Meeting Minutes, June 30, 2009

Today's meeting was short and simple. We discussed the following:

1. Finding a new slum to work in.
• Talking to other organizations in the area, and which have experience working with slums
• Going on a trip perhaps over the next week to see nearby areas
• Talking to government/public health officials
  
2. Working in the small community opposite the former Ramavaram slum
• Starting with a meeting in this community to understand their needs and build a relationship
• Focus will be mainly on health education
• Planned a trip for this Saturday, to be run by Nazneen.
3. Discussed details of our new internal organization
• Discussed the plans whereby international teams collaborate via internet mediums, and share their devleopment plans with the Indian-based teams.
• Importance of researching topics and staying alert on the news affecting underprivileged communities in India.
4. Wrote short bios for the board members to be featured on the upcoming website
• May be shared on the blog soon!
  

Update: Amudha and Meena

Thanks to the work of our Sangam India members Malar and Apoorvaa, we've been able to make some headway in our effort to secure the continuance of Amudha and Meena's education. Malar and Apoorvaa were able to talk to the principal of the girls' college, St. Thomas Higher Secondary School who generously has offered to support our cause by keeping Amudha and Meena in the schools' girls hostel, free of charge. We are grateful for this kind gesture.

The girls have asked us for some help with some of their living expenses, since they have lost nearly all of their possessions in the recent fire at Ramavaram. We'll be working with them over the next week to help provide for them.

Thanks to everyone for providing their support and expressing interest regarding the girls' education.

Registration Form

We are publicly launching our registration forms. A number of board members have already filled them out. Given the fact that many of our members live and work abroad, we've also developed an E-Registration form that serves the same function. We invite our supporters around the world to fill it out, especially if they are interested in participating with our team in any way.

• Register for Sangam India to:
  • Receive news of our activities, via our monthly newsletter (you can also sign up for the newsletter without registering)
  • Help plan or lead Sangam India activities in any capacity that you desire
  • Participate in Sangam India events
• Registration Requirements:
• Anybody can be a member. You can participate from anywhere in the world, and we accept members of all ages.
• Registration is free.
• Registration Options:
  1. Fill out the Registration form online
  2. Download and print a copy of the Registration Form (pdf.)

The form should take less than 5 minutes to fill out. We hope you'll take the time to fill it out so that we can keep up to date records of the people that are involved and how they can best help our team.

Thanks for your time and for joining the Sangam India team!

Looking Backwards and Forwards: At a Juncture

Displaced by a recent fire, the residents of our pilot project in the Ramavaram slum are to be permanently relocated. This isn’t goodbye; we certainly still have plans for them and a few visits are being planned. But it’s clear that this chapter is coming to close far faster than we envisioned.

We’re here at a critical juncture in Sangam India. We look back and we see many successes, as well as several failures, in our attempts to promote self-sufficiency in the Ramavaram slum. For us, it was a tremendous learning experience, both in personal and professional ways. Personally, I will miss many of the people and I have learned much about myself from them. Professionally, we have learned about how to work with residents in underprivileged communities to better their lives. For the residents of Ramavaram as well; the experience was a positive one. The children, I’m sure, many of whom knew me and others by name, will miss our presence. They certainly appreciated the time and energy we put into our weekly visits.

Though we’re saying goodbye, we have much to look forward to as well. We have learned much over the last year about slums, the problems they face, and ways in which we can confront them to produce meaningful solutions. We look forward to implementing these ideas in new communities and producing real, lasting changes in them.

Our team is growing quickly and leadership is coming from across the globe. We have new ways of operating and planning our operations, and people from across Chennai are showing an interest in volunteering for our cause. Despite the sadness that comes from leaving one community prematurely, we remain nonetheless excited about an opportunity to form a cohesive plan, move forward, and make a difference.

Skit 7: Honesty

Part of a series about skits produced for the Ramavaram children.

Skit 7: Honesty

(Students sitting around after school)

Narrator: The kids have been working hard on their semester exams and start to talk about how complicated school has become.

Krishnakanth: Gosh guys, I can’t remember the last time I got to play cricket with my friends.

Srikanth: Yeah man, I know what you mean. We’re always studying for these exams…

Abhiram: …And they only seem to be getting harder. Honestly, I don’t even think studying helps.

Neil: You’re totally right. I don’t think I’m going to study at all for our next exam. Who’s with me?

Krishnakanth, Srikanth, and Abhiram: I am!!

Krishnakanth: Come on guys, let’s go play cricket.

(Guys leave to go play cricket.)

(Amita and Vidhi walk out of the classroom.)

Vidhi: Amita, I don’t know what I’m going to do anymore. Last night I studied for six hours, and I feel like I didn’t know a single thing on that test.

Amita: Maybe we should study together. We might be able to get a lot more done and understand it a lot better.

Vidhi: Okay Amita, that’s a great idea.

(Amita and Vidhi head over to Amita’s house to study for their biology exam.)

(Scene changes to the biology classroom)

(the boys are frantic as they try to look at their notes)

Krishnakanth: Why did we play cricket instead of studying for our exam?

Abhiram: I’m not sure. I wish we had studied. I can’t even remember all the body systems.

Srikanth: Now what will we do? We will definitely fail now.

Neil: Oh my gosh, this is all my fault. I never should have convinced you guys to not study.

Krishnakanth: (leans in to the other boys and speaks in a furtive voice) I have an idea. You all must promise not to tell anyone.

Neil: We won’t tell anyone. Tell us your idea.

Abhiram: Please tell us. We don’t want to fail.

Krishnakanth: We can keep our notes with us and hide them. Then when we don’t know an answer, we can look at our notes and figure it out.

Abhiram: That’s a good idea. Let’s do it.

