Please find below an update on what we did on our visit to Tsunami Affected areas between 9 to 12 Jan 2005.
Please note that this is only an initial update and is written by me for your information. The final report will be undertaken formally with all the members who came on the trip.
Krithika Velan
Tsunami Relief Work
Visit Date: 9.1.05 to 12.1.05.
People who went on the trip:
Meena Jain, Age 43, Special Educator and Therapist, Shristi Special Academy
Sharon Watts, Age 36, Special Educator and Therapist, Shristi Special Academy
Kedari, Age 30, Clinical Psychologist, Shristi Special Academy
Santha Parthasarathy, Age 74, Volunteer (came in individual capacity)
Sindya, Age 24, Volunteer, Dream a Dream
Krithika Velan, Age 27, Volunteer, Dream a Dream
Chandrappa, Driver, Valsala Travels
Objective: A needs assessment of the residents of the Tsunami affected areas, specifically the children in order to design a long term program that will facilitate recuperation and re-integration of the children into normalcy.
NGO that we worked with and helped us in Pondicherry: Aid India and Pondicherry Science Forum.
Areas visited:
Killai District: MGR Thittu and Muzhukuthorrai
Karaikal District: Pattinacherry
Mode of Transport: Bangalore-Pondicherry-Bangalore and interiors: Sumo, Valsala Travels
Photographs attached.
Report:
We visited (3) totally devastated areas and were able to speak to the surviving residents in order to assess the needs, specifically of the children.
9.1.05:
Having left at 5:30 am on Sunday morning (9.1.05) we reached Pondicherry at 2:00 pm.
We were told to visit the relief camp at Killai where affected residents of two villages i.e. MGR Thittu and Muzhukuthorrai were being taken care of.Killai is about 2.5 hours drive from Pondicherry.
Upon arrival, at about 6:30 pm, we met with Mr. Saravananan and Ms. Sashikala who took us around, we met some of the affected people and were briefed on number of deaths, number of families that had once occupied these villages.
The exact numbers will be included in the final report.
Approximately 737 people from MGR Thittu are temporarily housed in RS Kalyana Mantap. Sanitary facilities are not good. However all have been provided with new clothes and good food from the community kitchen.
From MGR Thittu the number of deaths are about 100.
The first day was spent brifely talking to the people and assessing whether they were being taken care of. A few children also were spoken to.
Games are being organised for these children since school is yet to re-start.
At the relief camp, a lady called Shafi Unisa has given her whole house (2 storeys) for the AID workers to sleep in and store and pack the materials! It's these small kindnesses throughout that are managing the show.
10.1.05
We left at 9:00 am to arrive at Killai relief camp at 11:30.
We were able to play some games with the children,Meena had them do some activity games. Some were very responsive but some small children (3 little boys) were just hanging onto their father having lost their mother.
We were also able to speak to some people.
They all had terrible stories to tell of loss and sorrow,
There is a real need for a long term rehabilitation plan that will help them overcome the trauma and depression that they are likely to go through.
On the way back, as providence would have it, something happened to our car and we had to go to Bombay Garage to fix it which was on ECR Road on the way to Makrkannam, another affected area 30km from Pondi that was being handled by Prepare.
There we met Ashok Kumar, another affected resident of the village. He had tried to save his grandmother but failed, only to watch her go under the boat and be swallowed by the wave.
He says that the government wants to relocate them to a cemetry! But they do not want to move. As it is, they have suffered enough than be relegated to living with corpses.
He mentioned that there are some actors nearby: Ms. Lata and Mr. Rajkumar who have 500 acres but refuse to part with even 5 for this relocation as a result of which so many are left homeless.
We could not continue onto Markannam since it was too late and instead proceeded to the AID office where we could decide which camp to go to the next day.
We decided to go to Karaikal to the affected area called Pattinachery.
We returned to the hotel at about 10:00pm.
11.1.05
We reached Karaikal at about 10:30 am and Mr. Balraj, a dedicated teacher from the Govt Middle School at Karaikal, took us to Pattinacherry camp.
The devastation here too was absolute. Concrete houses completely flattened. No trace that anything leave alone an entire village stood here less than 2 weeks back.
We spoke to several affected people before lunch.
I cannot even begin to describe the sorrow and devastation that is prevailing at the moment. The land was just flattened in a matter of 2 hours. No trace of the houses are left (even concrete!). You would not believe that once a peaceful fishing village lived there. These are rich people, not spectacular houses but all equipped with the latest TVs VCD/DVD players etc, their boats cost upto 3 lakhs! The wave swallowed everything.
We met tiny children who have lost their mothers,
a grandmother who locked her grandchildren in the house and went to the terrace when the wave came thinking they will be safe only to find that they drowned and she was safe,
one mother who had 2 daughters and one son who were brilliant "studied in English Medium" lost her children, She says she doesnt care about the compensation and just says its no use her children are now one with the sand.
the list is endless.
We did a short activity for the children at their school before taking a lunch break.
