The Story So Far . . .
245 temporary shelters constructed
70 health camps organized
80 counseling centers started
185 boats and engines repaired
1 model primary school started
150 primary support classes started
20000 Tsunami booklets distributed
$335000 sent for immediate relief/rehab
$2.9M proposal under review for long-term rehab

Armed with wisdom from the grassroots, AID Chennai is working on long-term rehabilitation programs directly in 28 villages in Koovathur and Kelambakkam. In addition, they are collaborating with other NGOs and people?s movements on immediate and medium-term relief programs in more than 65 villages in Nagai, Cuddalore, and Pondicherry districts.

Aiming to deliver quality in all the programs they undertake, AID Chennai is approaching this vision from 3 different angles:

1. Integrated Block Development ? Run programs on education, health, women?s rights, income generation, agriculture, and alternate technologies in a few blocks, each consisting of 40-50 villages, with the idea of developing scalable models.
2. Resource Groups - Develop resource teams having a deep understanding of the problems and intervention options. Resource groups in primary education, science education and health already exist. Two more on agriculture and income generation under consideration.
3. Supporting Other Groups - AID Chennai will work with a few other NGOs and movements helping them build capacities, develop new programs and arrange funding.

The long-term rehabilitation program has been divided into 7 components, each having a different set of activities:

1. Pre-primary and primary education ? Setting up libraries, toy vans, teacher?s training modules, model primary schools.
2. Middle school education ? Setting up science labs, vans and exhibitions, tuition centers, night schools, teacher?s training programs, and producing science concept booklets.
3. Health and Women?s Empowerment ? Running women?s and adolescent girl?s health programs, health camps and vans, counseling and support networks; improving sanitation and setting up health resource centers.
4. Income Generation and Vocational Training ? Establishing block-level enterprise network and folk-mart.
5. Agriculture and Ecology ? Undertaking desalination measures, alternate cropping strategies, eco-protection of coastlines, waste-land management and organic farming.
6. Equitec Technology Interventions ? Bringing information technology, computer training and community radio to the village-youth.
7. Sports, Street Theater and Youth Groups ? Forming youth and street theater groups and running self-defense classes for girls.