Third-phase relief-efforts:

As we wrap up delivering aid materials that took the poor villagers through the time of floods, it became evident that their troubles would not end without something being done to rehabilitate them. There are lots of cows in the villages. The country-bred desi cows are able to survive the floods really well. They also look well-fed with all the agricultural fields wiped out and converted to grass lands. (The imported breeds like Jersey cows are the ones that seem to suffer.) All the villagers now have are their healthy cows, with everything but that completely destroyed. With no chance of any agricultural proceeds in the next 6 months, with no construction work happening anywhere for at least a month now, with no way to feed themselves and children, and with no hope or idea of how to survive through this or turn things around, they are living totally distraught and hopeless. In addition to HH Sri Mannargudi Jeeyar Swami’s personal visits and anugraham and giving them hopes, the main objective of the third phase is rehabilitation to get the affected people to carry on through this tough phase.

So we have arranged a go-poojaa on Jan 10^th as a first step at villages around Cuddalore like Ramapuram, Kodukkan palayam, Adinathapuram, Sambareddyppaalayam, Dalit colonies. Our plan is to first fulfill their immediate needs by giving them things in kind rather than as money. Next is to do a mass prayer including the villagers, praying that another disaster like this not befall them. After that would be a small utsavam on Jan 12^th at the local temple on Koodaarai-day and give them all chakkarai-pongal prasaadam. Following that, we will hand them go-teevanam kits for the next month and then teach them how to make products, other than milk, using cows and their by-products with little or no initial investment. For example, with just cow-dung, a pot, gomeeyam, and some sunlight, we will teach them how to make palpodi (tooth-powder), agarbathis, bug-repellants, pain-balms, dishwashing powder, etc. We will train the villagers on how to profitably sell the products, so they can make about Rs. 1000-2000 per month. This might seem like a stretch but there is indeed a farmer in Erode that has been doing this for 10 years now to support his family. We are taking him long to make the villagers believe in the approach. This is our first step towards long-term rehabilitation.