Narrator: The kids sit down to take their exam. The four boys keep their notes with them and use them all through the exam. All of a sudden, the teacher comes to Neil’s desk and notices some papers underneath his chair. The teacher bends down to pick up the papers and sees that they are the biology notes.

Teacher: NEIL, what is this??

Neil: (stammers and hesitates) uhh ma’am, see these are uhh

Teacher: Yes Neil, keep going. Are you cheating on the exam?

Neil: No.

Teacher: What are these notes doing here?

Neil: I didn’t put them there. I don’t know how they got there.

Teacher: (sees the other kids’ notes as well) Krishnakanth! Abhiram! Srikanth! Why do you have notes out as well.

(all four look scared and worried)

Srikanth: I’m sorry madam. I’m really sorry. We didn’t study for our exam so we decided to cheat by using our notes. Please don’t punish us. Please.

Teacher: Boys do you realize that this is a form of lying. You should have taken the time to learn the material like Amita and Vidhi did. If you hadn’t studied, you should have been honest with yourselves and me, and accepted that you would do poorly on the exam. If you had been honest with me, and told me that you hadn’t studied, I might have been able to postpone the exam. But, since you boys chose to lie, I must punish you. You will all receive a bad grade on your exam. I hope this teaches you all a lesson.

Abhiram: We’re very sorry madam. We understand what we did was wrong and we promise to never cheat again.

Narrator: The boys learned their lesson that day. They all learned that cheating is also a form of lying, and one should never lie or cheat to get ahead. They realized that the consequences of lying are greater than those of telling the truth. From that day on, the boys tried their best to be as honest as they could.

Copyright © 2008-2009 Sangam India. All rights reserved

http://www.sangamindia.org

Download the Skit

Written by: Krishnakanth Chiravuri, Srikanth Chiravuri, Vidhi Makanji, Neil Mithal, and Abhiram Gunturi.

Updates: Week of June 21st, 2009

A couple of updates to share:

• Skits: Skit translation has officially started. We are working on translating the skits into colloquial Tamil. This immense task is being done by Ms. Krithika Rajaraman of Birmingham, Alabama and assisted by Mr. Ram Ramgopal from Boston Massachusetts.
  
  
• Data Entry: A team of volunteers from the United States helped us immensely by compiling the data from our June 16th visit into an easy to use, digital format. This data will be wonderful for our follow up work with the residents of the Ramavaram community. Thanks to Aparna Bhaskara and her team: Suchitra Pakala, Krishnakanth Chiravuri, Srikanth Chiravuri, Sai Santosh, Kamalesh Donthula and Sujan Pakala for their efforts.
  
  
• Educational Aid: Sangam India members Apoorvaa and Malar are making good headway in providing aid to allow Amudha and Meena to continue their studies. More information on this as it becomes available.
  
  
• Registration Forms: We now have new registration forms, as we start to collect data about our members and the skills they have to offer our team. This is a step we are making towards becoming a non-profit organization. Registration forms will be made available online as well. More about this in a later post.
  

Sangam India Newsletter, June 2009

Hello!

June has been one topsy-turvy month for Sangam India. Before we delve into the intricacies of this month, we must pause to express our gratitude.

The entire team of Sangam India, Chennai would like to thank everyone who came forward to help the inhabitants of the Ramavaram slum. For the uninitiated, a fire consumed the entire slum, minus its dwellers, leaving 400 people homeless.

Our efforts to tackle this challenging situation involved supplying the people with basic necessities, including food. With the clockwork efficiency of the members of the Porur Sai Samithi and the generosity of Vishranthi Trust, more food and clothes were distributed. We thank them for their timely aid and co-operation.

The Government plans to relocate all 110 families to Perungulathur, 25 km from Ramavaram. The idea of parting with all the friends we have made over these months has been debated, denied and finally accepted. Though distance plays devil, we still hope to visit them to implement a few more plans such as health education, malnutrition management and perhaps even a health camp for men, women and children. Two girls, Amudha and Meena, will be accommodated in a hostel in Porur, to ensure a hassle free year of academics.

Our interaction with the inhabitants of Ramavaram has taught us a great deal, perhaps even beyond what we imagined. Armed with experience and good will we now venture into another community - to teach, to learn and empower to excel.

In other news, Sangam India is now on Twitter! Follow us for updates on our work and on other news of interest at http://twitter.com/sangamindia.

Thank you for your time and support.

Rifa Khan

Sangam India.

To join our mailing list and get monthly updates into your inbox, please visit http://list.sangamindia.org.

Meeting Minutes, June 23 2009

Today's meeting covered:

1. A review of Sunday's visit
2. Amudha and Meena's Education
   
   • Apoorvaa and Malar are in charge of this effort.
3. Plans with the Ramavaram Community
   • Health Education Plans, being developed by Dr. Gayatri and Dr. Anita
   • Merit-based scholarships
   • Deworming
   • Periodic health camps
   • Partnering with another NGO
4. Finding a New Slum
   • Developing an action plan
   • Acting as a bridge organization with other NGOs
   • Developing a Calendar
   • Going on a visit sometime this week to prospective areas and developing requirements for such an area.
5. Legal
6. Registration Forms
   • Board members filled out membership forms
   • To be discussed in a future blog post
     

Educational Aid for Amudha and Meena

About a year ago, Sangam India sponsored the higher education of two students, Amudha and Meena. These sisters, residents of the former Ramavaram slum, have shown great potential and their parents are very supportive of their dreams and aspirations.

Unfortunately, due to the tragic fire at the Ramavaram slum, their family is going to be relocated to a new settlement; quite far from their school. Having finished half of their education, it would be difficult or impossible for them to continue their studies in their new residence.

Not wanting their education to falter, and with the support of their parents, we’re looking for ways to keep Amudha and Meena in Chennai, preferably near the Porur area, for them to continue their +2 education. Two of our members are researching hostels in the area that will suit them. We’ll help to take care of their needs, including with uniforms and a monthly stipend, while they are here. If you can provide us with any information about where we can accommodate them, please let us know.

