KANNAGI NAGAR SLUM - CHENNAI/MADRAS
YOUTH CLUB KANNAGI NAGAR
We have started some youth activities in the Kannagi Nagar slum. We call it "Youth Club" and we are mostly arranging sports activities and games for the kids that come. More importantly, it has also opened a door for us to share the Gospel with them. So far we have around thirty who regularly attend - all boys. We are continuously building relationships with them and praying for them.
KANNAGI NAGAR TUITION CENTER
Our tuition center in Kannagi Nagar now has ten teachers and a total of 208 children (of which 145 attend regularly). On Indian Independence Day we celebrated with dances, dramas and speeches. All the children showed up for this and many parents also came along. We sang worship songs, told stories and taught them all some Bible verses. The whole event went really well.
One of the students in the tuition center is Uma. She has been coming regularly for the last two months and she has already improved greatly in her tests and homework. She has also heard us talk about Jesus and how He hears our prayers. When Uma's mother was sick recently, Uma prayed for her the way she had seen us do and Jesus immediately healed her.
FISHERMEN'S VILLAGE - KOTTIVAKKAM
Desappan is in the 6th standard and is a very active and distracted boy. His family was deeply affected by the tsunami, but even before that he had problems in school. As long as we know he has had difficulties learning his lessons and doing his homework. Tutoring him has not been easy - he seems to take in information, but a few seconds later he simply forgets. One day one of our workers sat down with Desappan and told him the story about Solomon and how God blessed him with great wisdom. He then encouraged the boy to pray and ask the Lord to give him wisdom and knowledge. Since then Desappan is praying every day for help in his studies, and we have all noticed a radical difference! We have so many other stories like this from the tsunami affected children. God is answering their prayers and they know it. We are so grateful to God.
During the month of October we personally met with twenty five tsunami affected fishermen and we were able to share the Gospel and pray with most of these. Please continue to pray for our house visits and evangelism efforts in these tsunami affected villages. It takes a long time to see the fruit of our ministry, and we need to be patient.
COLACHEL
We recently met with the people from Alizkal to whom we had given new boats not too long ago. Forty people came, packed into two vans and we were surprised to see how many people showed up. We taught them on personal and community development, and then renewed our agreement for more boats. The meeting provided a good opportunity to find out what the community's strengths and struggles are. Soon after the meeting we provided the fishermen with 300 kg (600 lbs.) of new fishing nets.
Nazar and his wife Beema lives in Indra Colony in Colachel with their two children. Beema has lately been sick with a high viral fever and Nazar is suffering from high blood pressure. As they are now both sick they cannot provide for the family, or even pay for medicine and treatment. We really felt that we needed to help this family, so we took them to the hospital and covered their bills. After three days in the hospital they were doing a lot better. It can be so simple to show God's love in a practical way and we really pray that they will understand through this how much Christ loves them.
ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS
Bhanu and his wife along with their five children were living on the Nicobar Islands from many years. Bhanu is a videographer and he had his own studio on Nicobar. After the Christmas celebration at church last year, they were all in a deep sleep when the earthquake happened. They quickly got up and saw their broken studio with all the equipment in pieces. With a great disappointment, Bhanu took his only functioning video camera (which he had at his house) and started filming the damage from the quake. Soon after, they heard the sound of the tsunami wave and they started running away from their house. As Bhanu was a professional videographer, he captured all that happened. When the first wave came they were in a safe place, and the water only came up to their thighs. He thought that this was all that was going to happen, so he placed his family in a nearby house and continued filming the water. But suddenly the next wave came and put him under water for a few seconds.
At this point Bhanu lost his camera. Looking around he noticed that the only building still standing was the one where his family was. He made his way to them and with his family Bhanu waded towards the forest. As they were walking through the water he still remembers walking on dead bodies. Today Bhanu praises God that his entire family made it. But even though they are all still alive, Bhanu lost his studio and all his equipment in the water. They are now all living in temporary shelters at Port Blair. Our hearts went out to the family as we counselled them and prayed for them. We have been able to help Bhanu get started again in his video business, and for that he is very grateful.
YWAM Tsunami Relief Committee
Dear Friends,
Here is the latest update on the Tsunami relief and development work that we have taken on from YWAM Chennai. Please continue to pray for this situation as the drama of rebuilding people’s lives from a major devastation continues. Television and newspapers around the world have turned their attention to other major disasters but the work of rebuilding communities is not accomplished overnight. Pray for our workers who are living in the middle of this ongoing situation and seeking to bring help and relief.
Tim and Karol Svoboda
We are very pleased to report that the response to the tsunami has been amazing! We have received more than enough funds for the projects and places we have committed to and we are not needing any more funds at this time. We want to thank you all so much for your prayers and contributions. At the same time, we remember the various other places in the world where other disasters have struck and pray for those who have been similarly affected.
THE ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS
Our work on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is going very well, by the grace of God and the generosity of His people. Thank you for praying for us.
Repairing houses
Bamboo Flat is a village near Port Blair. The earthquake and the tsunami destroyed a lot in this area and many houses are still severely damaged or missing. Our team made a survey of the damage and decided to repair or rebuild all the houses in the village. In the future we are hoping to do similar surveys and re-building projects in many more villages on the islands. We are already working on the repairs of 140 houses.
