Sri Lanka - India: 3 Appeals Tsunami/ Quake Relief

[sacw]

South Asia Citizens Wire Special  | 28 Dec.,  2004
[Sri Lanka - India: 3 Appeals Tsunami/ Quake Relief]

[1] Sri Lanka: Tsunami/Earth Quake Relief in
[2] India: Appeal from women's groups
(I) Women's Collective  & Tamilnadu Resource Team 
Appeals That The Nation Rise As One To The Rescue 
And Rehabilitation Effort
(II) Appeal from Sakhi Resource center for women
[3] Appeal to Support Relief Work in South East and West India


o o o o o o

[1]

Tsunami/Earth Quake Relief in Sri Lanka
IMMEDIATE  ACTION  PLAN
Dear Sir / Madam,  
				    
I am glad that you all are working so hard to 
raise funds for this urgent cause to help those 
who are affected from the "tsunamis" in Sri 
Lanka.  It is feared the death toll may be over 
15,000 in Sri Lanka alone, and over 35,000 in 
total.  In addition to 600,000 injured people, 2 
million people (~10% of the entire population) 
are displaced.  What a disasterŠ  

Many of the medical facilities in the affected 
areas confirmed that they lack the life-saving 
basic medical supplies (antibiotics, wound 
dressings supplies, oral and intravenous 
rehydration fluids, syringes and needles, 
fracture splints, etc).  So the absolute priority 
for us is to provide these hospitals with medical 
supplies.  We need the assistance of all 
pharmaceutical companies in US and elsewhere.  We 
are collecting urgent medical supplies in New 
Jersey and have arranged to airlift a container a 
day from Newark Airport to Colombo, Sri Lanka 
starting 12/28/2004.  However, we need the life 
saving medicine and medical supplies ASAP to be 
delivered to the wear house.  We need the 
pharmaceutical industry to donate the medicine 
required for victims of this natural disaster in 
Sri Lanka.  

We are also bulk purchasing life-saving 
medications from India, especially since the cost 
of medication in India is about 1/10th of the 
cost in the US.  These will be delivered directly 
to the hospitals in affected areas.  This would 
be very much more efficient and also far more 
cost-effective than trying to purchase small 
quantities of medicine and other essential items 
from various sources using different funds. 
Therefore, it would be wise to consolidate our 
efforts in this regard. 

Other essential items include food and safe 
drinking water, water purification tablets, and 
also providing facilities at temporary shelters 
(such as at temples and schools).  Cash donations 
will also be made to charities working at the 
grass root level in Sri Lanka, so that we could 
enhance their efficiency (effectiveness of relief 
program). 

Option for additional fund raising:  I-FREED is a 
registered charity in USA.  If it is useful, we 
are happy to provide you a formal letter of 
request from I-FREED to your company for 
tax-deductible monetary donations.  These can be 
used for purchasing these medications and other 
essential life-saving items.  Please approach 
everyone including your work colleagues and 
friends.  Your prompt contributions will help 
save lives.  Please donate generously.  Once 
again, the biggest impact we can make is in the 
immediate future, as without additional 
medication and food supplies, there is no telling 
how many more people will die within the coming 
days.

We look forward for you joining these efforts. 

Sunil Wimalawansa, MD, PhD
President, I-FREED (A Registered Charity in US) 
			(12/27/2004)
[International Foundation of Reawakening, 
Empowerment, Education and Development]
_______________________________________________________________________

A).  Donation of medicine and medical equipments:
        Please arrange to deliver these items to 
the 'SriLankan Air' (National Air Carrier)  
  warehouse in Edison, New Jersey (908-361-2621):

B).  Monetary donations: to "Tsunami Relief Fund",
Bank Address: U.S. BANK, 1015 West Saint Germain Street, St. Cloud, MN 56301;
Tel: (320) 251-7110   "Tsunami Relief Fund"  - 
Checking account number: 104757749288 ;  Routing 
Number:  091000022
    
Write checks to "Tsunami Relief Fund", and mail your checks to: 
2716 Edward Drive, St. Cloud. MN 56301; tel: (320) 308-2189
  or,  
  to I-FREED Account;' see www.i-freed.org    
Wells Fargo Bank: Account Number 636-0507468; 
Wire Transfer Routing Number: 121000248; 
Electronic Transfer Routing Number: 111900659

Urgently Required Items:
Immediate necessities:  Medicine in general, 
urgent medical supplies, "Antibiotics", 
Anti-diarrheal agents/Gastro-intestinal 
antibiotics, Wound care supplies (cotton Wool, 
bandages, gauze/lint, Dettol, surgical equipment 
for suturing, etc), Drinking water, Water 
purification tables, Immunization/vaccines, oral 
and IV rehydration solutions.  Feeding bottles, 
teats for baby feeding bottles & baby foods. 

