According to Father George Kannanthanam, one set of the necessary boats, nets and motors cost about $3,000 in U.S. currency. That equipment will be utilized by six families, providing all of them with a livelihood, under a plan that has been worked out with the villagers there. Kannanthanam is working through the Sumanahalli Society. The society, with help from other organizations, is seeking to provide relief to 23 villages in Cuddlore, India. As he put it, "The people's need was for going back to the sea: boats and nets. 'People want boats, not bread' was the caption everywhere." He continued, citing the villages of Maduvapalam and Annankovil as an example, "We worked out a novel arrangement whereby entire families will own the boats. Ten groups of 6 families, decided by the people, will given a FRP boat with 10 hp. motor and 63 kilos net. Even the non-male, non-working, people including widows are part of this ownership whereby they also get a livelihood. An agreement is being signed with them for its operation. Most of them have never owned a boat, working for others. This new concept of joint ownership will change the socio-economic structure of the community. more villages will be taken up as and when the resources are available." According to Father Francis Guntipilly, a Jesuit priest in Bangalore, "The number of affected villages was a total of 376 out of 591 marine fishing villages spanning 1076 kilometres of coast line in Tamil Nadu. Out of the existing 68,036 fishing crafts, an estimated 42,655 were either destroyed or damaged in Tsunami in Tamilnadu as reported by Coastal Action Network." He added, "According to me the Dalits - those persons who are untouchables - are affected but have not received help. Some of them are fishermen and some are fish labourers who go to fish on the sea but also some help out on the land for hauling nets and carrying loads, etc. There are also some who are wage labourers and their lands are affected by salination because of the Intrusion of salt water. All these people's livelihoods are affected badly." The Tsunami Fishermen Relief Fund is inter-faith relief for all fishermen, no matter what their religious beliefs might be. It's to help people -- not religions -- put their lives back together and return to the waters. |