Health Awareness and Counselling Program
We have focused our rehabilitation program on New Wandoor, an area 25 km from Port Blair. We recently held a Health Awareness and Counselling Program in this community and close to 200 people attended it. We arranged for one-on-one counselling, and a friend from the Health Department of the government taught on hygiene and precautions against diarrhoea, viral fevers and other infectious diseases. We provided tea and a small snack for the attendants, and it really helped us in building relationships with the villagers.
A helping hand to some forgotten tsunami victim
Dullaban and Suchitra are fishermen from Diglipur, south Andaman. When the tsunami hit and Dullaban saw the waves approaching he quickly ran to his boat and tried to move it into safety. Not only did he lose his boat, he also broke his back. Miraculously enough he did not get washed out to sea, but was left on the shore. Eventually people found him and brought him to the hospital. The government brought them to a relief camp and promised to provide shelter for them. Still, eight months later, they haven't gotten anything from the government. Three of their children have missed their entire school year since Dullaban and Suchitra couldn't afford tuition, school books or uniforms. When we met them in a small rented hut we listened to their story, prayed with them, helped their children with getting into school and shared the Gospel with them. All their children now go to school, and the whole family regularly attends a nearby church.
Maharani Das
Maharani Das is an elderly lady who lived near the shore in New Wandoor along with her daughter and grandson. They made their living running a small grocery shop and a tea stall on the roadside. Decemebr 26th, 2004 they were shocked by the sudden earthquake, but instead of running out of the house they panicked and hid inside. While sitting inside they heard a loud roar, so they ventured out to see what it was. An enormous wall of water was rushing towards them. They tried to outrun the wave, but it was too late. Before they knew it they were tossed about under water, but amazingly none of them were killed.
When our team visited them they ascribed their luck to their gods. Needless to say their house, tea stall and grocery shop were all washed away by the tsunami. They are now living in temporary shelters and we were able to help them out with groceries and household utensils. We also shared the Gospel and prayed for them.
POWERHOUSE CHURCH TSUNAMI PROJECTS IN KARGIL
Vetri Nagar, located in Kargil Nagar, near Ennore is a place where around 2600 families from 8 fisher colonies have been provided temporary shelters by the Government. One of the local churches in Chennai, Powerhouse Church, has been involved with helping the people there and recently we have decided to aid them in their work. Powerhouse Church has been working there since January and has three full-time workers there. They have rented a thatched roof facility, which is their base, from where they run a tailoring center as well as a new church for the tsunami affected. Over the last two months, they have run two youth camps (for boys and girls separately), a children's VBS and tuition classes for young students. The response to their ministry has been very encouraging and over 30 people have accepted Jesus in the last few months and around 100 people are currently attending this new church.
They have also focused on "alternate livelihood development projects" and have helped 42 people to start small businesses such as general stores, fish stalls, tricycle rickshaws etc.
Unfortunately all the temporary shelters and the peoples' belongings were completely destroyed in three major fires last month. The people now face the same situation they did right after the tsunami, with no food, shelter or clothing. One NGO (non-government organization) has provided them with tarps to use as roofs, and the government has given a compensation of Rs. 2000 (approximately USD 50) per family. Since they are back in the relief phase, having lost everything that was supplied to them earlier by NGOs and others, there is now an immediate need for basic relief materials such as cooking utensils and vessels.
There is also need for boats and nets for fishermen and material for other "alternate livelihood projects".
As YWAM Chennai we have decided to contribute financially to the projects that Powerhouse Church is conducting. Together we were just recently able to provide over 2600 families with cooking vessels, rice, oil and lentils. We are also looking into how to further work with them in the future, in providing staff or even starting additional projects. We will keep you posted as things develop.
HARVEST APOSTOLIC MINISTRIES - HOUSE OF HOPE
As we reported in an earlier update, another organisation we are working with is Harvest Apostolic Ministries. They have recently started a Children's Care Project for tsunami affected children. The facility for this project is called House of Hope where they are housing the children. The children are well taken care of. The staff helps them with laundry, they have an outing once a week, they are given nutritious food and offered a good environment to grow. The parents who have come to visit have been very impressed. The facility is 12,000 square feet, and provides bunk beds with sheets, towels, soap, washrooms, sitting areas and indoor toilet facilities. The children have chapel every day, and attend church on the weekends. Once a week the kids have special activities led by a children's evangelist. The ministry makes sure that all the children attend school and are providing a ride for all of them in their own school bus.
Seeing the tremendous work they are doing we decided to help them out, so at this point we are contributing to the House of Hope financially. Pray for these children, that they would grow up become men and women of God!
FISHERMEN'S VILLAGE MINISTRY
One of our main focuses in Besant Nagar has been the peanut sellers. They lost everything in the tsunami but we have been able to get them back in business by giving them new peanut carts. We can now gladly report that they attend church regularly, and that the government has provided new houses for them. This is a miracle, and the peanut sellers give Jesus the credit for their new accommodation. We just handed over three more push carts to some other tsunami affected peanut sellers that we weren't able to help last time. Thank you very much for contributing to this project and for praying for the sellers.
This last month we were able to distribute 150 school bags, umbrellas, geometry boxes, pens and pencils to the tsunami affected fishermen children. The parents were just as grateful as the children and most of them came to thank us personally. It was very encouraging.
COLACHEL
Last month, we were able to give 10 boats to be shared among 40 families in the Colachel area (4 families per boat). With each boat we also gave 3 types of nets -- to catch different kinds of fish in different seasons. They have already started to use the boats and nets and in their first trip they had a big catch of prawns. We had a handing-over ceremony with the local politician, police officers and the local Roman Catholic Father in attendance. The fishermen and their families are very happy to be able to go out into the sea again! Now we have received applications for boats from other families in the area.
