Medium Term Relief & Rehab Activities by Other Organizations Supported by AID

The above were the relief and rehabilitation activities where AID volunteers were directly involved in the implementation.  Apart from this AID-India and AID-US – both also helped out a number of other organizations to provide relief and rehabilitation.

We have helped Chaitanya Jyoti Welfare Society give loans to 545 women in 41 self help groups in 3 Tsunami affected villages – Govindapallipalem, Thupilipalem and Anjalapuram – in Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh.  These women have been helped to re-start their fish business, petty shops and animal husbandry activities.  We have sent Rs.28.89 Lakhs to CJWS for this purpose for the 1^st phase.  They have identified another 340 families in the area for second phase support.  AID has also been working with and supporting similar work by Nisarga in the Tsunami affected areas in Andhra Pradesh – forming women’s groups and giving loans to restart their small businesses.

AID-US has also directly been supporting SIFFS livelihood restoration program in Tirunelveli. With AID’s help SIFFS has repaired 44 catamarans and 38 boats spread across several villages benefiting about 300 fishermen and their families. 

AID also supported the activities of the National Fisherworkers Federation which worked along with SIFFS and MUHIL for repairing vallams (boats), catamarans, and Out Board Motors (Engines) in Kanyakumari district.

Revathi (an AID Fellow) has been working in S.P. Nallur in Nagai along with her team from the Organic Farmers Network. They have been focusing on land reclamation.  The tsunami waters had entered into the fields in this village and completely destroyed the crops and made the field saline.  Revathi’s team has been using a number of innovative techniques to remove the salinity of the soil and bring back its original fertility.  The president, Abdul Kalam, also recently visited the village to listen to the changes they have been able to bring about.

We were earlier working with many night schools in Nagai and Cuddalore which are now being coordinated by the TNSF and supported by UNICEF. We have been continuing to provide support for these night schools by supplying our reading materials and providing training to the volunteers.  We have also helped the local TNSF volunteers start a number of village libraries in Cuddalore district.