Concern in final stages of rehabilitation work in India
Friday, 22 December 2006
Concern has long term development work programmes in India and so was able to respond immediately with emergency distributions after the tsunami struck.
In February 2005, Concern India initiated its rehabilitation programme in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, and Andhra Pradesh, in Southern India.
Working with about a dozen local partners at any one time, Concern has mainly focused its work on livelihoods rehabilitation, mostly working with fishing and agricultural communities as they were the worst affected, losing most if not all their assets.
As well as repairing fishing boats and replacing nets, Concern focused on agriculture and salt-pan workers, with a specific focus on the inclusion of the most marginalised communities, the Dalits.
Microcredit was provided to households to repair or start small businesses, positively impacting on these communities.
So far, Concern has spent up to €4 million on its tsunami rehabilitation, with a budget of another €1.3 million to be spent in 2007 to complete this programme.
A disaster prone country, Concern India is well equipped to respond to national emergencies here and will continue to respond to such emergencies, where our presence can add value and alleviate suffering and vulnerability.
Through working with local partners, providing training and experience, Concern is not only strengthening local capacity but instilling their international standards in disaster relief.
Emergency preparedness is an integral part of Concern's work in India.
