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Mexico City residents remain homeless after earthquake

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Mexico City, Sep 27 (IANS) A week after the powerful earthquake hit central and southern Mexico, many residents of the capital Mexico City on Tuesday still remain homeless on the streets, not knowing where to go and fearing possible burglaries of the belongings they abandoned in their houses.

Merced Silva slept Monday night in a van, along with her husband and three daughters. They used to live in a seven-storey building in the Santa Cruz Atoyac neighbourhood, which was left damaged by the 7.1-magnitude quake on September 19, reports Efe news.

“At the shelter, I do not feel at ease, we are going to look for where we can go, I do not know where it will be,” said Silva, who moved from Pinotepa Nacional town in the southern region of Oaxaca to live in the Mexico City nine years ago.

Her three daughters – four, five and seven years old – who were playing on a step with some stuffed toys given to them by volunteers, said they “miss” their home.

However, Silva has not dared to return home since the quake struck the city although the cosmetic products she sold for a living were all left there.

“Many people want to return, but where are you going to go back to?” said Silva.

Javier Galindo was also among those taking refuge in vans and set-up sleeping tents.

“We were afraid to go back up (in the building) because of the aftershocks, if there is one, the building might fall on us,” Galindo, accompanied by his step daughter Regina Garcia, told Efe.

However, his family refused to move away from the vicinity of the building they lived in, saying that despite its bad condition, there might be strange people stealing their possessions.

Only a couple of blocks away, an apartment building collapsed completely. On the rubble that still remains there are several wreaths of white flowers that people placed in remembrance of those who died.

Mexican authorities recorded a total of 38 collapsed buildings and a death toll of 194 in the country’s capital, out of 333 deaths nationwide. According to official figures, about 25,000 people have taken refuge in shelters provided by the Ministry of Social Development. These figures, however, exclude a large number of people sleeping on the street.

The neighbourhood where Galindo lives was already affected once by the powerful earthquake in 1985. According to Galindo, the authorities reviewed their home after the quake and they said it was still habitable.

After the September 19 tremor the authorities, again, came to review their home.

“They do not say anything, we do not know what they are going to do, where they are going to send us. We do not even know where we are going to live,” said Regina, 15.

–IANS
ahm/

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Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok

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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.

The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.

Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.

For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.

During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.

Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.

Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .

Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.

In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.

In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.

He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.

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