Medium term: Providing shelters, clothing, food, 
milk powder for infants and children, drinking 
water (bottled or canned), kids stuff, clothes 
blankets etc., and assistance in rebuilding.

Longer-term projects: Re-building houses, 
schools, hospitals, infrastructure, etc. 
=======================================
Sunil Wimalawansa, MD, PhD, FRCP, DSc
Professor of Medicine
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Chief of Endocrinology, Metabolism & Nutrition
Director, Regional Osteoporosis Center, MEB-372
P.O. Box 19, New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0019, USA
Tel: 732-235-9589;  Fax: 732-235-8892
e-mail: wimalasu at umdnj.edu
suniljw at hotmail.com


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[2]


Friends,
Pasted below are relevant extracts from 2 member 
groups of the National Network of Autonomous 
Women's Groups of India and the National 
Coordination Committee for the AFGs' National 
Conferences- The Tamil Nadu Women's Collective in 
Chennai and Sakhi in Kerala - on the situation of 
the Tsunami affected in South India.
They are working with others, but will surely 
focus on the fisherfolk who seem to be the 
worst-affected on the Indian mainland.
We are all watching the whole thing on TV; 
stupefaction is the only word to describe one's 
state of mind.
Ammu Abraham, Women's Centre, Bombay
-----------------------------
(I)

WOMEN'S COLLECTIVE  & TAMILNADU RESOURCE TEAM 
APPEALS THAT THE NATION RISE AS ONE TO THE RESCUE 
AND REHABILITATION EFFORT

.......In Chennai all the fishing hamlets are 
affected. The severly affected places includes 
Srinivasapuram in Pattinapakkam where more than 
30 dead bodies are identified.  Nearly 15 
identified bodies are that of small children who 
were actually playing in the beach have been 
kille dby the killer wave. Nearly 1000 huts are 
sweft away by the wave. Sea water has entered the 
housing board flats in the same area. Several 
other fishing settlement along Marina are also 
affected very badly. Thedeer Kuppam with 300 
huts, Nadu Kuppam with 350 huts, Nochi Kuppam 
with 300 huts will also fall under the severly 
affected area. Ayodhya Kuppam, Nanttan Kuppam are 
the other fishing settlements which are affected 
in Chennai.  So far 170 bodies are recovered from 
the sea  and of which 131 are identified. Several 
hundreds of people from these settlements are 
still missing.

The damages include loss of life, house, 
household articles, fishing gear, boats and 
Kattamarams. The immediate need is that of food 
and clothes and some bedsheets and mats.  Women's 
Collective started its relief Kitchen yesterday 
and so far nearly 5000 hot food  packets and 
water packets are distributed. There are several 
NGOs who are involved in food distribution and 
several of them are running medical Camps. Apollo 
Hospital and Government hospital Ambulances are 
pressed to service for disposing the dead bodies. 
Women's Collective volunteers are going round the 
city collecting old clothes and we have 
distributing it in the affected area. we are 
careful in avoiding the duplication of services. 
People are mostly in Churches and common 
buildings along the Santhome high road , on 
either side of the road in the platform and a few 
hundreds are there near the damaged houses trying 
to recover the few things that is left behind. We 
intend to continue the relief distribution for 
atleast a week or so till they return 
to normalcy.  We are working with the local 
fishing community leaders, SHG leaders and the 
Panchayath Leaders.  We have our SHGs at Nochi 
kuppam, Thedeer Kuppam area and all of them have 
lost their belongings.

In Kanyakumari district several fishing villages 
are affected. Periya Vallai 150 huts, 
Kottalampadi 100 huts, Kolechal several hundread 
huts, Keel Muttam 500 huts, Manavalakurichi 400 
huts, Kanyakumari 1000 huts, Pallam 200 huts, 
Allikal 500 huts, Pillai Thoppu 200 huts, Kayal 
pattinam, Puthan thurai, Manakudi, 
Kadiyapattinam, Mandaikadu, Thengai Pattinam, 
Chinna Muttom, Paniyur, Simon Colony, Kodimunai, 
Puthur, Muttom, several hundreds of huts are 
washed away. Nearly 500 people are said to have 
died and so far 110 bodies are identified. There 
was a mass cremination of 230 bodies this 
morning. Most of the people have left the 
villages and have moved to Nagerkoil, 
Mullavumoodu, Takkalai, Kottar, Myiladi to 
churches and common buildings, Schools. In 
Kollacheal several bodies are said to be washed 
ashore from this morning and there is no place in 
the hospital there. When our team was there for 
half an hour five bodies were washed ashore. 
Nearly 2000 people are missing from Kollechal.

