Catholic students help survivors of devastating cyclone in Bangladesh

Published: 2007-12-07

DHAKA, Bangladesh (CNS) -- After a day of trudging through the debris of wrecked homes handing out relief coupons to survivors of the recent cyclone, the president of the Bangladesh Catholic Students' Movement was tired. Anthony Prince Costa told the Asian church news agency UCA News that he had spent the day visiting families in the southern village of Ryanda. "People of the area are not getting enough relief supplies," he said Dec. 2. Costa, 24, is a volunteer for Caritas Bangladesh's relief program to victims of Cyclone Sidr, which struck the southern coastal regions of Bangladesh Nov. 15. Caritas Bangladesh is the local affiliate of the international Catholic umbrella group of charities called Caritas Internationalis. As of Dec. 2, the government was reporting nearly 3,300 people dead and nearly 53,000 injured in the disaster. More than 8 million people were affected severely, the government said.

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