THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:They stare at the wreckage strewn all around, their life savings reduced to debris. The waters swept through their lives, decimating everything. But, for the many families living in the flood-battered Vandiperiyar in Idukki district, help has come all the way from the state capital. The Thiruvananthapuram-based non-profit Helping Hands Organisation (H2O), which focuses on autism rehabilitation, has pioneered a mega movement to help the families usher in a new life.
The idea is to rebuild the lives of 150 families in Vandiperiyar. A total of 30 families will get to walk into their homes and start their lives this week.“The magnitude of the disaster we are staring at is huge. It will take two or three years to rebuild what we have lost. So the rehabilitation and relief activities have to be a continuous process. We need to be at it for quite some time to get a considerable result” says Jolly Johnson, founder of H2O which has pioneered the ‘H2O Rebuild Kerala initiative’.
The group has been involved in a host of relief activities ever since the floods ravaged the state. Four to five trucks were regularly ferrying relief materials from the city to various flood-hit regions. “My friend Ijaz had started an initiative to help the flood-affected return to their homes. We had also joined in the effort and around 50 families could be brought back to their homes. That spurred us,” says Jolly. And that was how the Rebuild Kerala movement got underway. Jolly feels that there is no time to be lost and that the pace of the rehabilitation process has to be increased. And thus the focussed rebuilding initiative was rolled out.
The stage one of the initiative involves data collection. A comprehensive documentation process is being initiated which involves picture documentation and assessment of the damage to the home, appliances along with the details of the families. “The data so collected will be made into a profile. So if one is sponsoring a family, then they get to know the families and their requirements. This helps foster a bond,” says Jolly.
“We have completed documentation of 68 families till now. The requirement of each household is different. Proper mapping of the individuals and their loss will help us asses the needs better,” says Jolly. “The public can pitch in for the effort by donating household articles. There are houses where they don’t even have a single utensil. Any small contribution will help a long way in jump-starting their lives,” she says. By September end, the group hopes to complete the first phase of the rebuilding process for the identified families. “If not 150, we hope to complete at least fifty per cent by September end.
The second phase is the implementation of the livelihood project. It involves the introduction of a sustainable program which will help ensure livelihood and a source of income for the affected. “Those interested in joining will be given a vocational training. This is to ensure that they become self-sufficient and independent in the long run,” she adds.
Meanwhile, the third phase involves the development of infrastructure. “For that, we will need experts who can help us in identifying areas where new construction is feasible. If more people join in the effort and help out, we hope we can make a great headway,” she adds.
The rebuilding process is being implemented with the help of the local authorities and colleges. Currently, the group is looking for sponsors and volunteers. “We have to ensure the health aspects of the volunteers. It will be extremely helpful if we could get some help in sponsoring the transportation and ensuring medical aid for the volunteers. Moreover, we need more volunteers. We need to have around 300 to 500 volunteers to implement this,” she says.
Relief work
The group has been involved in a host of relief activities ever since the floods ravaged the state. Four to five trucks were regularly ferrying relief materials from the city to various flood-hit regions. Presently, H2O has given a call for volunteers.