In Kanyakumari almost all the churches and rotary 
clubs, Schools and colleges are onvolved in the 
relief work. Women's Collective staff are in all 
the releif camps as voluteers helping them. As 
immediate releif  has already reached them we 
have not done any distribution. This is the 
district which requires long term help like 
fishing gears , boats, reconstruction of huts and 
household articles later.

We  would be thankful if you can do the needful 
to raise whatever support that you can give 
either in cash or in kind. We would be happy to 
have secondhand bed sheets for distribution.

We can be contacted at 10, East Street, 
Kollattur, Chennai - 600 099. Phone: 044 2550 
5853 / 2550 1257. email: sheelu1 at vsnl.com; 
womencollective at rediffmail.com; Mobile: 
9444015851 and 9444293690 .

In case you are able to raise funds the donations 
can be send to Women's Collective or to Tamilnadu 
resource team both has 80G.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you need more information.

Regards,

Sheelu.

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

(II)
Dear friends
Thanks for your concerns and support. In Kerala, 
the most affected is Alappad panchayt in 
Karunagapally, in Kollam district. About 140 
bodies have so far been discovered.This is a 
panchayt where we are working and we have 6 local 
animators there.Yesterday we were there and all 6 
are safe. But many people whom we know have died 
-many being children.Alapuzha district is next 
affected.In Trivandrum there is no casuality ;in 
few villages fishing equipments are lost.The 
total casuality in Kerala is 190

There is sufficient support now from different 
organizations -food, water and clothes etc.Our 
animators are telling us of the need to help them 
to start life when they will have to return to 
the village. We are starting to collect funds to 
start relief work, once the initial enthusiasm of 
the humanitarian aid which is being provided now 
ends.What they have requested is cooking utensils 
,bedsheets and of course support for livelihood.

We know the situation in Tamilnadu is worst and 
Kulachal and Nagapattinam requires more help.
If anyone is wanting to help , please send your 
contribution to SB a/c no 5945 of Central Bank of 
India, Rishimangalam branch,Trivandrum
Thanking you
Yours sincerely

Aleyamma & Mercy
Sakhi Resource center for women
Convent raod,Trivandrum-695035 [India]


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[3]


AN APPEAL TO SUPPORT RELIEF WORK IN SOUTH EAST AND WEST INDIA

Dear Friends,

As the deadly tsunami waves cross the South East 
and West shores of India more than 5,000 people 
are feared dead and thousands others displaced 
according to official sources.

                  According to news reports 
Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Tamil Nadu are the 
worst affected.  In Tamil Nadu more than 2,400 
people are reported dead while 3000 people have 
been killed in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. 
Some unofficial sources have put the toll here to 
10 000. In Pondicherry, at least a 100 people are 
dead while 89 casualties have been reported from 
Andhra Pradesh. The toll in Kerala has touched 
128.

Villages have been swept away leaving hundreds 
and thousands of people homeless. Poor fishing 
communities are the worst affected. Those who 
escaped with their lives have been left destitute 
by the lashing floods, which carried off their 
meagre possessions. ìAs the waters retreated, 
bodies were left strewn across beaches, among 
smashed boats, tangled nets and the remains of 
fishermen's shacks. Among the dead was a group of 
40 children who were playing cricket on the beach 
when a giant wave swept them out to sea,î 
reported The Telegraph. Relief and rescue efforts 
are yet to reach many far-flunged areas of 
Andaman & Nicobar.

Moreover the Meteorological office in 
Thiruvananthapuram has warned that fresh tsunamis 
may develop and there is possibility of high 
tides in coastal areas of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

In this context Centre for Education and 
Communication (CEC), Jagori, Other Media and 
Delhi Forum are calling a meeting on December 28, 
2004 at 2.30 pm at Gandhi Peace Foundation, Deen 
Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi. The meeting will 
discuss how could we provide support from Delhi.

Meanwhile the affected organization working in 
the affected costal areas have requested relief. 
The demand is for the following things:

A) Clothes
B) Common medicines and water purifying tablets
C) Baby food
D) Dry Food

The contact points in the affected areas through 
whom the relief could be distributed are:


M. Subbu
Tamil Maanila Kattida Thozilalar Sangham (TMKTS)
1, Cross ST (F.F.) Kilpauk Garden,
Chennai-600010
Ph: 044-26478386
Email: msubbu_cwbc at vsnl.net

T. Peter
National Fishworkers Forum
Velankanny Junction, Valiathura
Vallakadavu P.O.
Trivandrum ñ 695008
Ph: 0471-2501376/2505216
Email: nff at vsnl.com

Jesurathinam, SNEHA, Nagapattinam
Tel: 04365-222907, 240622

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