Rebuilding Livelihoods
by Sripriya Natarajan

One can only begin to imagine how it would feel to lose your home, livelihood and your loved ones to a natural disaster like a Tsunami. Any disaster demands immediate rehabilitation and we need to look ahead to put communities back on their feet.

Many organizations provided boats and nets, which were seen as the immediate need of the hour. Yet oftentimes, indirectly affected people were not identified as victims. AID carried out surveys and identified cycles, fish baskets and wheel barrows as a major need particularly for women who take fish to sell in the market and fishermen who work in backwaters and carry nets in cycles from their village. AID-India negotiated a lower cost for cycles with TI Cycles and allocated funds for 1000 cycles and 1000 baskets. AID  also distributed a few community boats and 82 catamarans to 246 fishermen in Uyyalikuppom.

AID also helped setup a number of small enterprise units and imparted appropriate training to the entrepreneurs. These include tailoring units for making bags, food-processing, vermi-composting and carpentry units and a Jathropa(bio-diesel) nursery - each of which provide employment to about five to eight people. A large number of older women in 17 tsunami-affected villages supported themselves and their families by running "idli" shops. Efforts are now on to organize them into a network. Meanwhile AID is working on identifying other aspiring entrepreneurs who need small loans.

Electronic data-cards developed by AID India are being used by the coordinators of women's self-help groups to collect data when they are on the field. These data-cards and other innovations in science education have been appreciated by the prestigious MIT Technovator Award. Meanwhile, design and development of a solar-drinking water system and a low cost solar bicycle are in the preliminary stages.  

Folk Mart, an online marketing resource center for promoting the village products, science lab kits, balwadi kits and other books and materials produced by the AID-India team, has been set up. AID-India also markets products from women's SHGs, village enterprises and NGOs through stalls, shops and direct sales in Chennai.