We have also received proposals from the local Catholic church to help them with education of college-going kids, a computer centre and small scale business for handicapped people as well as other development projects. So we are looking into partnering with them in these ventures. We will be giving a moped to a handicapped person who lost all his things in the tsunami so that he can sell dried fish. We are happy to report that other organisations have been given the go-ahead to build houses so people will be getting houses again soon.
YWAM Chennai Tsunami Relief Committee
Chennai – Chinnanikuppam
We have started a tailoring unit for women who have been affected by the Tsunami at Chinnanikuppam which is on the south coastal area of Chennai. This is a six month course where the women would be taught how to stitch Indian traditional dresses for women, and shirts and trousers for men.
We have also conducted a small businesses developmental training program for those who were given peanut carts. Most men who received new peanut carts attended this seminar. One man who had received a peanut cart has given his life to Jesus and is being discipled now.
Chennai – Children’s Home - House Of Hope
We are starting up a children’s home in partnership with Harvest Apostolic Ministries, a church here in Chennai. Through this partnership, a children’s home, named “House of Hope” will be established for 30 children (15 boys and 15 girls) from families directly affected by the tsunami, in Pondicherry and Sirkali. Ten of the children are semi-orphans and all others have both parents alive. All these children come from families that were severely hit by the tsunami, whose houses have been destroyed and whose livelihood has been disturbed.
These children are brought to Chennai to have better education with the full consent of their family members and church pastor (most of these children's families are believers). The children will be placed in good schools in Chennai. There are more children who wanted to come, but we have taken only what we can handle. As well, we have carefully scrutinized the children to accommodate the most affected children and we have made sure that not more than one child from the same family is taken.
We hope to give them the best education and the best environment possible to grow. They will be allowed to go home during their holidays and the children's parents are allowed to come and visit once a month, if they want. We also plan to arrange for the children to be able to go back to their villages to be with their families on weekends.
For House of Hope we are providing clothes, beds, bedding, furniture, school supplies, school tuition, medical tests, kitchen supplies and sports equipment. We will also be giving the initial support to the home for food, travel, schooling and medical needs.
Andaman Islands Report – Temporary Shelter
In the Andaman Islands, the government had promised to rehabilitate the tsunami victims in the months of May. The government made many temporary shelters and people have already started moving into their new houses. At Dairy farm, Tirupati camp there are 50 families who lost their houses and everything in the tsunami. For them, the government was not taking any initiative to build houses for them so we decided to make 50 temporary shelters for them with the help of the government.
The government is providing the materials and YWAM is helping to build the shelters with the labor charges and the tools. The place where the camp is now located belongs to the Army and Air Force and by request from the local political leaders they granted the land for the construction of temporary shelters. The place is a mountain area, the leveling work of the ground is completed, and currently they are in the process of setting pillars and roofs.
Distribution
At Chouldary camp we found that these people felt their main needs were for undergarments and utensils. For several months they have been cooking together but now they are moving to temporary shelters and they need to cook individually. So we distributed some utensils like pans, spoons and bowls, as well as the undergarments for men and women. We distributed those items to 90 men and 65 women.
Satyavathi was very happy on 26th December as her first daughter in law was taking baptism in the early hours of 26 December. Her daughter in law was a Hindu and Satyavati had been praying for her to be saved for a long time. On that particular day she was so excited and was hurriedly finishing all her work in order to attend the Sunday worship. But then she saw the coconut trees waving unusually and she thought it might be a dream. Suddenly she just fell down to the ground. She got up from there and ran to the roadside where she saw everyone running towards the hill.
She cried and started running along with them. Water came high up and splashed three times. The ground was also shaking. Then she ran to her friends from her church and they joined hands together and started praying. They thought that this would be the end of their lives. After a few hours the sea calmed and all those who were on the hill were safe.
Later she was invited by her friends and stayed in their house for many days. But now she has lost everything. All her belongings were washed out by the tsunami. We met her personally and counseled and prayed for her. Her daughter in law has accepted Jesus in her life and she is going to be baptized very soon.
Latest Andaman Projects
In Hut Bay we have given school scholarships to 50 students. Those 50 students are from the tsunami camp and had lost everything. We gave them school bags, socks and shoes, water bottles, geometry boxes, note books and lunch boxes. School uniforms will be given in our next trip. We are also starting up a small tailoring school in the area which will ultimately help the ladies affected by the tsunami to earn income.
Project in South India - Peace Foundation
We have partnered with an organisation called Peace Foundation to help those affected in a place called Myiladudurai. Through this organisation we have distributed 10 cows with their calves to 10 women of self-help groups. They sell the milk from their cows to supplement their income. All the 10 women and their families have been affected by the Tsunami. We have also started a thatch knitting unit in Myiladudurai. Here they produce thatch leaves which will be used to build houses. All the people involved in this project are affected by Tsunami.
We have also started a brick kiln through Peace foundation who is running these projects for us. They have produced 6,000 bricks to date. The site where the brick kiln had originally been proposed to be was too badly damaged by sea water so the soil in this area could not be used. When they shifted the site of the brick kiln they had rain which prevented further delay in this project. Praise God that now his project has finally started.
-- YWAM Chennai Tsunami Relief Committee
Dear Friends,
Here are some pictures for our next update on the Tsunami relief work that we are doing. There are tons of pictures to send you but I don’t want to overwhelm your inboxes. I have tried to keep the size down. Thanks for your prayers. Our teams on the field continue to serve and need your support in prayer.