Please check back for updates on this story. We aren’t sure how much it will cost, but we’ll find out and report here. If you’re interested in sponsoring these girls specifically, please let us know.

Left to Right: Nivedita (Sangam India,) Lakshmi (the girls' elder sister,)
Malar (Sangam India,) Amudha and Meena

Visit to Ramavaram and Clothing Donation

Also see: Fire at Ramavaram, A Summary, and Plans for the Future.

Today we made a somewhat impromptu visit to the Ramavaram area to visit the residents of our community and to assist in a clothing donation project. The donation project involved three organizations: the Sai Samithi of Porur, Vishranthi Charitable Trust, and Sangam India. We played a very small role in the project but were nonetheless grateful for our chance to be a part of it and to interact with our community members in Ramavaram.

Clothes to be donated were generously given by Vishranthi, an organization based in Alwarpet, Chennai. The clothes were delivered by truck to the Sai Samithi in Porur a few days ago. Members of the Sai Samithi diligently categorized the clothing based on sex and age. In addition, members of the Samithi went to the community on Saturday, contacted its head, and gathered information about each of the families in the community that were affected by the disaster. They then gave each family a token with a number that corresponded to their own data. This systematic collection of information and the use of tokens allowed the operation today to proceed without problem. In addition to clothing, a packet of rice was also given to each family as well.

A small group of Sangam India members came today to assist, in some small way, with this operation. We spoke to the members of the Sai Samithi and we learned much about how to organize and run distribution projects. It was very impressive to see the dedication in their work. In addition, we were happy to have with us a doctor, Dr. Usha, who saw a several medical cases, giving advice and treatment to them. Finally, a number of our members came simply to spend time with the children.

As we were leaving, a number of large trucks came and many of the group elders boarded them. They will be going to their new location to inspect the area, and if all goes as planned, the entire group will be moving to the new area sometime tomorrow. As we conclude our work here with these people, we feel a little sad to be parting with friends, but hope that this will be a start to a good life for them.

A heartful thanks to the Sai Samithi of Porur for running this project and to Ms Sundari Jayaraman and Ms Savithri Vaithi of Vishranthi for providing the clothes.

View the rest of the pictures from today's visit

Looking Ahead - Ideas for Tentative Plan of Action

We have just received word that the Ramavaram folks will be shifted to the new place tomorrow morning at 10 AM. We have also heard that the new place is in Sriperumbuthur, which is quite far from the city, even further away than Porur. The new area could in fact be considered rural.

This of course brings up questions of how Sangam India will proceed in the face of such uncertainty. We feel that at this juncture, it is time for Sangam India to move forward in a new direction. Although there are a few things that we will continue with the current community, it is in fact not a feasible option for us to continue working with them in the same way that we have been doing until now. The following are the activities that we wish to continue with:

a) Clothing and Utensil distribution - Clothing has already been provided for these people, so we will be distributing these clothes after sorting them. We will be assisted by the Porur Sai Samithi in accomplishing this. Utensils and other items for the households will be determined in the next week, based on the need.

b) Health Education and Deworming - We would like to have a one day visit with the community during which we have a comprehensive health education program as well as deworm the entire community. During this we would like to cover topics of hygiene, family welfare, malnutrition, and men's medicosocial issues. This will be accomplished with the help of Dr. Anita, Dr. Gayathri, and Dr. Arun.

c) Scholarships for children - We would like to set up a long-term program through which children can be given scholarships based on merit. We hope to set an incentive program as well through which children can be encouraged to study well, based on which they will receive some sort of benefit. This will have to be accomplished by periodic visits to the new settlement, perhaps every 6-8 weeks. Of course, this requires manpower and people who are willing to periodically travel to the new settlement, which is a significant distance away.

d) We would like to approach SEED, a local organization in Sriperumbuthur, to assist with microfinance options for this group. We are yet to approach them, so if anyone is interested in working on the liaison, please contact us.

e) We would like to conduct periodic health camps and screening camps in the new settlement, perhaps every 6 months or so.

As far as Sangam India as a whole, we will begin early next week with a search for a new community to work in. Do give us your suggestions. Please keep your eyes open for word of a general body meeting to be held soon, during which we will be establishing committees and discussing future plans.

As usual, all suggestions, comments and questions are welcome.

Meeting Reflections - Moving Forward, Thursday, 18th June, 2009

Today's meeting was called in order to discuss the next plan of action regarding Ramavaram as well as Sangam India itself. Several of our members have raised concerns regarding our ability to provide relief and support for these people without becoming a crutch and crippling their independence further. Upon some deliberation, we have decided that immediate food relief is not a necessity, since they do have money to provide for themselves and their families. Since our funds are also limited, it does not make sense for us to give something that can come from another source. More importantly, it is essential that these people understand their responsibilities and do not shirk them. Alcohol consumption and a total disregard for the welfare of their families is becoming more and more rampant among the men, and we need to be careful not to encourage that sort of behavior.

Having said all of that, we also need to focus on what it is that we CAN do for these people at this point - what is our area of expertise and what is that we can provide that they will not get elsewhere? We have decided that the two areas where we will currently focus are a)health care and health education and b) clothing distribution. We will also help them with a gift hamper containing some basics for their homes, but not immediately.

We are planning a visit tomorrow where we will de-worm everyone, since they are living in close quarters with absolutely no sanitary facilities, and we will check all the children for malnutrition. In addition, we will provide some basic health education regarding precautions they need to take while they are in this position. We do need doctors for this, so if you are interested, please let us know.

