Until recently it was awash in the waters of Bangladesh’s worst flood in 100 years.
Tiny shacks of cane and plastic sheeting cling to the steep slopes of an embankment that was built after the catastrophic floods of 1988, with the intention of providing a refuge. A GENTLE smile on his weather-beaten face, Stuart Rutherford hoists an umbrella and sets off through the foot-wide lanes of Dhaka’s worst slum in search of people to invest in his bank. A Londoner by birth, Mr Rutherford is a pioneer on the outer edge of microfinance. It made a landfall for the last time on 28 September along the Mississippi coastline.Over the US, the storm system moved so slowly that its rains flooded parts of Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.In addition to its work in the US mainland areas hit by Georges, the American Red Cross is helping out Puerto Rico, St Thomas and St Croix in the US Virgin Islands.Georges’s official death-toll stood at 468 yesterday, with at least 267 fatalities reported in the Dominican Republic, 173 in Haiti, 11 in Puerto Rico, four in St Kitts, two in Antigua, one in the Bahamas, six in Cuba and four in the US..

The storm hit Antigua, St Kitts, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba before raking the Florida Keys. “Hurricane Andrew had the highest previous record at $81.5 million, and we are rapidly surpassing that and reaching the $100 million [pounds 63m] anticipated mark at this time,” said Elizabeth Quirk, a Red Cross public- affairs officer.
“We are looking at the probability that this may become the largest single disaster operation in the history of the American Red Cross.” Hurricane Andrew caused immense damage to parts of Florida when it struck in 1992.Georges formed off the coast of Africa as a tropical storm in mid-September before heading across the Atlantic and crossing one Caribbean island after another in a deadly rampage. “I have a handball practice in half an hour”, she said, “it will be nice to forget about the demonstrations for a while.”. HURRICANE GEORGES, which pummelled the eastern Caribbean, the Florida Keys and other parts of the US last month, could break the record for American Red Cross disaster relief, agency officials said yesterday. “Yes”, she perked up, “if there’s one thing I’ve learnt it’s that it’s definitely worth fighting for what you believe in.”For the next few days life returned to normal, something Claire was evidently looking forward to.

They were told, in a patronising manner, to leave and “go and have lunch or something”. Claire was bitterly disappointed that their efforts had led to nothing. “We weren’t as well organised today,” she confessed, “we crumbled too easily in face of the opposition”.This self-criticism is a little harsh I remind her that they have been protesting for a full week. She arranged a meeting with her tutor for the following day to try to sort out the problem, aware that this meant she would not be able to attend the demonstrations planned for Tuesday.The meeting with her tutor was inconclusive. Claire will have to wait another week to find out whether she will be given another opportunity to do the assessment.Ironically, most of her lessons on Tuesday morning were cancelled because the other teachers expected, and wanted, the pupils to strike.

About 500 pupils from Claire’s school made the trip, and joined up with teenagers from the surrounding area.Their attempt to go to the central square in Montpellier encountered an obstacle, namely the CRS, the riot police. During her first lesson, for example, Claire and her classmates were told by their maths teacher: “Instead of doing maths exercises, you should be out protesting.”Expectations were high for Wednesday’s demonstrations in Montpellier. “Although they support my reasons for striking, at the end of the day they think my future is more important”.This dilemma is reflected in the stances of the two local parent associations. One supports the protest, the other pushes for a return to the classroom.First thing last Monday morning, Claire and her fellow representatives had a meeting with their principal and other senior staff.

Their protests had not been in vain, it seemed.A new class is to be created to reduce the most overcrowded ones, with 38 or 39 pupils. The issues of conditions in the classrooms and the lack of science laboratories are not resolved but “it’s a start”.This success was somewhat marred in the afternoon as some of the rioters turned up at Lycee Daudet and break several windows. They stole clothes from shops and attacked a saleswoman in a store. Four youths, whom Claire was eager to stress were not pupils, were arrested by the police.Aside from a quick meeting last Saturday with all the pupil representatives from the Nimes area to co-ordinate movements for the coming week, Claire spent her weekend like any other teenager Her handball team won 22- 20 in their afternoon match. Despite the absence of games lessons at school, due to a lack of teachers, sporting ambition is still alive.In the evening she went to a leaving party for one of her friends, and spent Sunday catching up on schoolwork.”My parents are worried about the effect the demonstrating is having on my studies,” Claire admitted.