YWAM Chennai Tsunami committee.
Boats damaged in Andaman Islands after the tsunami
These are some of the temporary camps that were erected right after the tsunami by the local people.Our teams did basic health care in these camps and tried to get them into better housing.
A YWAM team helps to build a cover over a well that a child fell into and died in a tsunami affected area.
A peanut salesman pushes away his new cart that you helped provide for him. Their carts were washed away in the Tsunami.
Cleaning up the debris from the tsunami
YWAM Vehicle arrives with relief goods.
Counseling a fishermen after the tsunami
Some of the relief items distributed to 100's of families.
Packaging the relief items for distribution
A YWAMer helping to distribute relief items
One of the camps for those who lost their homes.
YWAMers building a temporary house.
Dear Friends,
Here is our next report of the work that is being done by YWAM amongst the Tsunami victims. Just the other day another large earthquake struck near to Indonesia. Those that are living on the shoreline in Tamil Nadu began to flee and find alternative housing as they were fearing another Tsunami. Now that this second scare of a tsunami has happened the government may start moving people further away from the ocean which means many of the fishermen will start looking for alternative employment. The fishermen here discern the right time to go fishing by their close proximity to the ocean. Below is our current update.
Chennai: Besant Nagar, Kottivakkam, Chinnadikuppam
Not only did the Tsunami devastate the fishing community but also many people who have other types of jobs that were living near to the ocean lost all that they had. Our YWAM workers Ravi and Rhema discovered a group of Peanut sales men who lost their push carts during the tsunami. Ravi and Rhema did a survey amongst them and found out who needed new pushcarts. You can see the picture here of 25 peanut sales men getting new push carts that we made for them. We also gave them a kerosene stove for cooking the peanuts and pots. This was distributed to them at a local church. We are now following up on these peanut sales men and sharing the gospel with them. We will be holding a business meeting for them to help them understand how to budget their finances and help them to be successful in their sales. We are now identifying more peanut sales men who need carts and in the weeks to come we hope to be able to help some more.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
In the Andaman Islands we are getting lots of good opportunities. Rajan and Jolly John are leading the work there. Here is what they are doing.
• Starting a tailoring institute to teach girls on how to stitch clothes and then they can find jobs.
• We distributed Spices, Bathing soap, T- Shirts, Coconut oil, and Mosquito coils to 300 families.
• We are going to sponsor 200 school going children who lost their belongings in the Tsunami in three different locations. We will be giving them Text books, Note Books, Uniforms, Shoes, socks, School bag, and a box for their pens, pencils, and other school supplies.
• Starting a tuition centre that will cater to 50 of the above students.
• Repaired a dangerous well that one child fell into and died.
• Finished building a second temporary house.
• Counseling program is going on every day for those that were emotionally affected by the Tsunami.
Chennai: Thoraipakkam
Our tuition centre is now built and is right in a prime spot where the government has moved many tsunami displaced people. There are 1300 families in the picture you see below. Behind our tuition centre there are another 12,500 (out of which 2100 families were effected by the tsunami) families that were put there before the tsunami by the slum clearance board of the city. Here are some things we are doing and have accomplished.
• 190 children attending the tuition centre on a daily basis. You can see the tuition centre below and in the background is the temporary housing for 1300 families that the tsunami effected people are living in.
• We conducted an awareness program on the tsunami and how to rebuild their lives for 1200 people.
• We are in constant touch with government officials in this area on how to move forward.
• We conducted counseling meetings for three days which was attended by 50 people each day.
• We are networking with all the area pastors to see the church grow through our efforts.
• We are now preparing a business plan to help these people get new jobs when the government shifts them to another location about 8 kms away. We are working with the government on this proposal.
• We are going to give polio drops to 5000 families.
• We are planning on running a Vacation Bible School for 6 days in the month of May for 10,000 children.
• We are giving 500 children school uniforms, notebooks, and shoes.
• We will be conducting a free eye camp in the coming weeks where eye doctors will inspect peoples eyes and give them eye glasses or provide them with surgery free of charge.
Colachel
Our team is there building good relationships with many of the local fishermen and this is opening doors for us to do some long term ministry in this area. Our team leaders Mark and Hepsiba have settled in the area along with their team. Here is what they are doing.
• They are working in a Muslim village that has about 45 families and trying to see if we can build them homes. We are working with the community and they are approaching the government to get orders on where we can start rebuilding.
•They also are opening a tailoring unit to help girls get jobs and a tuition centre.
•They have opened a tuition centre in this Muslim village for the children.
YWAM Chennai Tsunami Relief Committee.
Dear friends,
Greetings from Chennai. Here is a brief report for you on the work that has transpired thus far.
At present there are 4 YWAM teams that we are overseeing that are working long term in relief, rehabilitation and developmental work. They are as follows:
• Colachel - South Tamil Nadu. They have presently been building relationship with 45 Muslim families who have had no relief work being done amongst them. We have built a community kitchen for them and just the other day we put the electricity in it for them. We have also built a washing area for them. We are also trying to start a tutoring centre for the children which will give us long term relationships into the community.
