1. In Madras, India by DMI & MMI…

 

WHAT COULD BE DONE TO THE TSUNAMI AFFECTED PEOPLE?

 

We would be very thankful to you for your support to reconstruct some of the families. We are very much in need of your magnanimous support and we wish to support nearly 100 families. Any contribution from your side will be highly appreciated and accepted. We look for your support towards families or for some relief materials. We are planning a reconstruction of these families on the following lines. We would be very thankful to you for mobilizing some personal or institutional funds basing on the below mentioned budget norms. We promise to give you a detailed account and report along with the photos for the amount mobilized by you to the Tsunami affected people. We thank you for your support.

 

THE COST OF RECONSTRUCTION OF A FAMILY WILL BE AS FOLLOWS:

 

Housing:

1.      A concrete house having 25 sq.mts.                             =          Rs.1,35,000

2.      Sustenance for 3 months           Rs.6000 x 3               =          Rs.   18,000

Total                            =          Rs.1,53,000

Category A for a new livelihood:

1.      People used to country boat                                          =          Rs.   15,000

(Country boat means three wooden rafters tied

together which is not normally safe)

2.      Out-board motor for it                                                     =          Rs.   35,000

3.      Nets and other fishing accessories                              =          Rs.   20,000

Total                            =          Rs.   70,000

or

Category B for a new livelihood:

1.      People used to Fibre glass boat                                               =          Rs.    60,000

2.      Out-board motor for it                                                     =          Rs.    60,000

3.      Nets and other fishing accessories                              =          Rs.    20,000

                                                                        Total                            =          Rs.1,40,000

 

Reconstruction with category A                                               

Housing + Livelihood (1,53,000 + 70,000)                                    =          Rs.2,23,000

                                                                        or        4, 000 EURO

 

Reconstruction with category B                                   

Housing + Livelihood (1,53,000 + 1,40,000)                     =          Rs.2,93,000/-

                                                                        or         5, 300 EURO

 

 

2. Reconstruction Plan in the OMI Province of Colombo…

 

The Oblate Community at De Mazenod House, Colombo accommodated over 1000 victims. Most of them have gone back but there are a few families whose houses are completely destroyed, and who have no place to go. The ones who have gone back need to be supported until they can stand on their own feet. 

 

The Oblate Community at St. Vincent’s Home Maggona has over 1000 victims belonging to over 230 families. There are over 265 school going children in the Camp, over 150 fishing families and another about 50 who are related to fishing industry. The rest are from other different walks of life.

 

The Animators of the Lakrivi Movement (Childen’s Movement) with their Moderator, Fr. Joe Cooray OMI are rendering a very valuable service to the victim children both in camps and outside. They have helped change the gloomy environment in the Camps by organizing the children into different activities. When the adults see that their children are still happy, can still sing, dance and keep enjoying their childhood, their worries get somewhat eased and they become optimistic.

 

Our men in Trimcomalee have been very much involved in relief work. Fr.Gunanayagam OMI Parish Priest of Nilaweli helped remove the dead bodies of several victims and helped the refugees settle down in a camp. He continues to see to their needs with the help of the Government Officials and the other Religious leaders.

 

Fr. Leslie OMI, Parish Priest of China-Bay, house about 100 persons in the Pre-School of the Parish. He is helping out in the near by refugee camps to see to their basic needs. Members of the Oblate Community at Polwatte too are engaged in serving the victims in many different ways. They render their services to the victims by visiting them both in camps and homes to give them hope and courage to be optimistic about the future.

 

The Oblate Parish Priests from different parts of the country have organized their people to support the victims in the refugee camps. Their visits have always been accompanied by substantial material support. The moral support given by others who are involved in other ministries is commendable.

 

The support of our associates both lay and religious in this service is admirable. The PAPD (People’s Association for Peace and Development) which is part of the JPIC work of the Oblates, is involved in helping the victims in Baticaloa district in the East.

 

What’s Next?

There are several areas in which the Oblates are planning to get involved in the rehabilitation work.

 

1. Education of the children. Our first priority is to help the A/L and O/L students who are to sit for their examination this year. The students need to be supported to get the necessary books, notes and their school fees and the tuition fees and traveling. Initially, we would like to help 250 A/L students and 500 O/L students. They would be selected from affected areas both in the South and East.

