On Friday 30th March 2007, Chris Roles, Chief Executive of Y Care International, UK/Ireland, and Emile Stricker, Emergency Coordinator of the World Alliance of YMCAs, took part in a ceremony for laying the foundation stone of a new YMCA Vocational Training Centre in the Andaman Islands. The Andaman and Nicobar District of India, an archipelago situated in the Bay of Bengal, off the east coast of India, comprises around 570 islands. They were badly affected by the tsunami in December 2004 and pre- and post-tsunami earthquakes.
The Port Blair YMCA - the only established YMCA in the entire Andaman and Nicobar Islands - has been actively involved in tsunami emergency relief operations, which included the repair of 150 damaged houses and the construction of new houses for seven families. From the experience gained in working with tsunami-affected people and assessing the needs of their communities, the YMCA is now establishing a fully-fledged Vocational Training Centre in Mungulitan, a rural area near Indira Nagar, west of the District capital of Port Blair. The centre will be a campus of over 1,000 square metres, comprising an office building, workshops, and other facilities for carrying out the various vocational training programmes for young people. The centre will apply for recognition by the National Council of Vocational Training in New Delhi. Vocational Training is a new programme area for the Port Blair YMCA, which has been in existence for 45 years.
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India.pdf
YMCAs of India and the Tsunami: overview
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The International YMCA Team that was in SriLanka from 10-12 January then went to India, visiting some of the affected villages in Cuddalore District, Tamilnadu and Pondicherry. Leaders of the National Council of YMCA of India and the Madras YMCA, including the National General Secretary, and the President and General Secretary of the Madras YMCA accompanied the Team. Emergency relief response actions have been quick in the affected districts of Tamilnadu and Kerala. Long term plans for recovery of livelihoods and rehabilitation and community building were discussed and principles for implementation established.
The team was present at one of the relief distributions made by the Madras YMCA. This particular distribution was at Chinoor North, an affected coastal village in Cuddlaore District. All the residents of the village (approx. 200) received sleeping mats, cooking/home utensils and accessories, So far, relief of over five Lakhs Indian Rupees (approx. US$12,000) has been distributed in the Cuddalore District by the Madras YMCA.
In the evening, the Secretary General together with the General Secretary and leaders of the Madras YMCA had an audience with the Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry State. The Governor welcomed and recognised the efforts of the YMCA and called for its continued collaboration in much-needed rehabilitation of livelihoods, care for the children and reconstruction of homes for the survivors.
Dr. Bart Shah
Yip Kok Choong
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India is one of the regions most grievously hit, with south India, Andaman & Nicobar and Tamil Nadu in particular suffering the highest death toll of all. The Indian YMCA joins the country in mourning the death of the thousands of people who have fallen victim to nature's fury. It expresses solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of people who have lost their relatives or been rendered homeless and destitute. At least eleven thousand people have been reported dead and about half a million people are affected by the tragedy. Most of the families affected are poor fishermen living on the seashore. They have lost their huts and have no places to live now. Besides, their fishing boats and other fishing equipments are lost or damaged and hence living traumatized as their entire livelihood is gone.
The Indian YMCA rose to the occasion in providing immediate help to the victims of the selected worst affected areas of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Andhra Pradesh. YMCA high level teams comprising National leaders as well as the respective Regional and Sub Regional office-bearers, visited most of the affected areas of the country during the past one week in a bid to assess the quantum of the disaster and express our solidarity with the suffering people. It was also helpful in motivating the local YMCAs and co-coordinating the relief operations undertaken by them at various centers and ensuring effective networking with other local NGOs, service organizations, governmental agencies and district administration. To facilitate effective co-ordination and monitoring, Regional/ sub Regional level Co-ordination committees were also formed in view of the magnitude of the work and the need for long-term strategy for rehabilitation of the affected people.
Major Areas of Concentration & Relief Work undertaken
The Indian YMCA is currently working in the worst affected areas of the country viz. Nagapattinam, Colachal-Kottilpadu, Alappad-Arattupuzha in Kerala, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. YMCAs first response was to distribute essential food parcels, clothes and medical aid to the stranded and those who are in the relief camps. Ongoing needs assessment is taking place at various levels to determine further response in all of the affected areas through involvement of the YMCAs in the coastal areas.
