By Liz Martyn
“I saw a boat being lifted up on the sea,” recalls Raj Kumar. “Then the wave swallowed me up. I was surrounded by mud and water and my clothes were washed away.”
Raj works for Christian World Service (CWS) partner Neythal in Tamil Nadu, India. On the day the tsunami struck, he was near the beach. He fell unconscious into the water and woke up later to find he had been carried two kilometres inland. He was injured and had to limp slowly home. A few hours later, he found his family at home grieving for him. They all thought he was dead.
Raj is like many of CWS’s colleagues in the Indian Ocean region. Despite their own trauma and the loss of family, homes and belongings, partners responded quickly in the hours after the deadly waves struck. In Nagipattinam, Neythal staff began distributing food, medical supplies, water, shelter materials and other essential supplies, walking through bodies to reach those in need. They have helped bury dead bodies and clear debris, distributed household starter kits (with cooking pots, utensils, blankets and other essentials) to families who lost everything, and supported the communities they work with as people struggle to cope with the disaster. Thousands were killed in the district. Now Neytha’s biggest fear is that the fisherfolk who survived will be marginalised in reconstruction efforts.
The fisherfolk are amongst the poorest and most discriminated against communities of Tamil Nadu. For years, Nethyal has been helping them protect their livelihoods, environment and traditional culture from transnational industrial interests that are destroying the fish stocks that local people rely on and denying them access to the beaches. In the wake of the tsunami, the Indian government has announced that the fisherfolk will be rehoused in high-rise buildings away from the coast that is their livelhood. Neythal will be helping local people fight for the right to rebuild in their own villages with better protection from the sea and ensure that they have a say in their future.
New Zealand churches have been generously supporting relief efforts in Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka through their aid and development agency, Christian World Service. Already over $360,000 has been sent to groups responding to the crisis, with more pledged. Immediate needs, such as food, shelter, medical supplies and sanitation, have been funded, as well as assistance with the massive clean up, much needed trauma counselling, and the rebuilding of homes, boats and livelihoods. Local people identifying their own needs is at the heart of good relief programmes. CWS will provide ongoing assistance to long-term partners as poor communities face years of recovery. To help: contact CWS 0800 74 73 72 or send a cheque to PO Box 22652 Christchurch. For more information visit www.cws.org.nz