9. One night stand

Eegai Tsunami Relief Work

Comment: Eagai Tsunami Relief Work is another project that has received a one-time contribution of $3835, from the St. Louis Chapter. There is no specification of whether this project is ongoing or completed. We present this project as a test case of how even when there is a seeming ‘project report’ the details in the report are sometimes not of ‘things achieved’ but merely repeat the ‘must do’, ‘intended’, ‘will hope for’ good intentions already found in the project description. Rarely do ‘project reports’ justify the quantum of funds received for that particular project. The tsunami was the proverbial ‘golden goose’ for several NGOs out to make a fast buck.

The points under ‘Purpose/Goals’ are a case in point. This section is divided into Primary Objective and Secondary Objective. The difference as we can make out is that the ‘noble intentions’ of the Secondary Objective are more grandiloquent and bombastic than the noble intentions of the Primary Objective. The description of ‘Purpose/Goals’ is remarkable for its vagueness, aimlessness and brazen lack of specific details. The ‘Project Type’ description says ‘one time/infrastructure’ although the points mentioned under ‘Purpose/Goals’ are all long-term and ongoing processes.

Project Description:
After Tsunami, most of the main towns are basically covered by all the NGOs and Govt. agencies. And the small villages were mostly neglected, due to inconvenience in transport and various other reasons. Eegai identified two villages (Thazhampettai and Pudupettai), which are badly affected and the children are the main victims. The two remote villages are near Tharangambadi, in Nagapattinam district. Eegai is planning to provide the support and necessary help to these two villages to come back to normality.

Purpose / Goals
Primary Objective:
To help the infants and kids, to provide foods, clothes etc. Taking care of the school children to pursue their education in a better manner. To provide the necessary educational support for children, try to provide employment-oriented courses for the discontinued students from 10th and 12th Std. Example like MRF Driving School, Apparel Training Centre., etc…Any other aids/help for betterment of these two villagers.

Secondary Objective:
Assist the villagers to get good design of houses. If they are interested, they can go for 1+1 structure. The design can be sourced through our contacts or from IIT, Chennai or any reputed institutions. Assist the young villagers to give basic training in construction. Assist the young villagers to provide training in terms of servicing their engine boats. Assist the villagers to form a team, provide them necessary guidance to procure loans from Bank. Get boats at cheaper prices…etc…Link the Fisherman to Fisheries Institute and provide them basic training and to know about the advancement. Other possible help to form them in groups and lead a comfortable life. To provide training for ladies through our known self-help group contacts.

Project Type: One Time / Infrastructure
Site Visit Report: 5
Visited on 02/05/2005 & 02/06/2005
Onsite Update : Visit to Thazhampettai village on 02/05/2005 & 02/06/2005
Visit by Chezhian, Suresh Kumar and volunteers
Posted on February 07, 2005
This week Chezhian brought 16 students (IX Std.), 2 teachers (Lakshmi School, Karuppayurani) and 1 volunteer from Madurai and I took 2 lady volunteers from Chennai. We had time to concentrate only on Thazhampet.
Day-1 (Saturday) was spent in engaging the kids in various games. We also participated in games like volleyball and kabaddi with youngsters.
Day-2 (Sunday forenoon) was spent in engaging the kids in various craft activities.
Kudos to Lakshmi School. We are sure, the students enjoyed the trip and had an altogether different experience in their lives.
We left Thirukkadaiyur at around 13:00 Hrs. The activities impressed the village kids to the extent of asking, “Will you come tomorrow?”
We supplied the following items:

1. 3 Bicycles
2. Health Flour (Sathu maavu)
3. Blouse pieces
4. Biscuits
5. Pencils
6. Pencil Boxes
7. Mathematical Tables (Vaaipaadu)
8. Notebooks
9. Some books for the recent coming exams
10. Balls and bats (Donated by Lakshmi School)

We have (once again) asked the elders to build a model, acceptable to majority of the villagers, wherein if we supply boats and nets, it will benefit the entire community. Similarly we have asked the ladies to look into community kitchen concept which will make our spend economical.

We took Arun, a volunteer from CCD, to speak to the villagers. He will be once again meeting them today. We expect Arun to supply nets through CCD. For this, he will need the village to be organised (and united) by means of Ladies Self-Support Group. (He will lead this initiative in a professional way.)

Regards,
Nedunchezhian D
Suresh Kumar R.

Comment: $3,835 amounts to nearly 2 lakh Indian rupees. Three cycles, pencils, pencil boxes, notebooks, ‘some books’, and ‘health flour’ at best would have cost not more than five to six thousand rupees altogether. But there are no other accounting details about where the rest of the money went. There is no report if the boats were procured and delivered and if community kitchens were set up. These details are not difficult to present on the website considering that there is a detailed report about an inconsequential sight-seeing trip to these villages.
Nedunchezhian and Suresh’s so-called report, except for arranging some outside students and teachers to visit the village in question, is only full of future good intentions. This NGO sprung up only in 2005 in the aftermath of the tsunami, one among the hundreds that mushroomed overnight, seeing in the tsunami relief work potential for a profitable commercial enterprise. The project description as usual is full of good intention generalities. But there is no information on what precisely this group undertook to do and what results were achieved for 2 lakh rupees. And the most pertinent question, why did ASHA choose to fund a new NGO when there were other well-known groups working for relief?