Voluntary Involvements
I. Tamil Nadu
A. Nagapattinam, Cuddalore & Sawyerpuram
The initial important area of work undertaken was to help in the removal of debris and deceased and to help the people, not only those tragically killed, but the thousands or more who are also going to be displaced and will need shelter and food and clothing. Teams of YMCA volunteers actively involved in retrieving bodies and dead livestock from drains, debris, mud and water traps where they had been left by the waves.
YMCA volunteers were actively involved in:
1. Identifying the dead and participation in the disposal/burial of the deceased
2. Vacating people from the affected areas and setting up of the relief camps
3. Vacating hospital patients and inmates of other social institutions to safer places
4. Providing food for scavengers/volunteers/hospital staff
5. Coordinating the work of the voluntary organizations
6. Collection of information/conduct of survey on affected areas
7. YMCA Relief Camp office started operating at Nagapattinam
A. Colachal, Kottilpadu, Muttom, Kanyakumari Areas
Work includes the provision of medical aid, food, water and clothing as well as helping people deal with the psychological trauma of what has happened.
1. Helped in organizing relief camps in the affected areas particularly in Colachal and Kottilpadu areas.
2. Provided pre-cooked food and food materials in Relief camps according to the need
3. Supply of clothes-particularly under-garments
4. Counseling of the affected- traumatic people, particularly women and children
5. Distribution of Pots/vessels for collection and keeping of drinking water
6. Catering to the needs of the family based small units of the displaced living away from officially set up relief camps
7. Supply of medicines as per the need of the relief camps.
We have opened YMCA Information cum Relief centers in most of the relief camps and affected areas, which are managed by volunteers from nearby YMCAs. The Medial cum Disaster Management unit from Gandhidham YMCA is working in the area.
II. Kerala
The worst hit areas in Kerala are the coastal areas near to Karunagappally-Kayamkulam; Kollam and Ernakulam and maximum number of deaths and loss of houses were reported in Alappad and Arattupuzha villages near to Karunagappally and Kayamkulam respectively. YMCAs in Kollam, Alleppey and Ernakulam Sub Regions are actively engaged in the emergency relief work. The following major relief operations have been taken up.
1. Supply of Sustenance kits-food, clothes, particularly undergarments, medicines etc.
2. Arranging medical camps for the affected
3. Supply of milk, and nutritious food for children in the relief camps
4. Providing of Bags/boxes for safe keeping of personal belongings.
5. Supply of educational materials for the school, college children.
III. Andhra Pradesh- Machilipatanam and Nellore Areas
Concerted efforts have been made to provide relief to the people of worst hit areas of Machilipattinam and Nellore areas
1. Distributed food, clothing materials to affected families
2. Helped in providing safe drinking water to the people in Relief camps.
OUR IMMEDIATE CHALLENGE / ON GOING ACTIVITIES
Our challenges
Rebuilding the communities
A Major Housing Scheme for the homeless
Educational Help to the children
Support to Build up Career/vocation for the jobless
YMCA in India is struggling to respond to the tragedy in an effective manner and we need the assistance of our international service partners in many ways. People in the area have lost everything and we need to assist them so that they can rebuild their livelihoods and homes that were devastated by the tsunami.
The emergency in the tsunami-hit parts of peninsular India calls for a well-coordinated relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction effort. People belonging to all sections of society and the International partners in service must respond to the challenge and contribute generously in various ways. Caring relief apart, a massive re-housing Programme is a top priority. The loss of livelihood must be specially addressed and women and children provided safe shelter and sustenance. Long term needs of the affected people will be housing and repair/replacement of their fishing boats/nets. The Government has declared assistance to affected families. However it needs to be supplemented by assistance from people and organizations.
Another major challenge is to contain the spread of waterborne diseases, particularly malaria and diarrhea, as well as respiratory tract infections. Wells are affected and drinking water could be contaminated with sea water or overflowing sewage. Besides the immediate traumas they fear the spread of disease and the possibility of aftershocks. YMCA needs to involve actively in organizing medical related awareness camps/orientation programmes in the worst affected areas. With regard to the rehabilitation programmes, we need to assess the number of people who've been displaced, and what infrastructure has been affected. Hence a detailed survey is being conducted engaging volunteers and net working with other agencies or local government departments.
T. Thomas, National General Secretary, YMCA of India
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