of day to day essentials like cooking utensils, clothes, blankets, mattresses, tin trunks etc.   

We will continue to built to more homes and provide more day to day requirements as we raise more funds

8.    Sanatun Khatoon

Sanatun Khatoon  is from De notified Muslim Dhuniya community living outside the Red Light area in a street and the member of Apne Aap Mahila Mandal. Her house was completely ruined in the flood and she was completely helpless. Her husband is a labor and she is a housewife. She has eight children. Her house was completely wasted in the flood and he had no place to stay. Now they were living below in the open sky with their children. He husband was jobless too from a few months and her children were not even going to school and her studies were also completely abandoned. There was a risk of trafficking of the children.

So Apne Aap decided to support her to prepare the new house. We provided the house making materials like Cement, Bricks, Stone chips Iron Rod, Cement, Bamboos, Tin Sheets, Rope Nails and Labor Charges also to build their Pucka house and the construction work is going on now

Details about Vulnerability of Children

1.  Afshan Khatoon is the daughter of Baby Khatoon resident of Red light area Uttri Rampur. She is the student of Uttri Rampur Community center in regular classes. After the flood her house destroyed and she was dropped out from the center. The financial status of her parents is not good. They did not have a house to live with. Did not have to eat and wear. They were living below the open sky. There was no way of employment. In this situation, the Apne Aap organization helped her. After the improvement in the situation by the support of Apne Aap, she is now coming to the center and continues her study after three months. She is now studying well. Her house is now being formed in collaboration with the organization. Her father has also got employment and now he is wages. Now slowly his life is starting to become normal. All this is the result of the organization's efforts and the organization has made a lot of changes in his life.

2.    Gholi Khatoon is the daughter of Baby Khatoon resident of Red light area Uttri Rampur. She is the student of Uttri Rampur Community center in regular classes. After the flood her house destroyed and she was dropped out from the center. The financial status of her parents is not good. They did not have a house to live with. Did not have to eat and wear. They were living below the open sky. There was no way of employment. In this situation, the Apne Aap organization helped her. After the improvement in the situation by the support of Apne Aap, she is now coming to the center and continues her study after three months. She is now studying well. Her house is now being formed in collaboration with the organization. Her father has also got employment and now he is wages. Now slowly his life is starting to become normal. All this is the result of the organization's efforts and the organization has made a lot of changes in his life.

 Note: The names mentioned in the report are not the real names of the beneficiaries.