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Malteser - three year report |
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INTRODUCTION On 26 December 2004 the coastal regions of India were ravaged by Tsunami waves that originated due to an earthquake in the ocean. The most affected area in the State of Kerala was Alappad Panchayat (village) in Kollam District. The area is surrounded by water on all four sides - the Arabian Sea in the west and the other three sides by a lake/canal. The area extends over a length of 17 km with a maximum width of 500 meters. This strip of land is connected with the main land with a bridge at the extreme end of the village. Sahayi, with its prior involvement with the community for capacity building to strengthen Local Self Governance Institutions in Alappad Panchayat made its crisis response intervention for Tsunami relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction there within two days of the global tragedy. Immediately after the calamity, members of the Sahayi team rushed to the spot, assessed the nature and extent of damage and got involved in the relief operations followed by the rehabilitation and reconstruction work, in consultation with the district administration and the local self government institutions. Considering its limited resources Sahayi decided to limit its intervention to this area since it was the worst affected area in the State. Sahayi’s approach was holistic in nature. The first priority was addressing the immediate needs followed by helping the affected people overcome their mental shocks, physical difficulties, psychological issues etc. The participatory approach applied to the rehabilitation work was very successful and helped the affected people maintain their dignity as human beings and rebuild new hopes and aspirations. Linking with the Local Self Governance Institutions (the Gram Panchayat) for the formulation and implementation of Sahayi’s rehabilitation programme was another successful strategy. The active participation of various stakeholders was solicited for the effective implementation of the programme.
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INTRODUCTION On 26 December 2004 the coastal regions of India were ravaged by Tsunami waves that originated due to an earthquake in the ocean floor. The most affected area in the State of Kerala was Alappad Panchayat (village) in Kollam District. The area is surrounded by water on all four sides - the Arabian Sea in the west and the other three sides by a lake/canal. The area extends over a length of 17 km with a maximum width of 500 meters. This strip of land is connected with the main land with a bridge at the extreme end of the village. Besides the uncountable lives that were lost, the infrastructure in the area took a heavy blow. The schools in the region were one of the worst affected. Though they could not have boasted of high class facilities even before the tsunami struck, they lost all the facilities and infrastructure that they had amassed over the years. The area has nine schools – six government schools and three private schools. The tsunami waves destroyed school buildings and infrastructure, furniture, teaching aids, library books, sports facilities and equipments etc. Sahayi with the help of One to One Children’s Fund, UK decided to organize immediate support to the tsunami affected government schools to restore the lost facilities. Sahayi selected six government schools to receive the support that they urgently required. The schools selected were Government Fishery Higher Secondary School, Kuzhithura, Government Vocational Higher Secondary School, Cheriyazheekal, Government Upper Primary School, Azheekal, Government Lower Primary School, Cheriyazheekal, Government Lower Primary School, Pandarathuruthu and Government Harijan Welfare Lower Primary School, Srayikkadu. Sahayi selected state government schools as they generally lack physical and infrastructural facilities. The reduction in the education budget at the time had worsened their situation. The tsunami affected schools lost the meagre facilities that they possessed. In two schools where buildings were completely destroyed, the government had initiated action to rebuild the school buildings. However no provisions were made for replacing the other facilities. Thus the school authorities appealed to NGOs to take up the work and restore these facilities. Sahayi in collaboration with One to One Children’s Fund, UK developed a holistic project which could be divided broadly into After School Centres Project and School regeneration Project.
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