We have an Indian outreach team there right now that is building relationships with them. Also in another village the other day we have distributed 1015 kilos of rice 203 kilos of dhal, 203 liters of cooking oil. This was given to 203 families who are still living in tents. We are now looking at starting a tailoring unit there. We are now providing a large fishing net that can be used and owned by 50 people along with three boats. Since the fishermen have adopted a strategy of not using the fishing boats or nets distributed to them until everyone in the village has got them, we are making them agree to a contact between YWAM and the village. The contract is as follows:
They use the net immediately upon receiving it, failing which, we will take the net back and give it to another village which will use it immediately. They pay a nominal fee as a village for the net they use, which in turn will be used by us in that village for other developmental purposes. They save money to purchase another net within a certain period and if they do so, then they can stop paying the nominal fees. This has been adopted by us so that they would work towards their own development.
When the fishermen saw our intention of not just handing out free nets and boats to them they were very happy as they felt some dignity and wanted to also show their ability to use what was given to them. We are also looking into starting a tuition center in partnership with Compassion International and they will then start supporting select children from age 4 to the time they graduate from high school and possibly college.
• Andaman Islands: We have a couple there for the next two years. Right now a team from YWAM Varanasi and YWAM Pune are there with them helping with the relief work. Some of them went to Hut Bay which is a ten hour boat journey from Port Blair the Capital. In many places for ˝ to 1 kilometer inland houses and buildings are devastated. Even concrete structures have come down. The team stayed in one of the few houses that was still standing. They were able to give our soap, sandals, clothing, mats and other basic essentials to 630 families who were very grateful. We are looking into building temporary houses right now for several families. You can see a picture to the right where our workers are giving out relief materials.
• Kottivakkam, Besant Nagar, Chinnandikuppam – Chennai. These are three fishing villages on the south side of Chennai. YWAM has a ministry in these areas for the last several years. We are now expanding that. We are now starting a new tailoring unit in one village in partnership with a local church to help the ladies get alternative employment. We are expanding another tailoring unit that we have in another village. We are also going to bring in a person who can just do counseling for those who are struggling with post tsunami problems. In another area we have identified 25 peanut salesmen who lost their entire business due to the tsunami wave that hit where they were living. We are supplying new pushcarts for them so they can go back to selling their peanuts. We are also looking into taking a place where we can start a Sunday School program. In this village there is no church but through this one could be planted.
• Thoraipakkam – Chennai. About 500 families from a tsunami hit area were moved into this slum. YWAM already has a ministry going on in this slum which has a population of more than 100,000 people in it. Just near to this slum the government has built a huge area of temporary housing for those who were affected by the tsunami. There are more than 1400 families moving into this area that you can see below. More of these temporary sheds are being built right now.
Our team there is starting a tuition centre for 400 children who have been affected by the tsunami. We are in the process of securing the land right now and putting up the temporary shelter. Teachers have already been identified from local churches in the slum or around the slum which will also help with the long term work there.
These families will be living in these temporary sheds for about 6 months after which the government will move them to another location where they are building for them permanent flats. Our team is already planning on entering that new place so that when the people are shifted we can continue on with job training and relational building with them.
We also are now forming partnerships with other churches and para church organizations that are doing excellent work but lack funding. We are now starting to fund an effort in Nagapattinam for a brick kiln. Since construction is going to be a big emphasis there will be a need to provide construction materials. Many fishermen will not go back to fishing because of the politics with the government going on as explained above. Therefore a brick kiln will help them to find alternative work options.
We are also looking into funding an effort for women to make sanitary feminine napkins. Many of them are suffering from infections due to the unsanitary methods they presently use and this would give employment to quite a few. We are also negotiating with churches to help them run medical clinics and start small tuition centres so they can build a better rapport with their local communities and thus make their churches grow.
Below are a few pictures from the Andaman Islands of how the tsunami brought destruction. Thank you for praying for us as we continue on this task.
YWAM Chennai Tsunami Relief Committee.
Dear Friends,
Good things are happening and we want to give you an update on the situation.
First of all we have been able to stretch ourselves and release long term leaders to coordinate the relief and development work in the Andaman Islands and down south in Colachel. Rajan and Jolly John have been working with YWAM here in Chennai and were hoping to return to Thailand where they were working for a short time. They have felt a call to work in Thailand but have had difficulties in getting the necessary paper work and visa. They still hope to go there someday but they are now looking at a minimum involvement for the next 2 years and longer in the Andaman Islands.
Rajan and Jolly John are on the right side of the picture saying good bye to their family at the Chennai airport as they boarded the flight the other day to go to the Andaman Islands. He is right now meeting with key government and church leaders to see how YWAM can help in the present situation. Many of the people are still living in the temporary camps as the infrastructure of the outlying islands has been devastated and they cannot return. A team from North India is traveling by ship to join them in just a few days carrying with them 20 water filters, clothing and material.
Mark and Hepsiba Antony were recently married. Hepsiba pioneered our day care ministry here in the city of Chennai and has done incredible work sharing the gospel to many young children and parents. Mark has been involved in a district wide effort of training leaders for cell churches. They have decided to move to Colachel for a minimum of two years to help coordinate our efforts there.
This will be a tremendous blessing to have two strong Indian couples who are proven leaders and hard workers overseeing and giving direction to our efforts in these areas. The work of rebuilding the communities will go on for at least one to two years as there are all sorts of problems that need to be sorted out. Having these leaders on location will help us to identify the appropriate needs.
In Chennai, our leader Samuel and his wife are working in a large slum of about 100,000 people. Samuel was our leader who was on vacation in Colachel over Christmas when the Tsunami hit. He was involved in relief work up until just a few weeks ago. He came home to Chennai to resume his work in this large slum.