Food, clothing and shelter are the three basic human needs, and of the three only food has been taken care of. Clothing is not as urgent as originally perceived, but would certainly help them. More information on a clothing distribution this weekend will be provided soon. We have heard a couple of suggestions on providing a tent to protect the people from the elements, but we are not sure yet how that will be undertaken.

Finally, the most important concept that came out of the meeting was the importance of self-reliance and empowerment. If we continue to do all the work for them, the ultimate purpose of Sangam India's existence is lost. It is important that we guide them towards empowering themselves and representing themselves in the face of difficulty. We have identified one man, Mr. Pitchaimani, who can represent his community well. The members of the community accept his leadership. We will be working with him on speaking to government officials as well as on teaching the people to avail themselves of everything that the government offers them.

Organizationally speaking, we have decided that in these matters, we do need to request the assistance of other NGO's in the area who work in these fields and have more experience than us. It is important that we do not bite off more than we can chew, and that we go about achieving our goals in the right way. If you know of any local NGOs that can help us in this, please do let us know.

Lastly, things are starting to settle down regarding Ramavaram. We are planning to keep our disaster management team working on this, and early next week we will start working towards identifying a new slum to work in, based on the extent of their need. Suggestions on where we can look are welcome. To do this, we need to expand our volunteer base, so please help us spread the word, especially within Chennai.

As usual, any thoughts, suggestions, ideas, comments or questions are welcome.

nivedita.gunturi@sangamindia.org, sriram.ramgopal@sangamindia.org, or vasundhra@sangamindia.org.

Food Relief at Ramavaram

Today's food distribution activity went smoothly, and we are all happy with the results. We would like to thank the local Maa Tarini (Bengali) Mess in Porur for providing us with 300 packets of curd rice on short notice. Thanks to the excellent leadership and administrative skills of our members, especially Pamela, Vandhana and Sivaprakash, today's distribution was uneventful and organized.

Everyone was seated on the ground in lines, and we announced that until everyone was seated we would not start the distribution. This measure was instated to prevent chaos and unfair allocation. Everyone was polite and calm, which allowed us to get through the work quickly and efficiently.

Thanks to everyone who was there, especially those who are new to Sangam India - Lekha, Adya, Ashita, Usman, Prabhakaran, Fathima, and Divya. We have not yet decided on a plan of action for tomorrow, but we will update soon, as soon as a decision is made.

In other news, we are still waiting to hear updates on the government stance regarding these people. We are also still in the process of creating a list of items that each family will need. If anyone can help us develop this list and assign cost to each item so that we can work with our donors, please contact siva.paturi@gmail.com.

Thank you again for your continuing solidarity and support.

View the photos from this trip.

Summary of Events and Actions in Ramavaram Thus Far, June 17th

Written by Navyatha Mohan and Nivedita Gunturi,

two of our Board Members

Ramavaram is an urban slum just off of the Nandambakkam highway. There are 110 houses with approximately 400 residents at Ramavaram, most of whom are daily wage earners supporting women, infants, young children and the aged. Starting March 2008, a group of students and young professionals under the name Sangam India had taken up the initiative of helping the community earn back their dignity and quality of life. However, tragedy struck us early Monday morning when news arrived that the entire slum had caught fire and had been razed to the ground in a matter of hours.

At 1:30am on Monday 15th June, one of the houses close to the highway bridge caught on fire from a short circuit. The fire quickly raged through, consuming one house after another, abetted by thatched roofs and trees. The inhabitants hurriedly escaped their homes and gathered onto the street nearby. Luckily no one suffered any injuries. According to the inhabitants, the fire engine arrived at 3 am, but by then the whole slum and all their savings and belongings had been destroyed.

We heard of the shocking news at 9am and made an emergency visit to Ramavaram at 4pm. A group of about 25 of us visited them and listened to their devastating experience. There was nothing left of the slum but the mud walls that supported the houses a feet above the ground. The people seemed to be in a state of utter hopelessness, completely unsure of what was to happen to them and where they were to move next. As we talked to them we were able to gather some information about the government response. The Ward Counsellor had arrived early and distributed breakfast packets and water tanks for the entire slum population. The Panchayat House had made arrangements for lunch and dinner. The government had handed over Rs. 2000/-, 5 kg of rice, a kerosene coupon, and a saree and a lungi to each family of the slum.

The families were to assume temporary shelter at an auditorium nearby. Meanwhile, the government has promised to rebuild them a slum at Perungalathur, near Tambaram, some 25kms from Ramavaram and that was understood to take 3 days for completion. The inhabitants are unsure if any arrangement for meals has been made for the next few days. They do not have any clothes but the ones in which they escaped the fire. They have lost their money and the children have lost their school uniforms and books. All medical records and other documents have also been destroyed.

After assessing the situation at Ramavaram, we decided to act immediately to help the families. Some of us stayed back to listen and talk to the people offering our support, while some went out to buy basic necessities. We decided to buy and distribute to each family, a packet of Marie Gold Biscuits, a sheet, a bucket, toothpowder and soap. By 7pm we were able to buy the biscuits, sheets and place the order for buckets but we had to postpone distribution as it got too dark to carry on.

An emergency meeting was convened at 7:30pm where we shared the stories of the people and discussed their situation and immediate needs. Below is a summary of the meeting.

The situation:
No roofs above their heads, no clothes, no remaining savings.
Food and water for the day provided.
Food and water for next few days uncertain.
Slight drizzle early in the evening.

The people:
Low morale, vulnerable babies, poor hygiene and sanitation facilities.

The government response:
Rs.2000/-, a veshti and a lungi distributed to each family.
Food and water arrangements made for Day 1.
Temporary shelter – unviable
Rehabilitation – will take 3-4days, is 25kms away and quality of life uncertain.
Police patrolling present.