We also were told that there was a shortage of 90 school bags (only half the children were given bags earlier that week and the other half were not) so we bought them shortly after lunch at Karaikal.
Mr. Balraj, a teacher in Karaikal and the teachers at Pattinacherry are so dedicated and are trying very hard with the children. They know all the children by name and who lost which member of their family. The children are all so smart and energetic and really friendly.
The government has provided a temporary water connection at Pattinachery so that was good but there was a big fight at the Panchayat because the materials that were donated directly to the government were not being equitably distributed!
We handed over the bags after lunch and Meena did some relaxation therapy for the children with our help.
The teachers who are extremely dedicated to bringing the children back to normalcy told us which were the children that had suffered the biggest loss and we tried to give them individual attention and make them follow the activity, which they did.
Conclusion and Steps to take in the future:
1. Our brief visit helped us confirm that these children need a long term program, they are responsive and willing to forget as long as they are taught how to and it is our repsonsibility to make sure we so our best in this endaevour.
2. Already, we have arranged to deliver text books (472 numbers) for the children so that they can prepare for exams. (17.1.05)
The AID office sent us the exact list and we got in touch with the publishers and they are giving it to us at 60% discount! Anyone who wishes to see the inovice, it is with me. (Krithika)
They are a mix of Tamil Medium and English Medium books for 11th and 12th standard. For 472 books, the cost is appr Rs.41968 , after 60% discount this works out to appr. Rs. 16787.2- we need to raise this money asap since the kids have exams in March.
Rotary House of Bangalore Cantonement have agreed to give us the money and the books should reach the children this week God willing.
3. I spoke to AID and he is willing to send me a detailed high priority list complete with the exact numbers required so that we can contact the manufacturers and get a discount and then raise the money to pay for it. I notice there are several people willing to contribute but want to know where their money is going. As long as transparency is ensured, we should be able to provide these areas with what they need with some effort. Once Murugan sends me the list, I will send it to all of you so that you can also make use of your contacts.
4. Anybody who wishes to help, kindly send me an email. We are not planning simply to collect donations, we can let you know the exact cost of a particluar item(s) on the high priority list by getting a couple of quotations from the manufacturers and then you can send your cheque directly to the company. That way we maintain complete transparency.
Together with Srishti, I am sure Dream a Dream can make a significant difference in these children's life and contribute immensely toward empowering them for their future.
Tsunami Relief Work
Tsunami Relief Work visit update
Dear All,
Please find below an update on what we did on our visit to Tsunami Affected areas between 9 to 12 Jan 2005.
Please note that this is only an initial update and is written by me for your information. The final report will be undertaken formally with all the members who came on the trip.
Krithika Velan
Tsunami Relief Work
Visit Date: 9.1.05 to 12.1.05.
People who went on the trip:
Meena Jain, Age 43, Special Educator and Therapist, Shristi Special Academy
Sharon Watts, Age 36, Special Educator and Therapist, Shristi Special Academy
Kedari, Age 30, Clinical Psychologist, Shristi Special Academy
Santha Parthasarathy, Age 74, Volunteer (came in individual capacity)
Sindya, Age 24, Volunteer, Dream a Dream
Krithika Velan, Age 27, Volunteer, Dream a Dream
Chandrappa, Driver, Valsala Travels
Objective: A needs assessment of the residents of the Tsunami affected areas, specifically the children in order to design a long term program that will facilitate recuperation and re-integration of the children into normalcy.
NGO that we worked with and helped us in Pondicherry: Aid India and Pondicherry Science Forum.
Areas visited:
Killai District: MGR Thittu and Muzhukuthorrai
Karaikal District: Pattinacherry
Mode of Transport: Bangalore-Pondicherry-Bangalore and interiors: Sumo, Valsala Travels
Photographs attached.
Report:
We visited (3) totally devastated areas and were able to speak to the surviving residents in order to assess the needs, specifically of the children.
9.1.05:
Having left at 5:30 am on Sunday morning (9.1.05) we reached Pondicherry at 2:00 pm.
We were told to visit the relief camp at Killai where affected residents of two villages i.e. MGR Thittu and Muzhukuthorrai were being taken care of.Killai is about 2.5 hours drive from Pondicherry.
Upon arrival, at about 6:30 pm, we met with Mr. Saravananan and Ms. Sashikala who took us around, we met some of the affected people and were briefed on number of deaths, number of families that had once occupied these villages.
The exact numbers will be included in the final report.
Approximately 737 people from MGR Thittu are temporarily housed in RS Kalyana Mantap. Sanitary facilities are not good. However all have been provided with new clothes and good food from the community kitchen.
From MGR Thittu the number of deaths are about 100.
The first day was spent brifely talking to the people and assessing whether they were being taken care of. A few children also were spoken to.
Games are being organised for these children since school is yet to re-start.
At the relief camp, a lady called Shafi Unisa has given her whole house (2 storeys) for the AID workers to sleep in and store and pack the materials! It's these small kindnesses throughout that are managing the show.
