Author: karuna

It has been a hot and tiresome last 2 weeks. I would say more mentally tiring then physically. Although I would like to write on a more positive note, I want to convey what it is that I am feeling. So here goeas…… People say it is a good deed to serve others, to provide that helping hand that loving touch. I have been serving to the best of my ability for 3 weeks now and I am now tired. I cannot even begin to imagine how some of the people here are continuing to work on relief and rehab efforts for the last 2 months with not even a single day off!!

I visited Nagippattinam which is 6 hours south of Chennai. It is one of the head centers of NGO coordination work in conjunction with the Indian government. It was also one of the hardest hit areas. I cannot even begin to describe the damage I have seen. Entire towns wiped out, bridges broken, rivers flowing in places where once there was land. So I will not try to describe, but at some time I will post some pictures. My work here has mostly consisted in helping with medical camps and seeing patients. I also help put together ration kits for families. A ration kit consists of basic food for a month.. rice, oil, daal(lentils), spices. We made ration kits for 9,000 families who had “fallen through the cracks” of all the relief efforts. Other then that I am a support person for Bhoomika Trust in office work for tsunami related projects, which is an obstacle in itself at times.

Bhoomika Trust is an amazing NGO. Their main objective is to link needs with availability. They basically direct and link up people and NGO’s, whether it is linking projects, funds, volunteers or info. It has been a great honor working with such a reputable NGO who does not hurridly jump on the bandwagon to help victims. Instead they patiently wait, gather all info from either sending a Bhoomika volunteer or a reliable source, and then coordinate efforts to send relief. And it is all done within a very reasonable time period, due to their hardwork and dedication. ( They identified left out families, verified info, recieved approval of funds for the project, had truck loads of food delievered, organized volunteers to make the kits, made the kits for 9,000 families, and had them deleivered to various area all within a week!!!) I am very lucky to have worked with such an NGO in such a short period.

So my friends, as my brain is fatigued. I will end here. Until next time.

Love Karuna

It has been quite some time since I have written. Last week, I was dispatched with a medical team to visit a village a day. Each village was about an hour or south of Chennai. We had a team of 5 Doctors and a large supportive staff. Most of them were either from the US or other parts of the world.

The experience was a great learning experience in the “field”. I was fortunate to gain direct knowledge of activities in the village. Some things were heart touching and others quite frustrating. Frustrations arised when we encountered duplication of services amongst NGO’s ( non-govermental organizations – same as what we call non-profits). In some places medical camps were already held, in others there was going to be one the next day. This was according to the villagers. Accurate or not, it was frustrating that there was a great lack of coordination between NGO’s. As simple as this may sound, it is a very complicated task. I have heard such numbers… 200 areas affected… 500-600 NGO’s working in the area! It is a positive that there is a vast amount of help, but in the end it is a matter of whether we have met all the needs of the people and not just the immediate needs.
However, the positives outshine all else. It was a great honor working with about 15 selfless people, willing to do any task in the glaring sun. It was great to hear the stories of sharing between all the villagers. For example, one village consisting of 106 houses was only approved by the government, based on damage assessment, to recieve money for 81 houses out of 106. 81 houses recieved 4,000 rupees each as initial compensation . These villagers whose houses are no longer in living conditions, whose tvs, furniture, boats, clothes have been destroyed… who are now living in make do tents with tarp and plant materials.. do you know what they did?? The 81 houses pooled all the money together and divided it by 106… and spread the money amongst all the families. Now that is really sharing… sharing when you really do not have much left. As I stood in the midst of the destroyed houses, and saw the vision of the “houses” made by the road… a moment of silence circulated within me trying to grasp the concept.

Such are my experiences of service…

Love Karuna :)