Colorado-based Compassion International, a leading child development and sponsorship organization, through its Bangladesh and East India offices, has been sending critical services and supplies to now homeless and hungry citizens of those countries as the whole region reels from the effects of Cyclone Aila, a storm which hit the low-lying region May 25.

When the cyclone slammed into the small but densely populated country of Bangladesh and parts of eastern India last week, strong winds and heavy rains quickly wreaked havoc on the towns and villages lying on the region's flat, alluvial plain. In many of the communities where Compassion works, Compassion-assisted children and their families lost their homes. 

One child and her 3-year-old sister were killed when their mud house collapsed. Two other children were orphaned when their mother committed suicide after the family's home collapsed. The children's father had died previously when Cyclone Sidr hit Bangladesh.

Of the more than 14,500 children Compassion currently serves in Bangladesh, 522 are known to have been affected by the storm, but this number could go up as more information comes in from the country. Compassion serves more than 1 million children around the world.

Now that the storm has passed, many in Bangladesh and eastern India are facing waterborne diseases, and many are still without any food, clean water or shelter.

In response to the crisis, Compassion Bangladesh is sending a medical team to the most affected areas to address health concerns and offer oral rehydration therapy and water purification tablets. At Compassion's child development centers, cooked food is being provided for the families of registered children daily for the next four weeks. In some areas, rice and lentils are also being distributed to the families of registered children, also for four weeks. 

Aila is the biggest natural calamity to hit Bangladesh since Cyclone Sidr hit the country in November 2007, leaving thousands of people dead or missing.

Compassion International is one of the world's largest Christian child development organization that works to release children from poverty. Founded in 1952, Compassion successfully tackles global poverty one child at a time, serving more than 1 million children in 25 of the world's poorest countries. Recognizing that poverty is more than a lack of money, Compassion works holistically through local churches to address the individual physical, economic, educational and spiritual needs of children, enabling them to thrive, not just survive. Charity Navigator, America's largest charity evaluator, has awarded Compassion its highest rating -- four stars -- for seven consecutive years.