The fishermen in Madras who were living in thatched huts on the seashore in the city also had apartments in cement buildings that they were renting out to others. Those fishermen have now taken back their apartments as the government is not allowing anyone to rebuild housing near to the seashore. Therefore more than 800 families were displaced from the fishermen’s apartments and the government moved them all into the slum where Samuel is working. They have placed these people in temporary shelters in the slum. So the tsunami is now displacing even more people. Samuel has swung into action and is already networking with the government to see if he can start a tuition program for more than 400 children who have been displaced from their homes and now living in temporary shelters in this large slum.
In Colachel we located two colonies that have very little relief work reaching them. The people’s houses were completely destroyed and they lost most of their possessions. YWAM has built a community kitchen for them with ten stoves and we are providing for them rice, lentils, oil, sugar, tea, plates, cups, and a plastic bucket. This community that we are working in are typically resistant to Christians and we count it a privilege to be working amongst them. Most of all the team in this area is building good relationships with the people and taking the time to minister to them.
Here are a few stories from our workers… Ajish is a 30 year old man. His wife Sumia (21) and his 8 month old daughter were living on the seashore of Colachel. He was working in the harbour and also making baskets. When the tsunami wave came his whole house was destroyed and his wife and daughter were killed by the wave. His mother and father are very sad due to this loss. Our team members are talking with him and spending time to encourage them and help in whatever ways they can.
Mohammad Hanifa is a 27 year old man married to Fathima Beevi who is 22. They have a two year old daughter and Fathima is expecting another child any day. Mohammad works in the harbour. He was not in his house the day the tsunami wave came but his wife and child were. When she saw the wave coming she ran to another stronger house and climbed up on a window and held on to the iron bars in the window. The water level came flooding in and reached right up to her neck but she was able to hold on with all her might.
Both she and her daughter were saved but they have lost everything they own in the tsunami and are now living in temporary housing where we have built the community kitchen. Our team is continuing to talk with them and help them with the needs they have. There are so many stories like this in place after place. It will take time to rebuild these communities and the people’s lives.
In Chennai we have distributed food supplies to more than 1250 families.
In the Andaman Islands the following relief material has been distributed by our team workers. 600 toothbrushes, 300 bars of soap, 300 bars of laundry soap, 340 combs, 440 feminine hygiene packets, 114 t-shirts, 200 tubes of toothpaste, 360 jars of hair oil, 200 mats to sleep on, 60 suitcases, 330 bedsheets, 50 mosquito nets, 66 buckets, 45 pairs of sandals, 70 steel boxes for storing things, 220 plates.
Please continue to pray with us as we move forward into the long term development work. We are considering various options before us and will keep you posted.
YWAM Tsunami Relief and Development Committee – Chennai YWAM.
YWAM CHENNAI UPDATE - Feb 1, 2005
(See main page for latest update)
Andaman Islands, Colachel and Chennai
The devastation in the Andaman Islands is much worse than in Tamil Nadu. Mike Bordon, who visited the Andaman and Nicobar Islands gives this report:
“The difficulty in Andaman and Nicobar with the affected people is that there is no place for some of them to go back to. The earthquake changed the geography. For some, the land on which they lived is now covered by the sea. The Chennai newspaper reported that the whole Andaman and Nicobar chain has shifted one meter. The ocean has established a new shoreline in many areas. I saw places in Wandoor, south of Port Blair, where rice paddy fields are now covered by the sea. I met people who have not been able to go back to their houses since Dec. 26. At night they sleep in temporary tents on the hillside, or right beside the main road, as the high tide floods into their houses three feet deep and low tide still covers the floor with water. One of the men in a temporary tent awoke in the night to find a snake sleeping beside him. All living things are gravitating to the dry spots. People from these areas are virtually refugees. They can see their houses, but the sea water never subsides now, and they can’t go back to them. The government relief has been able to do little for these people so far, although overall the Indian Government and military is doing a wonderful job.”
Mike met the YWAM Discipleship Training School outreach team from Maharastra, India that was there and helped them to engage in more relief work. They did some distribution of blankets, mats, relief material and got involved in lots of counselling.
Our Relief team in Colachel has experienced much favour with Colachel’s Collector (an administrative organizer) and the District Superintendent of Police (SP). The SP is open to YWAM starting a long term work there. He has been pleased with all we are doing and has granted us permission on each of our requests. One of the things he has asked us to do is to rebuild some large temporary shelters and we have completed 3 of them.
In Kotivakkam, Chinanikuppam and Besant Nagar, fishing villages in Chennai, we did a survey to find out the real needs of the people. As a result of this, we were able to buy and distribute needed staple items. We found that people other than tsunami victims would come when we were distributing, so we established a system of giving tokens out and keeping a record of the people we were giving to. This helped to a degree, but there were so many other needy people that came and said “Though I was not affected by the tsunami, I am a poor person too.”
We have been able to do the following so far:
· Counseling and praying with those affected by the tsunami in all the areas we are working in. This is an ongoing work.
