Members of the group from Latur look young and immature, leading one to wonder what they can do for the thousands in Gujarat whose lives have been affected by the quake. Yet they go about with an air of confidence and carry out their tasks with the precision of a trained relief worker. More than 9,600 people died in the Latur earthquake, which reduced some 25 villages to rubble. The members of the Latur group have gone through it all before, the quake and its aftershocks, the pain it brings and the courage it takes to regain confidence and rebuild homes. And now they are putting their experience to use, consoling the people of Kutch, some of who have lost all they had.
Quakes bring a lot of misery.
But from my personal experience, I can tell you what the surviving children need is quick resumption of classes in their schools. The Latur team has started reconstructing the school building in this village, some 15 km from Bhachau town in Kutch district, one of the areas most affected by the January 26 earthquake. Some 30,000 people are feared dead in the quake and many more are left homeless. The team reached Kutch January 28 and decided to work in rural areas where the government's relief operations are yet to begin. Its members pitched tents at Samkhiali and have been working here and in nearby villages.