Our immediate Plan of Action:
Distribute the following items, 1 per family.
Day 1: Only morale and emotional support
Day 2: Marie Gold Biscuits
Bedsheet
Bucket
Toothpowder
Soap
Constitute a Disaster Management Team to plan and develop rehabilitation activities.
Constitute a Fund-raiser Team to undertake massive fund-raising over the next few days.
Boost the Public Relations Committee to help spread the word and garner help.

Immediate Future:
utensils and some other basic necessities like rice or oil. Needs will be assessed and decisions made.
Organize clothes drive – clothes for men, women and children.
Sponsor families.
Sponsor uniforms and books for the school-going children.
Provide moral support and be physically and emotionally present in their time of need.

How You Can Help
Sangam India boasts over 300 members worldwide, and right now is the time for those 300 members to come together to help our friends. Here are some ways you can immediately help:

1. We need funds. If you are interested in sending money from outside India, please contact Sujan Pakala at sujan.pakala@gmail.com. He will be handling all donations. Within India, please contact Navya at nchundu@gmail.com. If you have any ideas for fundraising, please run those by Navya as well.



2. We have clothing coming from the US on July 20, but in the meantime we need to run an emergency clothing drive so we can supply each family with at least one more set of clothes from what the government has given. They have not provided children's clothes, leaving the children with only undergarments. If you are within India, please gather together usable clothes. You can contact Jaba at 91 9940661886.



3. We need our legal team to be fully functional. For us to be able to help these families to the best of our ability, we need to increase our legal standing. We really need people to donate some time to this. If you are a lawyer, or know a lawyer, or are willing to help work through some paperwork, please contact Navyatha at navyatha.mohan@gmail.com.



4. We need you to spread the word. Please tell everyone. Use every modality you have – Facebook, email, instant messenger, SMS, phone calls – to inform your friends of our needs. If you have any PR questions, please contact Priyanka at priyanka.boghani@sangamindia.org.

Pictures from Today's Relief Work

Here are some photos from today's relief work at Ramavaram. As mentioned previously, we gave each of the residents a hot packet of curd rice for them to eat. A writeup will be posted later tonight.

Click here to view the rest of the photos.

Upcoming: Food Relief, June 17

Also see: Fire at Ramavaram, Call for Help, Yesterday's Response, and news articles (1, 2, 3).

We are continuing our efforts to aid the Ramavaram residents during this time of need. We have done our best to satisfy some of the immediate needs for the residents with our project yesterday. Items such as clothes, plates etc. will have to wait as these donations are still on their way as well.

Today, we are conducting a food service at the field adjacent to the slum to serve the residents. We are leaving at 4:45 and we hope to finish our work within an hour, before it gets dark. We will be serving each of the residents a packet of curd rice for them to eat tonight.

Thanks once again to all our volunteers and supporters and we'll report back later tonight on the event.

Relief Efforts at Ramavaram, June 16th

Today we went to the Ramavaram area to assist the former slum residents there through what seems to be a difficult transition period.

We came with a large team of students and members of the community as well and everyone had a part to play in one of our largest operations ever. Our aim was to distribute each of the following to each household:

• bedsheet
• vessel for transporting water (kudam)
• soap
• toothpowder
• a packet of 'Marie Gold' biscuits

Though we had some difficulty initially with setting up the project, once things got started, they proceeded smoothly. Towards the end of the project we had some difficulty as there was some commotion in the community, and some people tried to get the same items twice. Though we found these things frustrating, we understood that they were the result of the difficult circumstances that these people were living in. Our project work today was led by Pamela and Vasundhra, who did an excellent job of coordinating and leading the work. In addition, we had a doctor, Dr. Tripthi, come with us to see some cases and we were able to treat one child who seemed to be having a worm infestation. Dr. Tripthi also suggested mass deworming the entire population to prevent transmission of enteric worms and we might be able to do this in the near future.

As we were giving out the items, we collected data from each family, regarding the names, ages, and sex of each of the family members. This will help us to better plan to serve their needs in the future.

It was also discovered during our visit that food was not given to the community at all today by the State Government, as was promised. The people were required to fend for themselves. Each family had been given a compensatory Rs. 2000 to help them cope with their losses. When we spoke to the government official regarding this, he merely stated that no further food was going to be given as the families had been given this amount of money. Fortunately, the water tank was refilled so the residents did have water.

Worsening the situation is a large amount of drunkenness by many of the adults in the community. This disappointing, but not totally unsurprising turn of events further saps the limited amounts of money the families have and ruins an already dismal morale.

We hope that our visit to Ramavaram today would have given to these families some essential, requested provisions, and more than that, helped to boost the morale in a community that seems to be adrift.

Thanks again to everyone for their continued support, both in terms of funding and volunteering. Please read Nivedita's post on how you can help if you are interested in contributing.

View more pictures from today's visit.

Also see: Fire at Ramavaram, Call for Help, and news articles (1, 2, 3).

Times: "Many rendered homeless as fire destroys 100 huts"

The following was in the Times of India today (June 16, 2009,) on page 3.

Many rendered homeless as fire destroys 100 huts
Times News Network

Chennai: More than 100 huts in Nandambakkam were gutted after a fire broke out in one of them during the early hours on Monday. Residents tried to put out the blaze with water and sand, but the flames soon spread to other huts, eventually gutting 106 of them. There was no casualty, however, thanks to a timely alert.

According to the police, around 1.40am on Monday, the roof of one of the huts in MGR Nagar in Nandambakkam, below the bridge near the Chennai Trade Centre, caught fire. An autorickshaw driver passing by noticed it and alerted residents, who informed the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS) department around 1.55 am.

The first fire engine reached the spot around 2.45am. By then many huts were destroyed. Five water lorries, five Metrowater lorries and two water tankers were pressed into service. By about 4am, the fire was extinguished.

“The first house to catch fire was locked. A short circuit was the cause. Most of the families here are from Vathalagundu, near Madurai,” said a police officer.

