Tsunami Recovery in Four Fishing Villages, India

From Mathew: Dear Benefactors at MMP-MC and GlobalGiving Loving greetings from Kochi, India!

We regret to inform that our little child Joseph Enock, left us for ever at 8pm on Saturday and was buried at 2pm on Sunday at cemetery of St.Mary’s church Chellanam, Kochi. All our JY/JS leaders were sad along with the parents of Joseph Enock and we are praying that his soul rest in peace. He was not yet 3 years old.

Earlier we had informed that the child father had agreed to take appointment with chief Cardiologist after a prayer retreat and finalise the date of heart surgery. But even after the retreat the child health condition did not improve making dangerous to do the surgery because he was suffering from fever and cough. Let us accept our limitations and obey the will of God!

We are thinking: what favourable service can we extend to this family due to this unfortunate situation? You may remember they are living in a little hut near a sea shore partly destroyed during the tsunami. Is there any possibility we can support them to build a new more decent house? So far we have spent for Joseph Enok around Rs.95, 000/- (US$2,375) for treatment during these two years. If this is ok with project benefactors we could proceed with this or we can find other needy persons who need financial support for medical care and medicines or any suggestions benefactors may have, please advise and give us your best support. Thank you. We wish you all the best. May the Lord Bless you to lead a life for the deprived! With warm regards, Mathew Sebastian Field Operations Supervisor

Comments from Bernie, MMP-MC Treasurer 1/ One of our benefactors for Joseph Enok heart surgery wrote to us the following letter:

"Bernie and Claudine, Colleen and I were saddened to hear the news about little Joseph. We can only imagine the pain and sorrow which his parents have had to endure. Thank God for our faith. All the prayers for little Joseph have been heard by Our Lord. We are in full agreement that money should be used to help the family and/or Charity medical program. If you can, please let Joseph’s parents know that we are very sorry about their loss. We are praying for them. Frank and Colleen"

2/ Our volunteers in India have identified a new candidate, Samsun Sunny, for MMP-MC medical support through this GlobalGiving funded project, while help will be also be given to Joseph Enok’s family to settle Joseph final hospital bills, and to start building a small, more decent house for the family. We recently received this note from our partners JY/JS in India:

“...Following are the details of the new cardiac patient: Name of the patient Samsun K Sunny Age: 11 Yrs Father’s Name: K P Sunny Address: S/o Late Paulose Kottil House, Gandhigram Irinjalakuda

Father's Job Driver – contract

Mother Housewife

Two Brother's 8 year's and 6 year's old

Other details: Samsun studies in 5th standard grade. He was admitted in different hospitals in Irinjalakuda and Trichur due to vomiting since February 12, 2008. His disease was diagnosed as Cardiac Miopathy at Mother's Hospital Trichur and the doctors there referred him to Amrutha Hospital. On March 3rd he was admitted in the ICU of Amrutha Hospital, in Ernakulam. His hospital admission number is 657941. His consultant Doctor is Dr. Krishnakumar. After being admitted to Amrutha Hospital he suffered 3 cardiac arrests. During this period he underwent various tests & treatments and was in ventilator for some days. For a treatment named E P Test and R. F ablation Rs. 28,000 (US$700) was paid. Eco test is done daily. In the initial days expenditure for medicine & ICU rent was around Rs. 3,000 per day(US$75). After the repeated cardiac arrests and the corresponding treatments the expenditure increased to Rs. 5000/ per day (US$125). Yesterday afternoon he was shifted to ward under strict observation... Mathew"

Comments: What has been paid so far with the help of local collections with family neighbors and our JY/JS Friends, amounts to about US$1,500. They have exhausted local possibilities for more financial support and the family of Samsun is poor. Our volunteers have suggested to try and save this boy now that Joseph Enok has died. He is in the care of doctors at same good hospital where Joseph Enok was treated for pneumonia and was about to be operated. Family lives about 50 miles North of Kochi. We told our JY/JS partners that MMP-MC will raise new funds for this new case as needed. We told them to give also some money for Joseph family as they suggested. The worrying aspect is that Samsun apparently has difficulties to move since the time he was urgently hospitalized about two months ago. Thank you for your help. Bernie

• MMPActivityReport2007.doc (DOC)

Three years after the tsunami, most fishermen have resumed their productive activities to feed their families, which were left with nothing after the tragic disaster. Emergency relief has been practically completed at the cost of US$19,737 and made a big difference in the life of these families who were able to rebuild a livelihood in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh. Replacing destroyed fishing boats is no more needed as big donor agencies have given too many. Fishing nets are still occasionally given on a case by case basis. Andhra Pradesh component was completed beginning 2006.

The focus since 2006 and for 2007 has been therefore on home reconstruction, flood protection work at home, village or population relocation shelter level, medical/dental care, access to school for tsunami affected and other poor students and assistance to families in difficulty in Tamil Nadu and Kerala: clean water supply and electricity connection; food supplements; school tuition; medical assistance; clothing; small productive equipment such as sewing machines; kitchen utensils, back to school items. US$7,970 has been spent on this revised program (total spent: US$27,707 including GG 10% admin cost).

Current results include: (a) Providing household utensils, clean water, food supplements, clothes, medical care, school supplies, sewing machines and fishing nets to a target population of 400 villagers in Tamil Nadu and Kerala; (b) Repairing 10 homes and rebuilding 9 homes in Kerala and Tamil Nadu; and (c) Protecting/sponsoring 10 poor children of families identified as victims of the tsunami who received $250 each in May and again in October since 2005 for medical assistance, safe water, and school enrollment and tuition (other non GG resources also used for this part of the program); (d) Helping 25 tsunami-affected girls finish high school in Santhome, Chennai, a success commented in previous progress reports and a proposed program extension for 2008.

Great care is given to ensure that the recovery effort does not exacerbate existing inequities, and that all people being helped are on their way to a better and safer development path than they were prior to the tragic tsunami three years ago. Progress, however, is slow today because funds are needed (US$27, 293) to complete the planned activities. Project full implementation can be made possible thanks to the generosity of Global Giving donors and all those who care, especially when the media are drawing attention to new calamities, and tsunami survivors are forgotten. Rebuilding a home is a long and painful process. We are happy that many families are better off today. We still need to help a few under this project and another one on Global Giving focusing on other similar needs. There are 20,000 families who are still homeless following the tragedy in India alone. Our target beneficiaries here are about 400 families, and we have helped about 50% of them so far, one way or another. Thank you.