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Notes from the field |
Jan_12_2k5 :: Breaking the Tide !
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What a day! The Ritinjali team took the fishermen, got on a boat and went to the sea for the first time after the tsunami waves struck. They were afraid, trepidation was writ large on their faces. But with some encouragement and motivation from the Ritinjali team they took this first, important step.
The group that went was largely made up of men. The women of the community are still very scared. The fishing expeditions, we hope, will continue to help them overcome their fear. They caught fish this time and as things slowly become a bit more like they used to, we hope faith will be restored in the ocean, the source of income for many.
Back on dry land, the Activity Centre is continuing its programme with the children and keeping the community engaged.
The team is also scheduled to meet the District Collector of Karaikal to discuss how to engage the youth of the community, constructively. A discussion on the Life Skills programme is also planned. |
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Jan_11_2k5 :: Kabbadi hits Kalikuppam!
Sports and cultural activity competition was held at Kallikupam today. Mr. Kapur and Mr. P Mohan had the entire village looking forward to events like Kabbadi and Football matches, skipping competition amongst young children and adults of the village. We got the entire community involved in organizing, participating and enjoying the myriad events.
The children also participated in singing, dancing and art competitions. The previous evening a Tamil film was screened for the entire village; this night was no different. After the competitions, a comedy show was organized for the entire village.
Ritinjali has also identified 3 local educated youths, from the village, who will work closely with Ritinjali. Out of the three youths, one has completed his BSc. He is from a farming family and Ritinjali will help him study further. Another young man hails from a fishing background; we will help train him in advanced fishing techniques, so that he can disseminate this knowledge further within the community.
The team also visited the college in Karaikal and met the faculty and students of the Social Welfare Department of the college. The department has committed that two of its students will do their fieldwork in Ritinjali's project in Kallikupam. They will handle Ritinjali's project there.
The Tamil festival of Pongal is approaching. Ritinjali is buying all the material required for celebrating Pongal and giving it to the 173 families of the village. The team will participate in the Pongal celebrations alongwith the village.
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Jan_10_2k5 :: Sobering news from Karaikal
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We started early in the morning and visited 5 villages on the eastern coast. The tsunami has caused immense destruction all over, the magnitude of which these figures tragically reflect:
Village |
Number of Deaths |
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Adults |
Children |
Mandapathur |
22 |
19 |
Kallikupam |
9 |
14 |
Akkampattai |
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Kotticherimedu |
9 |
6 |
Keedakasakuimedu
(Out of backward population of 194) |
40
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The fury of the waves was such that 200 patients that were admitted in a hospital, located between these villages, also died in their hospital beds.
We were carrying the relief material with us. We had 1170 bags that had been packed earlier and 1300 kgs of rice. We distributed the amount in the above villages as follows:
Village |
Relief material |
Bags |
Rice |
| Mandapathur |
151 |
150 kgs |
Kallikupam |
170 |
200 kgs |
Akkampattai* |
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300 kgs |
Kotticherimedu |
320 |
200 kgs |
Keedakasakuimedu |
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160 |
165 kgs |
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369 |
285 kgs |
* - Prior to Ritinjali's arrival, Akkampatai had been visited by another organization and relief material had been distributed there. Therefore no bags were given out there.
The school at Kallikupam has been totally destroyed by the waves. The schools at Pondichery are slated to start only after the 17 th of January.
Ritinjali is starting a basic school facility from tomorrow. We are organizing sports competitions, arts and crafts and other extra-curricular activities for the students. We have also identified a teacher to co-ordinate the activity. We wish to engage the community and the students in constructive activity and bring normalization to their lives.
:: Ritinjali's Plan of Action as of Jan_11_2k5 ::
- We will attend the NGO meeting at the Nagapattiam Regional Administration Office, Tamil Nadu. The Regional Coordinator has called this meeting to congregate all the NGOs working in the region for distribution of tasks. We will attend the meeting and report further on the same.
- Post immediate relief work, Ritinjali's focus is the livelihood of the victims. We plan to work with the inhabitants of these villages and help them re-establish themselves.
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Jan_04_2k5 :: Relief Material Delivery
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Every one at Anand Gram waits impatiently for the delivery truck to arrive. At 3:30 pm, as the truck rolled in, volunteers and members poured into Anand Gram to load the truck.
