It was 23^th of December just two days before Christmas celebration. A day the whole organization joined together to celebrate, eat well, play games and so on. A day on which long speeches about the benefits of work, the attitudes of NGO stuff and the big tasks ahead were hold. Everybody is happy and proud. Everybody has expectation of some Christmas gift and a few days with family and friends.

 

Everybody is ready to go home. But Mr. Sri was supposed to do one last job before Christmas. Three days before the house of family had burnt down because a school boy in the family fell asleep while reading with candle light. A horrible catastrophe shot before Christmas. Indeed the family lost everything – all memories, cloth and all working goods gutted down completely.

 

Somehow Indian urgent security system works out. Now the President of village Panchayat stated that the 5 years unfinished government house of tsunami rehabilitation scheme is going to be constructed faster. Neighbors donated cloth and food and so our organization did. In an urgent action all details for a support is collected and 3 days after the accident, Children´s fund of Canada donated Rs. 12,000/- for food, cloth, new working materials and expense for the new kitchen.

 

Well Mr. Sri wanted even on 24^th. We drove to the next bigger market, where at first we had to wait an hour and something until the beneficiary family arrived. What first? Indeed a big discussion. The concerned man, a palm trapper is not willing to understand that Rs. 12,000/- is there but he is not allowed to choose what to buy. From the money he does not want to buy cloth or food, that has been donated all ready. What he needs is a metal, lockable cupboard.

 

His new home will not be lockable so all his belongings will be unsafe. His wish is reasonable. But to ask the sponsor for additional fund is complicated, difficult and time-consuming. So what we did is we bought working materials for 1700 rupees. Like that we went on with every single bill until Rs. 4500/- was saved. What an amazing act. Rs. 12000/- is enough for primary family needs. We could manage and if you look at the picture, you could make out that curtailed the expenses and the villager whose house was bunt down had the desired cupboard. Mr. Sri and I had our first 6 hours X-Mas shopping.

 

 

 

Lukas Toerner

FSL India Volunteer from Germany