Success Stories from Tsunami, Tamil Nadu, India

Initiatives that changed the villages: Chitra, Keelamoovarkkarai, Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, India

Before the tsunami, to the village of Keelamoovarkkarai had few facilities. There were no adequate sources of clean drinking water, no health care services offered by primary health centres (PHCs) and no hope for better living. After the tsunami, the formation of Arogya Sakhis for Health Awareness and Action (ASHAA) groups and the intervention of Health Guides changed the way the community began addressing issues and solving problems.

Islamabad_(dpa) _ As India and Pakistan continue their talks on the Kashmir dispute, Islamabad on Monday said Indian troops must at least be relocated to create "breathing space" for the population of the Himalayan region.

Initially repositioning India's 700,000 security personnel away from more densely populated areas will remove the psychological barrier faced by inhabitants, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tasneem Aslam told a press briefing in the capital.

"Since the Indian troops are in such large numbers the incidents of human rights violations also go up,"

New Delhi_(dpa) _ Poverty-stricken Indian women affected by the December 2004 tsunami have been selling their kidneys for survival, news reports said Monday.

"During an inquiry by the revenue divisional officer, we found about 35 women of Tsunami Nagar (a temporary shelter) have sold their kidneys," Ranvir Prasad, an official of Thiruvallur district in southern Tamil Nadu state was quoted as saying by the Indian Express newspaper.

He said the regional officer MS Sangeetha had spoken to 16 women at the shelter at Eranavur, 7 kilometres north of

NEW DELHI, Jan 8, 2007 (AFP) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Monday he hoped that India and Pakistan would eventually be able to sign a long-term peace treaty.

"I earnestly hope that relations between our two countries become so friendly that we can generate an atmosphere of trust between each other and that the two nations are able to agree on a treaty of peace, security and friendship," Singh said.

His comments came ahead of a visit to Pakistan, scheduled for January 13, by Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

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Executive summary

In the early stages of the operation, the South Asia regional delegation (SARD) played an important direct coordination role, especially in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. SARD deployed many of its staff as an interim measure for management and technical support, and facilitated

RANCHI, India, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Cold weather across northern and eastern India has killed at least 80 people in the past week, forcing authorities to close schools and colleges and deliver firewood to the homeless, officials said on Friday.

Bangladesh said on Thursday at least 56 people, mostly beggars and homeless, had died during the same cold snap this week.

In India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh 34 people have died as nighttime temperatures plummeted to close to freezing, making life a misery for tens of thousands of people who live

At the second year anniversary, Christian Children's Fund (CCF) has completed the second phase of a three-year program of recovery and reconstruction. CCF has collected $19,080,054.68 for tsunami relief, recovery and reconstruction efforts in India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. This includes $11,221,699 million in public contributions and $7,858,355.68 million in grant awards.

CCF responded within hours after the tsunami ravaged the coastal areas of South Asia in December of 2004, when more than 200,000 lives were lost and 1.5 million children and families