A total of 1003 bags along with sacks of rice (aprox 3300 kgs), dal etc were loaded on the truck. A Ritinjali employee also accompanied the trucks to the final destination. |
Jan_03_2k5 :: Relief Package Preparation
Packing efforts are in full swing today. Children and adults alike are pitching in working in an assembly-line fashion to load all the items into packing bags for safe delivery. It is a rather time consuming task, but an extremely worthwhile one.
Many survivors have been refusing relief materials simply because of the way they are either extremely old or bedraggled or have been strewn across the street. Making individual packages for families, we believe, is a respectful and useful way to provide immediate support. |
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Jan_02_2k5 :: Relief Package Preparation
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Towards the end of the previous day, a canter loaded with stuff from Ritinjali Office at Mahipalpur had arrived at Anand Gram. Since it was late at night (read below!) all the materials were stored away.
Today we got together and started sorting and counting the in-kind donations we had received. Only the best and most useful materials (saris, chadars, utensils, etc.) were sent in the bags as extras. The rest were discarded. |
Jan_01_2k5 :: Relief Package Preparation
It is 12:30 AM. We received further supplies of utensils and clothes today. We got an overwhelming response from people as we started to put the material sorted out the previous day in to bags specially made for the purpose.
As we were packing the materials we realized that we need a further supply of 500 bags to be able to pack all the supplies that we had purchased along with those we had received as donations. Our suppliers were however prompt enough to provide us the same in no time.
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The day ended with all the 1000 bags packed and ready to be transferred to Chennai and Pondicherry and though we were all tired, we were satisfied that we dedicated the first day of the year to a good cause. |
Dec_31_2k4 :: Relief Package Preparation
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As had been discussed in the previous days meetings Ritinjali members and a good number of volunteers got together to undertake the packaging of the materials that we had purchased for distribution at the tsunami hit areas as per our plan.
It was touching to see how many clothes, utensils and various other materials people had donated. It was quite a handful to pack! |
| In the mean time the cash donations kept flowing in. Our aim was to get 1000 bags ready to be delivered in a truck load to Pondicherry and Chennai. We worked the entire afternoon and sorted out all the materials ready for packing.
Meanwhile, Mr. Aman Sawhnay volunteered go to the affected areas to co ordinate the relief activities undertaken by Ritinjali, raising our morale and candor in doing our bit. |
Dec_30_2k4 :: Relief Packaging, Delivery and Distribution Plan
Based on reports from tsunami survivors conveyed to us by our Chennai volunteers, we will be sending packed bags containing the following relief materials:
| Item |
Quantity |
| Bedsheet |
1 |
| Towel |
1 |
| Dhoti |
1 |
| Saree |
1 |
| Serving Spoons |
2 |
| Pot |
1 |
| Plate |
3 |
| Glass |
3 |
| Candles |
4 |
| Match Box |
2 |
| Soap |
1 |
Each bag costs approximately 300 Rs. We are immediately loading delivery trucks with 1000 packed bags, bringing our total cost to 3 lakh Rs.
Materials will be procured in Delhi (i.e. not Salem) to minimize costs with the exception of candles and matchboxes which will be ordered in bulk and directly delivered.
3 nodal packaging stations have been decided upon: (1) Ritinjali's Mahipalpur office; (2) Mr. Kapur's Anand Gram residence; (3) Ms. Mundle's New Friends Colony residence.
Mr. Sahni will facilitate the distribution of materials in Nagapattinam by receiving materials from trucks, researching, and implementing distribution.
A task force will go to affected areas to assist with trauma counseling.
All donations will be handled by Mr. Atul Bakshi .
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Dec_29_2k4:: 3 Phase Plan of Action
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Ritinjali staff and board members decided that the relief effort will be carried out in areas north of Chennai and in Southern Pondicherry comprising three phases:
(1) Immediate relief: Supply of essentials needed urgently
(2) Tackling Contamination: Supply of medicines and other essentials required for tackling disease and general cleaning up of the affected areas
(3) Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
We will be distributing through the distribution network of the Hero Honda Group and Mother's Ashram in Pondicherry. Volunteer P. Mohan (Chennai) and P. Narang (Pondicherry) will oversee on-site operations.
Immediate relief begins today, with packed bags containing a sari, dhoti, chadar, towels, utensils, match box, candles, rope, glass, comb, and soap going out to distribution centres. The value of each packed bag should be between 250-350 Rs. Rice and kitchen utensils will be obtained from Salem.
Responsibilities have been allocated for coordinating procurement, packaging and transportation costs and donations, cash donations, other in-kind donations, and conceptualizing Ritinjali's reconstruction programme. |
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