· Continuing to survey the needs of the people and strategizing to meet the needs that the government and other aid agencies cannot provide. This involves networking and co-ordinating with other agencies to avoid duplication of aid and to avoid missing out people who really need help. ·
Build 3 temporary sheds in Colachel to house those who have no place to go. Each shed will house 40 families. ·
Networking with the existing churches to map out a possible strategy for long term work in the area. This has been taking place especially in Colachel and Madras. This has also helped churches and other organisation distribute their relief items among villages and people whom we have identified under their short term goals. ·
An article and tract was written by an earthquake specialist who was visiting our team in Andaman Islands. The article was published in the local paper to help bring down their fears as they were expecting another major earthquake and tsunami to strike again suddenly. This expert was able to speak to the heads of the military, the governor and political figures to help them understand that another imminent disaster was highly unlikely. ·
Our team was able to help out in the relief camps in the Andaman Islands. Many relief camps are still in operation and may be that way for some time on as in some areas the water damaged property ˝ kilometre inland and there is no where for the people to move to. We are presently trying to start a long term work in the Andamans if possible and continue with the relief work there. ·
Surveys were conducted by our workers in Kottivakkam as well as Chinnandikkuppam and Besant Nagar (all in Chennai) over a four day period to discover what people really needed. Our assessment team interviewed 850 families. Relief materials were given out to them with such needed items as sugar, dalh (lentils), salt, cooking oil, coconut hair oil, toothbrushes, toothpaste, laundry washing soap and bath soap. ·
Enter into a partnership with the government to provide longterm relief in Kanya kumari district in which Colachel is situated.
Please continue to pray with us. We are now looking at some long term development work and will be coordinating our work with the government as well as with other agencies.
YWAM CHENNAI FISHERMENS VILLAGE MINISTRY UPDATE
January 19, 2005
An assesment was made to find out the real needs of the people in some of the villages our fishermens village minstry works in - Kottivakkam, Chinnandikkuppam and Besant Nagar. Some of the needs are being met by the government or other NGOs so we did not want to help in a way that was redundant. In the research our YWAM workers interviewed 800 people, most representing others in their family as well. So great are the needs that even in the interviewing process our workers had to deal with crowd control!
The YWAM Fishermens village put together kits to give out. They distributed 300 of them in Kottivakkam, 230 in Chinnandikkuppam and 340 in Besant Nagar. The kits included: 1 kg sugar, 1.5 kg dalh (lentils), 1 kg salt, 1 kg cooking oil, 100 grams coconut oil (for ladies hair), 4 toothbrushes, 1 tube of toothpaste, 4 bars of laundry washing soap and 2 bars of bathing soap.
In some areas the need was so great that it was a challenge controlling the crowds and distributing in an orderly way. Giving tokens ahead of time and working with the local leaders in the distribution process has helped. The fishermen and other residents in those beach area were very happy to receive the kits.
Last week approximately 80 non-profit organizations in the Chennai area, including YWAM met to discuss relief needs and strategies for Tamil Nadu. Since there are many organizations helping we want to avoid duplicating our efforts and be able to reach all the needs.
We want to thank those of you who have given to and prayed for the tsunami disaster relief project here in India. Here is an update. You can also log on to http://www.angelfire.com/hi5/asiatsunami2004 to see the latest pictures and updates.
YWAM has been focusing on Kottivakkam which is in Chennai, the Andaman Islands, and on a city called Colachel, which is located just west of the southern tip of India. In Colachel the tsunami strongly swept through this area. Colachel is a natural harbor. On the morning of December 26th a large ship was in the harbor doing research on its usability. The local people had never seen such a large ship close to their shore before. Many went to the beach to see it.
They were having an enjoyable time. The ship then got word that the tsunami had hit Chennai and was heading their way, so it headed out to sea. The citizens of Colachel still did not know this and watched the ship leave. Then the sea level went down, leaving live fish and prawns, which many ventured out to recover.
Suddenly a 30-foot wave rose out of the ocean. Only seconds after it was spotted, it hit them. Some men quickly climbed up palm trees and survived. But most, especially the women and children could not outrun the wave and were killed.
The current official estimate there is 500 dead. But that only includes the bodies that were found, not those swept out to sea or those who died later in hospitals. In Kottilpadu (a part of Colachel) where YWAM worked, there had been 650 houses. All but 16 were totally wiped out by the tsunami and even most of those 16 were badly damaged.
Samuel, the YWAM Chennai mercy ministries director, happened to be there in Colachel with family at the time. He immediately worked on organizing relief efforts including the task of picking up and burying the dead bodies. That alone was an overwhelming task. YWAM quickly formed a team around him of 14 workers who were involved in many of the greatly needed initial aid efforts.
Here are a few of the things that YWAM has been involved in the areas of Chennai, Colachel, and the Andaman Islands.
- The distribution of 5,000 surgical masks for the relief workers so they could combat the stench of death as they uncovered the debris in search of bodies. YWAM was the only group there providing these masks.
- Through the use of an on-site water purifier the YWAM team was able to provide water for many of the local people and rescue teams.
- YWAM was given charge of a relief camp of 1,000 people. They oversaw the feeding of these people, coordinating the renting of large cookware, purchasing and cooking of food. YWAM provided people with supplies at the camp such as soap, toothpaste, plates and cups for the 200 families.
- Helping meet medical needs
- Sitting with people and helping them to process their grief.
- Cleaning up the beachfront in Kottivakkam by joining together with 40 people from YWAM, Intermission Industrial Development and Art Lab Madras.
- Distribution of food.
- YWAM India also has a team in the Andaman Islands and are investigating there what YWAM can do with short and long term relief work.
Amazingly we were able to do most of this with very little expenditure, as we were able to network with the government in their distribution of rice, lentils and basic essentials.
The first phase of the operation is now coming to a close. The government has now closed all these camps and most of the fishermen have joined together in small groups and rented houses, gone to their relatives, or moved in temporarily with others. This was done so that things could return to some kind of normalcy.