 

2. Help the Fishing community. Since the number of fishermen affected is in thousands, we would like to support the different Fishermen’s Associations to help get some fishing boats, so that they could begin work collectively. We have also identified those who are involved in pulling Dragnets. A single dragnet would occupy over 60 persons. Those who go out to sell fish need to get a pushbike and a box to begin their carrier.

 

3. Helping the reconstruction of houses. Rebuilding their houses is an enormous task. We could already be prepared for that by getting the necessary material ready, like the bricks and timber. St. Vincent’s Home is ready to take up this task. We need to purchase Brick Machines and multipurpose sawing machines to make the frames, doors and windows for the houses. There are the carpenters, masons and other skilled workers who could be involved in this work. This process can be a training for the youth too.

 

4. Help to those who were involved in other work. There are several whose employments are not related to fishing industry. There are motor mechanics, three-wheel drivers whose vehicle needs repairs, small businessmen and others. Such persons can be given a help to begin their life again. We have identified 20 such persons from the camp at St. Vincent’s Home.

 

Budget Proposal:

1. Help 250 A/ L students for 6 months, Rs. 500 x 06 x 250 =   Rs.  750,000.00

2. Help 500 O/L students for 12 months, Rs. 300 x 12 x 500 = Rs.1,800,000.00

3. Fully equipped ten boats Rs. 350,000 x 10                            = Rs. 3,500,000.00

4. Three Dragnets Rs. 250,000 x 03                                           = Rs.    750,000.00

5. Bicycles and boxes Rs. 3500 x 05                                           = Rs       17,500.00

5. Five Brick Machines Rs. 85,000 x 05                                        = Rs.    425,000.00

6. Two Sawing machines Rs. 150,000 x 02                                 = Rs.    300,000.00

7. Cement, sand and timber                                                            = Rs. 3,000.000.00

8. Help to 20 persons Rs. 10,000 x 20                                           = Rs.    200,000.00

                                                                                                            -----------------------

TOTAL                                                                                                = Rs.10,742,500.00

                                                                                                            ==============

In Euro: 83,476.00

 

3. Reconstruction Plan in the OMI Province of Jaffna.

v     STAGE ONE

 

1. Relief and Psycho social programs

Areas:

Jaffna District: Vadamarachchi & Thenmarachchi

Mullaitivu District:

Kilinochchi District:

Tricomalee district:

 

• Offering Co-coordinating Services and Manual Labour in running Refugee Camps with the Government and Local Organizations.
• Mobilizing local people of good will to share food, cloths and other materials needed and distributing them in these caps
• Immediate and urgent relief work of distribution of: Food, clothes, children food, other materials like mats, buckets, pillows etc.

• Psychological counseling: Qualified and trained counselors comprising of Priests, Sisters and trained lay counselors from three of our Centers namely:

Ø      “Suha Vazlvu” WHO (Wholistic Health Center) 3^rd Cross Street, Jaffna

Ø      “Valarpirai” ICOF (Institute for Counseling and Ongoing Formation)5, Fletcher’s  Lane, Jaffna

Ø      “Annai Illam” (Center for Counseling and Psychological Education) Kilinochchi.

 

2. Hospital Chaplaincy:

Areas:

• Point Pedro General Hospital
• Jaffna Teaching Hospital
• Kilinochchi Civil Hospital
• Vavuniya General Hospital
• Trincomalee Hospital

 

• Trained Chaplain and Scholastics together with Lay Volunteers are taking care of the Physical, Spiritual and Social needs of the wounded.
• Distribution of Material help, medicine, transporting sick people and their by standers etc. donating of caskets and meeting funeral expenses etc.

 

v     STAGE TWO:

This will be our long tern plan. We hope to make an assessment of our present involvements and hopefully we will work on Five areas in the course of one year:

1. Continue the Psycho-social assistance to the affected by the Oblate Centers.
2. Shelter program for at least two hundred families.
3. Income generating project covering minimum of Three hundred families.
4. Take care of the Orphaned children of 100.
5. Assistance to School going children with Scholarships.

(We will give the details of our plan of action on request.)

 

 

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