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Nieuwbouw Anbu Illam

Op 26 december 2004 werd Chennai getroffen door de Tsunami. 

Het project Anbu Illam heeft planmatig hulp verleend. Hieronder volgt een samenvatting van het hulpverleningsplan

BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF OUR RELIEF WORK

Our relief work can be divided into three stages namely

  • Immediate
  • Intermediate
  • Long term

I IMMEDIATE – ( ADDRESSED TO ALL THE VICTIMS) We were in those affected areas on December,27th itself. During this stage we were involved in the immediate relief work consisting:

  • Helping the community to identify the dead bodies
  • Distributing Food and Clothes
  • Meeting those people personally who had lost their family members
  • Providing temporary shelter for children in our shelter homes
  • We set up a Child cell in two places to help the children in distress.
  • We printed leaflets and disseminated information among the people about childtrafficking and the availability of service for children.

II INTERMEDIATE RELIEF AND REHABILITATION ( CHILDREN CENTERED)
After three days we realized that there were a lot of people who are willing to give food and clothes to the victims. So we decided to focus on rehabilitation process. This consisted of

Conducting Exhaustive Survey of School Going children – we formed a net work with other concerned players and employed 70 people to conduct a survey of all the school going children in Chennai region. The survey is presented above.

Provision of Educational Material – The schools were reopened on 3rd of January. Our survey indicated many children have not returned to school. Among many reasons, the prominent one was – they did not have uniform dress, books, text books, writing materials etc. So we decided to provide educational materials to all these children. As of today 15th January, we have given to 3400 children in 7 schools. The whole process of distribution of text books will be over on 19th of January.

Provision of Food to Children Alone - In the process it was quite evident that the relief measures were mismatching the needs of the children in terms of food and clothing and recreation. So with the cooperation of the local leaders, we provide food for 500 children daily. We prepare food and distribute it wherever they are. It is so wonderful to notice the community leaders’ cooperation in the distribution.
We also help the private schools to initiate this process of distributing food in the school. We financially help the management to buy the provisions for cooking food. They cook food and feed 500 children daily.

RECERATIONAL FACILITIES – The children are always with the parents listening to the sad stories again and again. The parents hoping to get some relief from various agencies keep repeating their painful stories and what they have lost. When children listen to this again and again they lose their spirit of playfulness, spontaneity and all those characteristics of childhood. So we realized, if we have to get them together and tell them to be regular to schools – we need to provide recreation to them. So we send our staff with play materials to be with the children. They play together and help them to narrate their experiences and give confidence that they should not lose hope in future.

COUNSELLING - This is an area we have begun to concentrate. The people have to ultimately accept and reconcile with the tragedy. The faith aspect of the people is terribly broken. Once faith is lost to these people, there is nothing which can give them the ray of hope. Though we do not have trained personnel to do this important task, we send our barefoot counselors to relate with children and women. We are trying to get professional counselors from the respective colleges to help us in this process.

SHORT STAY HOME FOR CHILDREN OF X & XII CLASS - For these children this year is very important. The marks they get from the examination is going decide the rest of their future. They have hardly three months to go. They need a short stay home because they do not have any facility to study now. The little house they had, has been washed away, there is no electricity to study at night, there is no place to keep their note books and text books.

We have identified the place and the people to carryout this work, but due to lack of fund, we have put it on hold.

III LONG TERM PLAN FOR THE CHILDREN OF TSUNAMI
Different people look at this tragedy in different ways and perspectives. India being a religious country, some say it is a punishment on the people, while others assume it is a fate - people have to accept and few others have lost hope and faith in religion. But I believe and view that it is an opportunity to rebuild the lives, livelihood, education and the future of these people and children.

We are able to witness the solidarity and good will of the people from every quarter of our world. It is because they know, these people even in good times, did not have good housing, permanent source of income, an attitude to educate their children to pursue alternative employment opportunities and their future was always in the sea in a very precarious manner.

Therefore I do not subscribe to the theories of punishment, fate or unavoidable accident, but strongly believe it is a painful moment and one time opportunity the Nature has given us to reshape and reorient the future of the community. Based on this firm faith, we draw out the following objectives for the future of the children.

1. Follow up this Children and their education for Two More Years –

The children of fishing community have high vulnerability to discontinue their education. For example the number of children who finish their schooling is very few compare to the number of children who go to school initially.
Now we have the data of the children available with us. The schooling will be over for this year in March. After a gap of two months, they begin the school in June.

  • We wish to get them enrolled back into the school
  • If we could mobilize funds – we will provide them with note books (this is one of main reasons why they drop out)
  • Mobilize the community leaders and women groups to bring pressure on those parents who encourage children to participate in fishing and in sales.

2. Follow the School Children to their new settlements
This is the biggest danger we face today. If the Government shifts these people to some other place, it amounts to dislocation of the people. The children’s education will be discontinued because they have just three more months to complete their education. Parents can’t afford to pay the bus fare to reach the school.

We intend to follow the children wherever they are going to be shifted and provide teaching with in the community.
Negotiate with the Government to promote them to next class with less qualifying marks.

3. Provide focused attention to Orphans and semi orphans.
To avoid child trafficking and child abuse, we support the Government not to allow any adoption to take place for first three months. After three months, we would pick up those children and keep them under our care in our shelter homes for their education. We will form a committee from the community to keep watch of these children. It will be easy for us since we are recognized by the Central and by the State Governments with regard to our involvement with the children, and also we run and maintain CHILD LINE 1098 – a toll free help line for children.
4. Conduct Summer Camp for these Children
All the children will have two months of summer holidays in April and May. During these holidays, to keep the children engaged in constructive activities and to train them in child related activities and in issues, we have planned to conduct summer camps for these children.

Conclusion
Anbu Illam has always been present wherever the children were in distress and in great need. The recent Tsunami tragedy has made our presence indispensable among the children. We have accompanied the children of the disaster in every possible way. We would be very happy to receive your feedback and suggestions with regard to our relief and rehabilitation.