ATLANTA (March 1, 2001) - Tom Alcedo, country director for CARE's programs in India, testified today via satellite from New Delhi before the House Committee on International Relations in Washington DC. Urging the subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia to continue their commitment to fund rehabilitation programs in India after the January 26 earthquake in Gujarat state, Alcedo emphasized the need for a holistic and comprehensive approach to helping survivors.

"The people of Gujarat tell us "Don't just give us handouts. Help us to reconstruct our lives and to again work productively." said Alcedo. "They are very supportive of their communities and want to be involved."

Nearly 16 million people have been directly affected by the January 26 quake, with about 300,000 houses and 5,000 schools destroyed. Experts estimate that about $4.5 billion will be needed over the next 24 months to help rebuild communities.

To date, CARE programs have reached more than175,000 people in the most remote and devastated areas through emergency relief distribution, mobile medical clinics and trauma counseling for survivors. With the current transition into long-term rehabilitation programs, Alcedo made the following recommendations to the U.S. government on behalf of CARE:

• Renew the financial commitment to reconstruction programming in India over the next 24-36 months.
  
• Promote inclusive approaches to avoid dependence and to support civic participation. In addition to rebuilding, work to ensure that people have work so that they can meet basic food, health and educational needs.
  
• Further improve disaster preparedness plans at the state and federal levels to better enable rapid response capacity.
  
• Do not divert funds from existing development projects in India just to bolster emergency relief efforts. Moving resources from such communities in the long run perpetuates vulnerability to future disaster.

About CARE: CARE is one of the world's largest private relief and development organizations, working in more than 60 countries. CARE began work in India in 1950 and today supports projects in food and agriculture, education and primary health care. In 1999, CARE was one of the major organizations responding to the Orissa cyclone, which ravaged the state, killing thousands and leaving 15 million people homeless. CARE has more than 500 staff in India.

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