10.1.05
We left at 9:00 am to arrive at Killai relief camp at 11:30.
We were able to play some games with the children,Meena had them do some activity games. Some were very responsive but some small children (3 little boys) were just hanging onto their father having lost their mother.
We were also able to speak to some people.
They all had terrible stories to tell of loss and sorrow,
There is a real need for a long term rehabilitation plan that will help them overcome the trauma and depression that they are likely to go through.
On the way back, as providence would have it, something happened to our car and we had to go to Bombay Garage to fix it which was on ECR Road on the way to Makrkannam, another affected area 30km from Pondi that was being handled by Prepare.
There we met Ashok Kumar, another affected resident of the village. He had tried to save his grandmother but failed, only to watch her go under the boat and be swallowed by the wave.
He says that the government wants to relocate them to a cemetry! But they do not want to move. As it is, they have suffered enough than be relegated to living with corpses.
He mentioned that there are some actors nearby: Ms. Lata and Mr. Rajkumar who have 500 acres but refuse to part with even 5 for this relocation as a result of which so many are left homeless.
We could not continue onto Markannam since it was too late and instead proceeded to the AID office where we could decide which camp to go to the next day.
We decided to go to Karaikal to the affected area called Pattinachery.
We returned to the hotel at about 10:00pm.
11.1.05
We reached Karaikal at about 10:30 am and Mr. Balraj, a dedicated teacher from the Govt Middle School at Karaikal, took us to Pattinacherry camp.
The devastation here too was absolute. Concrete houses completely flattened. No trace that anything leave alone an entire village stood here less than 2 weeks back.
We spoke to several affected people before lunch.
I cannot even begin to describe the sorrow and devastation that is prevailing at the moment. The land was just flattened in a matter of 2 hours. No trace of the houses are left (even concrete!). You would not believe that once a peaceful fishing village lived there. These are rich people, not spectacular houses but all equipped with the latest TVs VCD/DVD players etc, their boats cost upto 3 lakhs! The wave swallowed everything.
We met tiny children who have lost their mothers,
a grandmother who locked her grandchildren in the house and went to the terrace when the wave came thinking they will be safe only to find that they drowned and she was safe,
one mother who had 2 daughters and one son who were brilliant "studied in English Medium" lost her children, She says she doesnt care about the compensation and just says its no use her children are now one with the sand.
the list is endless.
We did a short activity for the children at their school before taking a lunch break.
We also were told that there was a shortage of 90 school bags (only half the children were given bags earlier that week and the other half were not) so we bought them shortly after lunch at Karaikal.
Mr. Balraj, a teacher in Karaikal and the teachers at Pattinacherry are so dedicated and are trying very hard with the children. They know all the children by name and who lost which member of their family. The children are all so smart and energetic and really friendly.
The government has provided a temporary water connection at Pattinachery so that was good but there was a big fight at the Panchayat because the materials that were donated directly to the government were not being equitably distributed!
We handed over the bags after lunch and Meena did some relaxation therapy for the children with our help.
The teachers who are extremely dedicated to bringing the children back to normalcy told us which were the children that had suffered the biggest loss and we tried to give them individual attention and make them follow the activity, which they did.
Conclusion and Steps to take in the future:
1. Our brief visit helped us confirm that these children need a long term program, they are responsive and willing to forget as long as they are taught how to and it is our repsonsibility to make sure we so our best in this endaevour.
2. Already, we have arranged to deliver text books (472 numbers) for the children so that they can prepare for exams. (17.1.05)
The AID office sent us the exact list and we got in touch with the publishers and they are giving it to us at 60% discount! Anyone who wishes to see the inovice, it is with me. (Krithika)
They are a mix of Tamil Medium and English Medium books for 11th and 12th standard. For 472 books, the cost is appr Rs.41968 , after 60% discount this works out to appr. Rs. 16787.2- we need to raise this money asap since the kids have exams in March.
Rotary House of Bangalore Cantonement have agreed to give us the money and the books should reach the children this week God willing.
3. I spoke to AID and he is willing to send me a detailed high priority list complete with the exact numbers required so that we can contact the manufacturers and get a discount and then raise the money to pay for it. I notice there are several people willing to contribute but want to know where their money is going. As long as transparency is ensured, we should be able to provide these areas with what they need with some effort. Once Murugan sends me the list, I will send it to all of you so that you can also make use of your contacts.
4. Anybody who wishes to help, kindly send me an email. We are not planning simply to collect donations, we can let you know the exact cost of a particluar item(s) on the high priority list by getting a couple of quotations from the manufacturers and then you can send your cheque directly to the company. That way we maintain complete transparency.
Together with Srishti, I am sure Dream a Dream can make a significant difference in these children's life and contribute immensely toward empowering them for their future.
Krithika Velan
href="https://edir.bulk-online.com/oldedirredirect/201181.htm" target="blank">https://edir.bulk-online.com/oldedirredirect/201181.htm
Photo:
Flattened Pattinacherry
Attachments
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