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[ SRUTI – Navjeevan Organisation Tsunami Rehabilitation Initiative ]

Disaster Response Efforts

An important part of SRUTI's work in recent years has been to reach out and support people in times of man-made or natural calamities. It has been actively involved in relief work (physical and financial) during the Orissa Cyclone (1999), the earthquakes in Uttarakhand ( 1991) and Gujarat (2001 ) as well as during and after the Tsunami (2004).

TSUNAMI and BEYOND...

SRUTI fellow, K. Sahadevaiah and his team at Navajeevan has been actively involved in the rehabilitation of 2000 families in four Tsunami affected blocks in Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh, with the financial support of Rupees 1.64 crores from Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Novib. These interventions are being carried out in coordination with the Andhra Pradesh Government's Velugu/DRDA Department.

The aim of the rehabilitation programme has been to restore the livelihood of the tsunami affected, tribal and fisher folk families as well as enhance the economic conditions of these communities in order to reduce their vulnerability in case of future disasters. Its main focus was on those people who were neglected by official schemes and projects. The rehabilitation efforts have included the following:

Reaching out to the affected Yennadi Adivasi tribal families whom the government failed to bring under the category of the tsunami affected (as the tribals were not involved in deep sea fishing but fished in the estuaries and the canals by the sea side). This involved emergency ration distribution among 200 tribal families in Kavali and Vidavalur Mandal (block) as well as documenting and apprising the district administration of the deplorable living conditions of these families post the tsunami. The administration was requested to include these people in the micro- level planning process that was being conducted by it to ensure their effective rehabilitation.

1. Formulating and implementing a strategy for restoring the livelihood of 733 affected families in 22 villages of Andhra Pradesh.
2. Planning and implementing an intervention for the fishermen of 4 mandals including, Indukurpet, Vidavalur, Allur and Bogole.
   
   A summary of activites undertaken:

• Provided emergency relief through rice and cash distribution.
• Replaced damaged nets of adivasi and fisherman families.
• Provided labour charges to the families for net-making.
• Provided community nets and fibre boats to a group of 40 fisher families who jointly owned and managed them.
• Collaborated with the government to replace the lost boats and upgrade the damaged wooden boats to fibre boats.
• Evolved a system of repayment and revolving grant amount within the community.
• Formed 18 village committees in 22 villages and opened bank accounts in their names for the better management of the repayed amount, which could be used as a village emergency fund.
• Formed saving groups of women.

In response to its fund-raising efforts for the Tsunami, SRUTI received overwhelming support from various individuals and organisations from all walks of life. The generous support has enabled SRUTI and Navajeevan in restoring the livelihood of several affected people.