The response from the government, churches, religious organizations, private and public sectors has been overwhelming. This has been a wonderful out pouring of much needed help. The government has announced large plans for relief and rehabilitation. However in any relief effort after a few weeks the interest of many who want to help starts to fade away. Well-intentioned plans get tangled up in bureaucracy.
YWAM is now planning to move into action moving behind the government and supplementing those that miss the benefits or need special treatment. We are right now re-assessing needs in both Chennai and Colachel while at the same time providing relief material to those who continue to suffer.
We had written to you that we would help with repair of boats, purchase of fishing nets, taking care of widows and orphans in the second phase of our plan. We are still considering this. The government is now looking at what they plan to do in these areas. Therefore we are awaiting the finalization and implementation of their plan. We will then watch for any gaps not being met and make sure that all those needs are provided for in the areas where we are working.
We are already networking with other organizations and looking into the possibility of the long term care of children who were orphaned and those that need help in getting back to school.
We are also interested in seeing that the homes of the fishermen are rebuilt but right now the government is considering how this should be done. There are concerns that they do not relocate near to the shoreline and suffer another tsunami. But all this will take some time to work out since land will have to be acquired and plans drawn up and properly sanctioned by the government before reconstruction can start taking place.
Thanks for your help and we will keep you posted as plans start to unfold.
Sudhakar Simeon and Tim Svoboda
According to the government's estimation there are more than 1,00,000 people homeless in Colachel taking refuge in 59 camps. Our team has identified one such relief camp in Karungal with about 1,000 people. The thousand people in this camp are from 4 villages; Thotil Padu, Simon Colony, Colachel and Kurunpanai. Karungal is about 6 kms inland from colachel. The people who were running the camp have exhausted their resources to run the camp by themselves and have given handed over the camp to us.
We have to house, feed and provide medical support for this camp till they are shifted back to their villages. Right now there are about 17 ywamers on site and they have networked themselves with the government, the township president and the catholic church. Most fishermen of Kanyakumari district are Roman Catholics.
Our team is also collecting data from all the residents of the camp right now in order to find out missing people, reuniting families, tracking the number of dead in the families, applying for death certificates with the government, as these would be essential to receive relief money from the government.
We foresee that we will have to run this camp for atleast a month. However this situation can change any moment. Our leaders who are overseeing the camp have decided that they will not focus on having large numbers in the camp but quality.
Nobody was warned of any upcoming disaster and proceeded with Sunday morning, December 26th, in the usual manner. But when the tsunami hit, lives of people all across South and Southeast Asia were changed dramatically.
In the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, fishing villages are among the worst damaged. With boats and huts wrecked, people’s loved ones and livelihoods were stolen from them. The fishing town of Colachel is among the worst hit with more than 4000 dead with more expected to come. Huts situated along Colachel’s coast have been flattened.
The Indian Express newspaper notes that Colachel (near the southern tip of India) has been the worst hit by the Tsunami wave. There are more than 7000 families who are now homeless. As the debris is cleared and the ocean waters recede, more bodies are expected to be discovered. In Nagapattinam (south of Chennai), the stench of decomposing bodies lingers heavily in the air. It has been reported that the progress of relief and rescue efforts are moving at a snail’s pace.
The tsunami has rendered many people homeless, taken away their livelihoods, and left many with no hope for the future. When the tsunami becomes a memory for the rest of the world, the people of Colachel, Nagapattinam, and other coastal villages will struggle to move forward with their lives.
This tragic story stretches all along the coastal towns of Tamil Nadu right into the city of Chennai The numbers continue to rise. Although much work has already been put into action, much still remains to be done.
Youth With A Mission (YWAM) is already moving quickly into action. One of the fisherman’s village in Chennai that we have a permanent ministry in (Kottivakkam) got hit by the tsunami. In Colachel, another fishing town down south, one of our workers who leads our slum ministry was home for Christmas holidays. He is now deeply involved in relief work on the coast.
We are sending teams and our staff into these troubled areas. Already they are moving into action as you get this email. WE NEED YOUR HELP. The immediate need RIGHT NOW is US $60,400. See the financial needs link for more information on the needs and how you can help.
Tsunami damage & relief Updates
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Tsunami damage in India - Photos
Royapuram slum
Royapuram slum II
Royapuram boats
Government officials tour the Royapuram area
Cleanup efforts in the Royapuram area
**NEW** Royapuram - 2 weeks later (part 1)
**NEW** Royapuram - 2 weeks later (part 2)
Foreshore Estates (North) - Fishing Boats & Aid
Foreshore Estates (South) - Tsunami Damage
Elliots beach slum (north) - Tsunami damage
Besant Nagar slum (part I) - beach debris
Besant Nagar slum (part II) - destroyed huts
Besant Nagar slum (part III) - destroyed huts, homeless
Kottivakkam fishermens village
Newspaper headlines in local Chennai papers
Colachel tsunami destruction - part I
Colachel tsunami destruction - part II
YWAM - Tsunami Disaster Relief Projects in India
YWAM comforting hurting people in Colachel
YWAM over a relief camp in Colachel
YWAM Distribution of surgical masks at Colachel
YWAM giving out filtered water at Colachel
YWAM bread distribution at Kottivakkam fishermens village
Artlab, Intermission & YWAM - Kottivakkam Beach cleanup (part 1)
Artlab, Intermission & YWAM - Kottivakkam Beach cleanup (part 2)
YWAM collection of donated items to help affected villages
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