Kancheepuram collector Santosh K Misra and labour minister T M Anbarasan visited the spot at 11am. They distributed relief material, which included five kilograms of rice, clothes and Rs 5,000 in cash.

The residents whose houses were gutted will be shifted to Perungalathur, a place near Tambaram.

“We have been living here for the past 25 years and never before has a fire occurred. We are mostly labourers and now we have lost whatever little property we had saved,” said Muthulakshmi, a resident.

“If they shift us to Perungalathur, our children will find it hard to come to school,” said Ezhumalai, another resident.

Note: According to our information from both the residents and the government, each household was given Rs 2000 in cash.

We need your help! Please see the post below.

Trip to Ramavaram Today

Please see: Fire at Ramavaram, Call for Help, and news articles (1, 2).

As we described in the previous posts, we're heading out to Ramavaram today to give necessary articles to the Ramavaram residents to help them cope with their losses yesterday.

Current plans are to give the following to each household:

• A bedsheet
• A packet of Marie Gold biscuits
• A vessel for carrying water
• Soap
• Toothpowder

Items such as clothes, etc. might take a few more days to come. Please see the call for help post below if you can help in any way.

Today's trip leaves at 4:15 and we hope to get started as soon as we can. You can contact the Sangam India phone line if you need help with directions, etc: 9789901650. Please call the corresponding phone numbers below if you have any aid to offer.

Immediately Moving Forward - How you can help today.

Our community in Ramavaram suffered a great tragedy yesterday. We have been receiving many phone calls and emails offering support and assistance in whatever way we can use it.

As a leader of Sangam India, my call to you is to help us keep our activities and our planning and development side going. It is important that while giving as much as we can give to rebuilding this community, we do not let this circumstance sidetrack us from continuing our work, which will empower us to best help the Ramavaram community. For this to happen, we all need to come together.

Sangam India boasts over 300 members worldwide, and right now is the time for those 300 members to come together to help our friends. Here are some ways you can immediately help:

1. We need funds. If you are interested in sending money from outside India, please contact Sujan Pakala at sujan.pakala@gmail.com. He will be handling all donations. Within India, please contact Navya at nchundu@gmail.com. If you have any ideas for fundraising, please run those by Navya as well.



2. We have clothing coming from the US on July 20, but in the meantime we need to run an emergency clothing drive so we can supply each family with at least one more set of clothes from what the government has given. They have not provided children's clothes, leaving the children with only undergarments. If you are within India, please gather together usable clothes. You can contact Jaba at 91 9940661886.



3. We need our legal team to be fully functional. For us to be able to help these families to the best of our ability, we need to increase our legal standing. We really need people to donate some time to this. If you are a lawyer, or know a lawyer, or are willing to help work through some paperwork, please contact Navyatha at navyatha.mohan@gmail.com.



4. We need you to spread the word. Please tell everyone. Use every modality you have – Facebook, email, instant messenger, SMS, phone calls – to inform your friends of our needs. If you have any PR questions, please contact Priyanka at priyanka.boghani@sangamindia.org.

As we find out more about the needs, we will be posting updates. Please keep a close watch on the blog for more information coming soon, most likely in the next 6 hours.

Thank you for your solidarity in our time of need.

The Hindu: 100 huts gutted in Nandambakkam

Below is an excerpt from an article appearing in The Hindu today. Read the full text of the article on the Hindu website.

100 huts gutted in Nandambakkam

TAMBARAM: More than 100 huts were destroyed in a fire along the banks of the Adyar in Nandambakkam early on Monday. Though no one was injured, damage to property was extensive.

Officials at the Chennai Suburban Commissionerate said the fire broke out at one of the huts in Vatlagundu at 2.15 a.m. It spread rapidly and destroyed 108 huts. Residents managed to pull themselves and their children to safety, but were able to retrieve only a few of their possessions. Fire tenders put out the fire, but by then most of the damage was done. A large number of people from Vatlagundu in Dindigul district had settled down in the area, erecting thatched huts over the past several years and hence the name for the locality. Police said many families had gone to their native place and many of the huts were empty... (read more)

Tamil Murasu: "108 Homes by Adyar Riverbank Burnt to Ashes"

View original article, in Tamil (.jpg, 700kb)

This article appeared in today's (June 15, 2009) edition Tamil Murasu, a local-language paper. Below is a translation:

108 Homes by Adyar Riverbank Burnt to Ashes
108 homes by the Adyar riverside were burnt to ashes. Several lakhs worth of property was also destroyed. These 108 homes were in Vathlakundu area of Adyar riverside and were under Nandampakkam Municipality. People in this neighborhood engaged in activities like making coir ropes, good-luck charm ropes to ward off bad omens and so on. Early morning, around 1:30 A.M., when people were sound asleep, heavy smoke started coming from a locked house. Due to strong winds at the time, fire started to spread very quickly into other huts. People got up and ran out of their homes in panic and commotion.

Upon learning the news, fire fighters from Guindy, Thenampettai, Raj Bhavan, Tambaram came rushing to the scene. But these homes burnt to ashes even before they could reach the area. Wooden cots, bureaus, jewelry, cash, school books, notes, etc, were burnt to ashes. Police in Nandambakkam have registered a case and are investigating it.

Upon learning the news, Minister T.M. Anbarasan, District Collector Santosh, RTO Nambirajan, TRO Padmajadevi, Nandambakkam Municipality head Sekhar and others also came to the scene. They consoled people affected by the fire and gave each family 2,000 Rupees, saris, clothes, 5 kilograms of rice, and kerosene (for cooking).

Minister T.M. Anbarasan promised to provide each family a place in Perumkalathur with title and make arrangements for students to study in the same area. Collector Santosh K. Misra said that he would make arrangements for temporary ration cards.

