Tsunami Relief & Rehabilitation Thank You !

Your Solidarity

Soon after the Tsunami struck our project area in Kanya Kumari, in Colachel seashore area, we sent out an appeal for you help in raising fund, so that we can atleast provide rehabilitation support. Many of you have immediately started working out ways to help us. A Big thank you. We have began our rehabilitation initiatives.

THANK you Andreas (War Resisters’ International, London) for redesigning the appeal and spreading it around the globe. We have many friends responding;

THANK you Simon (Europen Patent Office, Germany) for writing to us “ I will send a private donation from me and Julia Mayne for EUR 300 to your German bank contact today. Keep up the good work”.

THANK you Natasha (Macedonia) for writing “ Today in capital of Macedonia is day for collect the aid for the people victims of tsunami. In Skopje, 24 hours we have manifetsation in the center of town were all macedonian singer organize music festival, on the TV we have open programme 24 hours were the singer start on auction sell the clothes and other things, more than 100 companies bay the t-shirt, stickers, CD...and the singer today will be sing this and sell. All the money will be send to the countries effected by tsunamy. …. Please tell me what's your need - and when we can send some aids?

THANK you Baijayanta (Canada) for writing … “ your organisation is working on rehabilitation after the tsunami in Tamil Nadu. I am very much interested to learn more about what your operations may entail, and also, more about your organisation in general which, from the website, seems to do quite wonderful work. … If you think that I could drop by at some point, I would be very much appreciative.

THANK you Jill (Canada) for writing … “First of all I was shocked like so many about the effects for the Tsunami. I hope you will be able to do much to alleviate the destruction and upheaval for all involved…. My mother would like to make a contribution to Swadhina…. It is something like Euros 130….”.

THANK you Francis (Germany) for writing “ Simon told me about the devastation at the project at Colachel. My thoughts are with the people there. Humans are so vulnerable, when these things happen. I hope that you can help the people there build up their lives again. I will make a small donation.”

THANK you Andreas Lother for writing “ I participate in a German women's group which organized a seminar with Saswati Roy in 1997/98. We were also involved in organizing meetings with Saswati in different towns. Now I'd like to help you collecting money for Colachel. …German people who may want to help Indian people to build up their life. I suppose that a lot of my friends would support an organisation like Swadhina….”.

OUR First Phase of Rehabilitation:

School Childrens after receiving New Books and School Bags

Let 500 children go back to schools. They are a shocked lot ! A real trauma haunting them. They too have ran along with their parents, grand parents – for safe places. Leaving behind their favorite toys, books, school bags, school dresses. Hours later all lost to the fury of waves. They had two consecutive giant waves to wash out everything, one at 9.30 a.m. and the other at 10.30 a.m. The schools are to be opened soon. Let them go back to schools, these small children studying at primary level – play with their dear friends. We are providing them each with a School Bag, at least 10 notebooks, school dress and in some cases books. Let them smile again.

Swadhina Women's Group discussing the next action plan		Helping with books distribution

Let 300 women get back their lively hood: They are the hard sufferer. Besides losing their household goods, many of them feel homeless without homes, living in relief camps, in most cases in churches (majority of the Colachel fisher folks are Christian), distant relatives’ houses and temporary relief-sheds. They need to get back their homes. While men folks go out in deep sea for fishing, women are to fend the family – from cooking to helping family income by selling and marketing the fish, selling dry fish and so on. Many small boats (catamaran) and fishing nets are lost to waves. Plans are there to help re-establish and strengthen the women by:

• Providing support to women for re-starting fish selling
• Providing common fishing-net to be managed by women ’s groups
• Providing common rice grinder machine managed by women ’s groups
• Providing repairing support to repairable houses.