Skip to main content

Kerala Flood Disaster - A subtle effort by 40 families & their friends

Every effort to bring about a change in the lives of people hit by disaster is a brave one. Limited resources does not mean we do not take a step in this direction. Every penny of help extended to the disaster hit goes a long way in comforting the affected!


It is with the 'support' (and conviction) of the above thoughts that we, a small group of the Saint Mary's Orthodox Syrian Church Youth League {SMOSHYL} initiated the fund raising from friends and well wishers. It indeed is a small but very important step for us and we are convinced to take it to the needy and the suffering in the state of Kerala, with the moral and financial support from one and all.

As is evident, the state is surely being helped enormously by the Central Government as well as the various State Governments in the Indian Republic, both in cash and kind but despite that there are many in the interiors of the state who are not able to avail the benefits of these largesse. It is this section of the society that our efforts are focused on.

Before anything else, we at SMOSHYL are clear about the fact that our effort is not anything that would be instantaneous to help the sufferer of the disaster as we feel there are many who are already there and doing their bit and successfully so. Ours is a long drawn process but surely effective and targeted.

How do we reach them? How exactly do we identify them? These are one of the many questions that the donor always has in one's mind while sparing from his hard earned money. It is so right of them to think so as we ourselves realize when we donate! Allow us to explain how exactly we do it - SMOSHYL consists of about 40 family members who have made Chandigarh/Mohali/Panchkula as their home - most of the us being employees. It is these members who are helping in identifying the needy in Kerala by trying and finding out from their own family members, who themselves have suffered the wrath of the floods, about the lesser fortunates who have not been able to avail help from the Government and/or the NGOs. Once the members identify the needy, the designated committee decides the amount of compensation to be provided depending obviously on the funds at it's disposal. As of now (two days since we started), we have been able to collect about Rs.1.68 lakhs and we see mails and messages of commitment pouring in from our friends and supporters.

If you feel confident and encouraged to donate, please proceed as below:
Account name : St. Mary's  Orthodox Syrian Church Youth League
Account no : 13730100018594
IFSC CODE: FDRL0001373   

Bank : Federal bank limited, Sector 8, Chandigarh
Swift Code for foreign donations : FDRLINBBCGH

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Kuttanad - the backwater rice bowl of Kerala

Traditional Kuttanad fishing method - casting the net! Yes it is  ONAM today - a sublime Onam wishes to readers! Kuttanad, also known as the rice bowl of Kerala, is a badly floodhit space in the backwaters of Kerala and this is the place where I have my family home too. Floods indeed are not at all new to Kuttanad, which is 2.2 meters below sea level and that is exactly why it is called the backwaters. Kuttanad has to bear the discharge from rivers like Pampa, Achankovil, Manimala, Meenachil and Muvattupuzha before they end up in the sea through a man-made bund and a spillway. But this monsoon, the heavy rains in the northern/eastern part of the state and increased flow in the rivers and to top it all, the poor discharge through the two regulators, Thaneermukkam bund and Thottappally spillway has resulted in the floodwater staying in the region, longer. Internal sources inform that there was a non clearance of the sand at the mouth of the spillway pending a dispute regardin...

Hope still exists for these two beings!

Brief details of further disbursement of funds is hereunder. Yes, it is taking a bit of time for the disbursement as we are particular about the people being selected - the genuinely needy! Please feel free to write back with any queries you might have. We intend to post the more briefs as we proceed gradually to further disbursements. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Applicant Vimala and  P N Aravindakshan Uducham Cheriya Thekanam, North Kuttiyathodu, Ernakulam Application "I am basically a milk farmer with a few buffaloes and Cows to lead a life of self respect by selling their milk and dung.These floods, I lost cows to the floods and find it difficult to sustain the small revenue I used to earn considering the fact that the surviving cattle too are sick. I request you to provide us some funds  in-order that i may get my surviving cattle treated and add a cow to it" Says Aravindakshan in his application to...

Now, its time to rebuild - with a vengeance!

Kerala is not really new to the wet embrace that it confronts each rainy season and that too, often, twice a year but then it has never ever been such as it happened this time. Between 9th and the 15th of august Kerala received 255 percent more rain than it normally does. The result - 44 rivers in spate, 87 major landslides (not to count the smaller ones and the ones not reported at all), water from 33 dams released - catastrophe! Over 46000 hectares of crop lost, 2.25 lakh people rescued. Over ten lakh people moved to over 3200 relief camps. 360 dead and still counting. Rs.25000 crore is the estimated loss to the state. Now comes the rebuilding. That is the challenge ahead. Let us sincerely hope that the rehabilitation and rebuilding of the state will boost the economy of the state. The lessons we have learnt neglecting the all powerful nature must be respected and followed through to it's logical conclusion. Probably, it is time for Kerala to have a sincere relook into the ...