Thanks to Ramachandran Ramgopal for the translation. Stay tuned for further updates.

Fire at Ramavaram

As I posted earlier today, there was a major fire today in the Ramavaram slum, rendering the entire population of Ramavaram homeless.

It has been a difficult day for the residents of Ramavaram and one that might change their lives forever. We began hearing reports early in the morning and Nivedita, one of our Chairpeople, was able to see the damage directly.

The damage that was sustained at Ramavaram was considerable. People believe that the damage was due to an electrical short-circuit that occurred at about 1:30 in the morning. The fire quickly spread, from one thatch house, to the next, demolishing the houses and the possessions of everyone. People were fortunate to escape with their lives. One resident suffered minor burns, and was in the hospital receiving treatment. Fortunately, there were no casualties.

There is simply no way to describe the awe and tragedy that these people suffered with words. The following photographs may do a better job of conveying what exactly happened here:

Its hard to imagine having nothing at all except the clothes on your back, but that was the reality faced by these people today. They had little to begin with, but now they simply have nothing.

The State Government quickly went into action to provide each house with each of the following, per househould: a veshti, a sari, Rs 2000 in cash, 5 kilograms of rice, and a coupon for some kerosene. They also have promised to give food to the residents for three days, including today. They gave a temporary shelter for the residents to stay in, but most of the residents are opting instead to sleep where there houses used to be, or along the sides of the road. The government has promised to permanently relocate the people of Ramavaram after a few days.

After getting to know of the situation, we tried to get in gear immediately to help these people. We asked them and they said the things they needed immediately were sheets to sleep on, clothes, food, plates and other silverware to eat with, and vessels for carrying water. Today we bought 110 bedsheets and packets of Marie Gold biscuits. We also have arranged to get people vessels to carry water in. We are going again to Ramavaram tomorrow to deliver these items as well as some other amenities such as soap

We had a meeting today at 7, after most of us were back, to discuss what happened and to develop a plan of action for the future. More details about this meeting will be coming up in a later post.

Thanks for everyone's support and aid in this matter. It has been a trying day for the people at Ramavaram and the next few days will be difficult as well. We stand together in solidarity with our friends and we are going to do what we can to help them in this immense time of need. We will be needing assistance with funds and volunteering and we hope people will be able to help. Please contact us if you are interested.

Click here to see the rest of the photos from the fire damage.

Fire at Ramavaram, Emergency Meeting Scheduled

Earlier today we have recieved several reports about a fire in our Ramavaram slum. Several of our members have seen the damage firsthand and they report that all of the houses have been destroyed and that the people have lost all of their belongings. No reports of any casualties or injuries as of yet. According to reports, there was an electrical fire in the area at about 2AM this morning.

Details will be forthcoming as we find out more.

A group is going at 4PM today to investigate the damage. An emergency meeting has also been scheduled at 7PM tonight to develop a Plan of Action. We'll update this blog when we have more information and in ways that people can help.

Sangam India Twitters!

As Priyanka wrote in her introductory post, Sangam India is now on twitter. The twitter feed will be updated whenever our blog is, and we'll be sure to add plenty of other updates to keep it interesting. We'll also be following organizations and people with similar focuses to tap into the network of activism around the world.

You can see our twitter feed at http://twitter.com/sangamindia. If you have a twitter account, please follow us! For those who use a newsreader, you can also connect to our twitter via RSS.

Thanks to Priyanka for her hard work in developing this.

Educational Programme, 13th June, 2009

Today’s educational programme, even with only a handful of children and just a few SI volunteers, turned out to be one of the most successful and rewarding days yet. Most of the children have not yet returned from trips to their native places for holidays, so it was an excellent opportunity to give the children one-on-one attention.

Today’s activity was a simple one, using picture books with moral stories, such as The Fox and the Grapes, The Dog and the Bone, and other similar stories. Pamela started by reading about five short stories to the children, after which we asked the children to tell us the stories using just the pictures.

All of the youngsters basked in the glow of our attention, praise, and affection. It was a truly heartwarming experience to see how happy they were just to have us spend time and give them our attention. After the main storytelling session, some of the children spent one-on-one time with us, reading to us, with some prompting and assistance. A couple of the children read in English, but with almost no comprehension of what they were reading. Although they started to lose attention after a little while, all of us truly felt a connection with the children today. We did not lose even a single child – all of them stayed from beginning to end. This was truly a success for us, a first-time event. The children ran after us as we left, asking us to promise to come back next week.

We are hoping to find good ways to incorporate the stories into a larger scheme of activities that will engage the children and harness their creativity. As always, please let us know if you have ideas on how to do this.

Another development is that several of the secondary school children have approached us for assistance with school fees. We will be paying them next week, after meeting with all of the children and their parents. Each child has to pay Rs. 525 (approx. $11) for the year. If you’re interested in sponsoring a child, please let us know in the next couple of days. We will provide an update as soon as we find out more details.


Click here to view the rest of the photos from today.

Notes for Meeting Held on May 9th, 2009

In today's meeting we discussed:

1. Forming bridges with other NGOs in Chennai to help develop and execute our projects. The importance of this was especially seen in regard to vocational training.
2. We discussed various personnel changes, including the addition of Priyanka Boghani as part of a US PR team.
3. The Educational Planning and the Educational Committee.
4. Various aspects of the Legal Committee, still to get NGO status in India and NPO status in the United States.
5. The function of the PR section of Sangam India in regards to getting more people involved ad working with other NGOs.
6. The possibility of health camps in the future.
   

Skit 6: Right Action

Part of a series about skits produced for the Ramavaram children.

Skit 6: Right Action

Narrator: Rahul, a shopkeeper in a local market, has a small candy stand. From this small business, Rahul makes just enough money to support his family. He is man of great character for he always tries to do the right thing.

