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Boxing Day 2004 - the Tsunami and its Aftermath

The terrible Boxing Day Tsunami caused havoc over an enormous area of the globe and many thousands of peole lost their lives. The wave hit 900kms of the coast of Tamil Nadu, the state which includes the Diocese of Vellore, but because the Diocese is entirely landlocked none of the congregations of the Diocese suffered directly. Christians from the Diocese began to respond immediately:

• Pastors and their congregations based at Pondicherry visited the area affected and began giving practical advice and help to survivors
• Christian hospitals nearest to the disaster offered medical teams to help
• Congregations began raising money and donating clothing to help survivors

Fishing boats washed up out of the water by the Tsunami at Cuddaladore.(left)   A Tsunami survivor with his temporary home built by local government. (right)

In the long term the Diocese of Vellore has taken on two major projects to help tsunami survivors: building homes for destitute families, and providing homes and education for orphaned children.

The photographs below show the official opening in 2005 of three houses built for families of ferrymen who lost their homes and livelihood in the tsunami. They were very fortunate indeed that they were not actually operating the ferry at the time the wave struck, so, although their homes were flooded and swept away, they survived. Their job was a very hard one and very poorly paid - they pulled the ferry across the straits by hand and they could only charge men one rupee (just over one pence) per. ride (women and children they had to transport for free). Their new homes are many miles inland (and they are relieved to be so far from the sea), but this means they have to find new and different jobs, and the Diocese of Vellore is helping them to do this.

At the Centre for Rural Health and Social Education (CRHSE) in the Yelegiri Hills they are housing and educating 50 tsunami orphans. It is estimated that after the tsunami 4,650 children in Tamil Nadu had lost one or both of their parents. These children are mainly from fishing families at Nagar Patan and Cuddaladore- at the time of the disaster only a couple of the boys were still at school, the rest of the boys and all of the girls were already working. Here at Yeligiri they all can continue with their schooling, but they also receive counselling following their terrible suffering. After they have been at CRHSE they will be moved to the Diocese's Industrial Institute at Katpadi where they will be able to train as mechanics or engineers and then be able to earn their own living.