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Chennai, India
SHARE (Shaping Hearts -A Relief Effort) Project No: I22 Contact info: martfam@vsnl.com The Martin family has been actively involved in humanitarian activities for three decades, the majority of this time in the Indian sub-continent, where they have spearheaded a number of programs in various cities and countries. Their present undertakings include:
Tsunami Loss gives way to New Beginnings Six months ago, in the aftermath of the tsunami, upon witnessing the unprecedented physical devastation, suffering and human grief here in our area, I (Frank) wrote the following comment in my first Tsunami Report to Family Care Foundation, describing my encounter with a dear Indian man I came in contact with:
At that time I had also documented the following observation.
Six months later, after a visit to the same area where we have been investing manpower and money, I could share the following:
"When I walked the beach this time, it was refreshing. It was
as if life had sprung up again in the hearts of the people. The beach,
instead of its previous state of being strewn with wreckage and debris,
was now full of new fishing boats. Men sat mending and preparing their
new nets instead of untangling or burning the endless cobweb nets
that seemed like they covered everything months before. There was
hope in the air instead of despair, re-birth instead of death. Our Christmas Payoff "You helped us when the tsunami ravaged us. We have come to return the favor." This declaration came straight from the hearts of fishermen from Kovalam, as they set out to rescue beleaguered flood victims in nearby Chennai (Madras). Unusually heavy monsoon rains had breached rivers and caused widespread flooding, resulting in the mandatory evacuation of over 150,000 residents of the West Tambaram area of Chennai.
A year ago, this group of 36 fishermen had received assistance from Project SHARE here in Chennai. Now these same fishermen used their 30-foot fishing boats to rescue over 1000 pregnant women, newborns, the sick, aged and physically challenged and move them to safer areas. These fishermen are now heroes in the entire locality. Of their efforts, the secretary of the local Lions Club said, "The gesture of the fishermen was heartening. They did not accept a single paisa (cent) from the residents, some of whom willingly offered a few hundred rupees. Only after a lot of pressure, they even accepted food from us." To give some background to these selfless words and actions we need to go back to December 27th, 2004. It was the day after the tsunami and we were traveling throughout the worst affected villages along the coast to survey the damage. Things were still out of control. Fear, apprehension & uncertainty gripped everyone we met. At one of the larger fishing villages, Sundar, a 24 year-old man approached us & in broken English said, 'Sir, many people come & offer help, but no one returns. We need 1,200 liters of engine oil, lubricants & fuel to service our boat engines. If we don't act soon, they will be irreparable. Please help us.
With the timely help of sponsors, within two days SHARE had delivered the needed oil & lubricants to these fishermen of Kovalam. Sundar later expressed that this single act of keeping their word, and returning with the help needed, inspired them to do all they could to help others in their time of need. The rest is history. Simple but effective grassroots sponsorship The Martin family has been actively involved in humanitarian work in the Indian sub-continent for the last three decades. Through coordinating sponsorship from abroad and directing it on a local level, they have been able to provide grassroots relief efforts. They share two recent examples with us: “We were able to purchase a baby warmer* for a local orphanage at which we regularly provide volunteer services. The events that brought this about serve as a novel idea for anyone looking for ways to get involved, but for one reason or another don’t know how that is possible in their situation. (* A baby warmer is a special lamp unit that is used to keep premature or underweight babies warm right after birth).
“In this case the sister of a co-worker who lives in Holland had been raising funds for one of our programs. She explained to her neighbors about different programs we undertake, and one neighbor who was pregnant with her fourth child decided on a course of action. Rather than friends giving her baby shower gifts, she would ask for monetary donations to be used towards the urgent needs of orphaned newborns here in Chennai. We then put this money towards the purchase of the baby warmer. This orphanage presently cares for 40 infants, mainly abandoned female babies, and has a license for international adoptions. “We also assist a home here for elderly members of the Anglo-Indian community. Through sponsors in Europe, we have been able to supply some major needs for these old folks, which include reclining chairs for all 50 residents, specially designed and adjustable beds for a new wing, and a solar heater so that the residents can have a hot bath (since the home was not able to afford an electric bill.)
“This facility is located on a large property, but due to financial constraints it has not been maintained or developed. During the present monsoons, the residents have to wade through 2 feet of water to go to the kitchen to collect their food, which is located in a different building from the one where the residents reside. “A local architect has volunteered his services and drawn up plans to renovate the kitchen and improve and beautify the property. Partial funding for this project is currently being raised via coordinated sponsorship from residents of Senior Care Homes abroad.” SHARE Shaping Hearts -A Relief Effort
To donate to this Family Care Foundation Project, please note Project NAME and then click here. |
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