Caritas India marks 100 days of post-Tsunami Relief
The mild tremors experienced along the coast of India in the early morning hours of 26 December of last year gave little indication of what was to come. At 7:30 am. The first wave of a massive tsunami came in from The Bay of Bengal and slammed into the coastline taking those near the seashore by complete surprise. There was little time for reaction as the waves swept away even people kilometres away from the shore. An earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale had caused this massive tsunami that struck across the Asia region.
The relief work of Caritas has so far reached over 430,000 people in the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and the Union Territories of Andaman & Nicobare Islands. From the beginning of the disaster, the Caritas organisations across the affected dioceses began distributing food, clothing and medical help, and today continue to assist the people of India rebuild their lives and have hope again in a secure future for themselves and their families.
Now 100 days after the tsunami, Caritas is working to help people do more than simply replace homes and villages. Caritas is also working to help people achieve social change faster. Thanks to the enormous generosity of our donors, it is now possible to start projects with a long-term perspective of sustainability, and make many more rehabilitation programmes possible.
It is also a major aim of Caritas to increase the social status and educational standards for women and many resource are been directed at improving their lives.