One day in the market

Sathyam: Hey Rahul, can you give me 2 Cadbury chocolates please? They are for my son and daughter.

Rahul: Of course Sathyam. That will be 40 rupees.

Sathyam gives the money and takes the candy. Rahul waits patiently for his next customer.

Customer 2: Hello.

Rahul: Hello, sir. What may I interest you in today?

Customer 2: Umm. How about 3 Five-Stars?

Rahul: Of course. That is 55 rupees sir.

Customer 3: Hello. How are you today? I’m in a hurry!

Rahul: I am doing well, sir. Thank you for asking. What would you like? We sell an assortment of candy.

Customer 3: What is the most popular children amongst children? I want to take some candy home for my son. It is his birthday today, and I’m late for his party in the park.

Rahul: Well, most kids buy Cadbury chocolates.

Customer 3: Okay. I will have 2 Cadbury chocolates.

Rahul: Well, that will be 40 rupees.

Customer 3: Okay, Here’s the 40 rupees. Thank you friend.

(Customer 3 calls an auto and leaves in haste, and Rahul realizes that the man had given him 400 rupees instead of 40 rupees.)

Rahul: Oh my gosh! That gentleman gave me much more money than was needed. Gopal can you please watch the store while I go and give the money back to that man?

Rahul (to himself): I must go to the park and give back the extra money he gave me.

Narrator: Rahul walked for several miles before he was able to find the man.

Rahul: Where is that man? O there he is! Sir! Sir! I am the shop keeper whom you bought the candy from.

Customer 3: Oh, hello again. Is there a problem?

Rahul: Yes. You bought 2 bars of Cadbury chocolate.

Customer 3: Yes?

Rahul: Well, you gave 400 rupees; you owed me only 40 rupees. Here’s the rest of your change.

Customer 3: You walked all the way here just to give me back some money. Thank you so much! Can I give you some sort of reward?

Rahul: No! Of course not. I was just doing my duty.

Customer 3: Yes. How about this? I will come to your shop tomorrow and pick up some candy bars. Take the 400 rupees as a sort of advanced payment.

Rahul: Okay. But I have your word that you will come to pick up the candy right?

Customer 3: Yes of course. I will definitely come.

Narrator: Rahul never thought about taking the 400 rupees from that man. Instead, he dutifully returned the money in full and did not even desire a reward. He only took the money when the man gave him full assurance that he would pick up the candy the next day. In this way, Rahul stayed true to his morals.

Copyright © 2008-2009 Sangam India. All rights reserved

http://www.sangamindia.org

Download the Skit

Written by: Krishnakanth Chiravuri, Srikanth Chiravuri, Vidhi Makanji, Neil Mithal, and Abhiram Gunturi.

Skit 5: Peace

Part of a series about skits produced for the Ramavaram children.

Skit 5: Peace

Narrator: Arjun and Sita are brother and sister. They argue a lot and have a hard time resolving any dispute in a peaceful manner. Here they are in the midst of another argument.

Arjun: No, it’s my tennis racquet. Dad bought it for me on my birthday. I don’t want you to touching it.

Sita: I don’t see your name on it. Besides, I just want to hit a few balls.

Arjun: No!! You always want everything that I have. I am not going to let you play with my racquet. No way!

Gopal (Dad): Both of you, stop arguing. This is ridiculous behavior. Sita, you cannot play with everything that your brother has. And Arjun you must learn to share at least some of your belongings with Sita. She is your younger sister. You have to be more responsible and more mature. Now both of you go to your rooms!

Narrator: Sita goes to her room which she shares with her older sister Radha and talks to her about her fight with Arjun. Arjun, still feeling rebellious and angry, sneaks outside.

Sita: Can you believe Arjun, Radha? He would not even let me touch his tennis racquet. He’s so mean sometimes.

Radha: Sita, you know that it is not only his fault. Sometimes you bother Arjun when he is by himself. You want everything that he has. Sometimes you provoke him into these huge fights.

Sita: Yeah, I guess.

Radha: You have to learn to leave Arjun alone sometimes. I don’t think you like fighting with him all the time do you? He is your brother; both of you should be friends. Try to find some hobbies of your own. That way you won’t always ask to play with Arjun or with his things. So, what will you do next time you want to use something of Arjun’s?

Sita: I’ll ask politely, and if he says no, then I will not argue with him about it.

Radha: Good. That’s sounds much better.

Narrator: Meanwhile, Arjun is walking outside and he notices several different people fighting.

Boy 1: You always get the first sip of the soda!!

Boy 2: That’s cause I’m the older brother.

Boy 1: Give it to me; I want it!

Boy 2: No it’s mine.

(The boys pull of the bottle of soda and finally the bottle falls on the ground and it breaks leaving no soda of either)

Shop Customer: Useless fellow! I got two kg of eggplant but you charged me for 4 kg.

Shop Owner: It is not my fault sir; You told me that you got four kgs of eggplant.

Shop Customer: You think I am a liar? I know what I said.

Shop Owner: I know what you said too. Why would I lie!?!

Shop Customer: You wanted to cheat me; that’s why.

Arjun: Wow. I can’t believe people can argue about such petty things.

Narrator: Arjun was surprised by how violently the people had treated each other. He did not want to treat his sister like that.

(At Home)

Sita: Arjun, can I please play with your racquet, if you are not using it?

Arjun: Of course, Sita. Here, I will teach you some techniques that I learned.

Narrator: Arjun and Sita go off and play happily. From then on, they both tried to think of peaceful solutions to any disputes that they had.

Copyright © 2008-2009 Sangam India. All rights reserved

http://www.sangamindia.org

Download the Skit

Written by: Krishnakanth Chiravuri, Srikanth Chiravuri, Vidhi Makanji, Neil Mithal, and Abhiram Gunturi.