wfn.org | India: LWF Field Program Continues Support to Churches in

["Frank Imhoff" <Frank.Imhoff@elca.org>]

India: LWF Field Program Continues Support to Churches in Post-Tsunami
Rehabilitation
LWF/DWS Director Stresses Need to Restore Fishing Communities' Livelihood
GENEVA, 21 February 2005 (LWI) * Following his recent assessment of
tsunami-affected villages in southern India, the director of the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF) Department for World Service (DWS), Mr Robert
Granke, has stressed the need for DWS' continued strategic support to the
Chennai-based United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI). The
body of Lutheran churches has been providing relief and rehabilitation
assistance to affected communities.

Granke said the Kolkata-based LWF/DWS India program, with extensive
experience in handling recurring emergencies like flooding in India, has
so far worked with the UELCI to distribute relief items, and in the
construction of temporary shelters. With the completion of the relief
phase at the end of January, further focus will be on rehabilitation of
homes and livelihoods. The DWS director commended the good collaboration
between the churches and LWF field program. A number UELCI churches are
present in the areas worst affected by the December 26 disaster that
struck several countries in South East Asia.

Out of the estimated 10,000 tsunami-related deaths in India, nearly 75
percent occurred on the southeast coast, particularly the state of Tamil
Nadu. Thousands of people were reported missing, and over 140,000 mostly
from fishing communities, were temporarily housed in relief centers.

Accompanied by Mr Howard Jost, LWF/DWS India director, Granke visited
Cuddalore and Pondicherry in the southeast, where the state government has
assigned several villages to non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
including the LWF field program and UELCI. The DWS director met with
Bishop Gideon Devanesan Rajagembeeram of the Arcot Lutheran Church, and
the district administrative head, and toured devastated villages where he
participated in the distribution of relief items.

In the villages assigned to DWS India, the government and other NGOs have
already provided temporary shelters to those whose homes were completely
destroyed, thus the LWF field program will assist in carrying out repairs
to damaged houses. The government is expected to advise on the design and
location of new houses. There are indications that rebuilding may be
allowed on the original sites, but there is preference for land that is
more than 500 meters from the coast. There is concern that people residing
in houses that were not destroyed by the tsunamis would have to move if
the limit is implemented, which would involve massive relocation.

Most of those directly affected in India belong to fishing communities,
and have no way of earning a living without boats and nets. DWS India is
prioritizing procurement of fiberglass boats, engines and nets. The LWF
field program staff and community members are discussing the issue of
ownership, with the aim of making boats available to fishermen who will
work cooperatively. Traditionally, fishing boats have crews of five to ten
men, and are, in some cases, hired by absentee boat owners. Granke noted
that a new fiberglass boat would cost around USD 1,750. "It is important
that the fishing community members agree on this joint responsibility," he
added.

Granke stressed the urgency to get the fishing communities back to work.
"While they have already lost so much * family and community members, and
property * and are deeply traumatized, they need their boats and nets
back," he said, describing groups of fishermen whiling away their days by
the seashore. "Fishing is the only occupation they've ever known, and they
need it back," he added. (570 words)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 138
member churches in 77 countries all over the world, with a membership of
nearly 66 million Christians. The LWF acts on behalf of its member
churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith
relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication,
and the various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat
is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service. Unless
specifically noted, material presented does not represent positions or
opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an
article contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced
with acknowledgment.]

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