It is all happening because of you

We joined a group of relief providers and set off for an unknown destination deep within the Sunderbans in end June, over a month after Aila struck the area and paralysed life for numerous villages and communities in the Sunderbans. We contributed some money towards the cause, and wanted to be caring enough to ensure that the foodstuff reaches the people that need it. But we were then thinking of a one-time support.

It all changed when we reached the destination where these villagers lived. We saw the condition of Chargheri & other southern villages of Satjelia. Each of the then-unformed PAKT group showed vocal / silent support to continuing the effort to supply basic food assistance to these severely affected people. To give them something to fill their bellies after their livelihood was put on hold for 2 years, and ALSO to show them a ray of hope, "to reassure them that not everyone beyond that floating horizon of the tidal waters has forgotten about them" (as we put it in our first blogpost).

We went to you with an extended plan to support these people for next few months with food relief. The basic plan was to pick up a social unit of people and supply them with bare minimal nutrition for the next months, at least till Sep'09. All of us subsequently speculated on the specific locations to lend our services to, and agreed that the devastated families of Chargheri & other four villlages (Santigachhi, Bidhan Colony, Lahiripur, Porosmoni) were as much deserving of assistance as people of other Aila-devastated areas in the Sunderbans. Then we discussed the number of people we had to support as a social unit and the quantity of rice per head that we could supply on an extended basis (was it too less to have any meaning?). We formed PAKT and re-visited the original speculative head count and rice quantity against the funds that we practically expected from within the group (PAKT) and their well-wishers - all of you - based on personal commitments and responses.

When we found that the funds were falling short of the target, we re-appealed to all of you and you responded by further replenishing PAKT funds so that commitment to supply food till Sep '09 could be met. We also asked you to join us and help us serve these people, and again got positive responses from you.

We needed to make our distribution system robust and organised, eliminating chances of deserving candidates losing out to strongmen who nudge the weaker folk out of the queue to grab more relief. Purbasha, a local eco-tourism group, offered some manpower assitance during our visits and also helped us collect local information. Thanks to Kaustuv's planning (and insistence) we implemented an extremely successful, uniquely numbered card based system for the families we identified as being 'covered' by PAKT.

Subsequently when we found that these people were going to have to fend for themselves after September, we went to them and asked them what they felt is the way forward. We did not think continuing with relief or extending it beyond September '09 as the right way forward. Fortunately, that was also the feedback we got from a lot of the locals. They wanted to start doing something for themselves.

We tried to build on that good spirit and willingness shown by the local people towards rehabilitating themselves. We found support from two NGO's, PRISM and Swanirvar, in arranging for the most effective self-rehabilitation that we think is possible for a multitude of farmers struggling with salined lands. After some preliminary background work, PAKT have arranged to train the local farmers in a manner so that they can grow their own vegetables come this winter. That will help these farming families to sustain themselves as well as to certainly reduce their expenses on expensive vegetables bought from market. The farmers will also have to take additional responsibilities and share their newly gained alternative crop related knowledge with other farmers in their villages who could not be accomodated in the external training.

We have also placed 4 needy local people at some hotels around West Bengal for jobs. More jobs are possible if more locals show their willlingness to move out.

The people of Chargheri and the other 4 villages still need to be supported before we can stand back and say that "they are rehabilitating themselves". The crop training (3rd phase) for another 25 odd farmers begins tomorrow. We then plan to distribute relevant seeds to ALL farmers (farmers with formal training as also farmers getting "second hand" training from formally trained farmers) before mid October so that the vegetable crop can be sown at the right time.

We are trying to look for more self employment options for these people in the field of cottage industry products. Exploring training of locals (especialy women) in those directions is certainly not far from our minds but choosing the right local skill is of paramount importance for making the products saleable in the market.

We plan to distribute blankets for these families ahead of the winter.

Tomorrow (19th Sep '09) is going to be our 8th trip to the location where PAKT have been distributing rice at Sunderbans since end of June '09. This is planned to be the last visit where PAKT provide food materials to the local people. We have been declaring this intended closure of relief on 19-Sep-09 over the past 3 visits to the recipients so that it does not come as a shock to them. We have also seen enough enthusiasm amongst locals with the alternative crop training program to believe that they (the local farmer community) see a lifeline in it, that they are willing to cultivate their new techniques on whatever land they can find untouched by stagnated brackish water. The relief had to come to an end, and they are accepting it as a reality at the right time.

While PAKT will continue visiting the area for other rehabilitation efforts mentioned above, the food relief part of Help Suderbans Initiative ends tomorrow. When we distribute rice for the last time at Chargheri in about 13-14 hours from now, we hope to get a further confirmation that the people in general are taking this closure without bitterness, and that they are already looking beyond waiting at queues with cards in hand to witness sacks of rice being stacked under a PAKT banner every fortnight. This sustenance of hope at the end of relief phase is what these people will desperately need to keep themselves afloat in their coming 12-15 months of struggle. Relief will now have to be replaced by self-belief, for which PAKT has been trying to arm them with knowledge to tackle their present state.

We needed a lot of funds to pull off the food relief phase. All of this has happened because of YOU. No words are apt enough to express our gratitude...or its magnitude, nor do we feel any pressing need of that being qualified or quantified. It is festival season here in West Bengal, and may your support / blessings / assistance / prayers / words of encouragement / love be as much with us as with the people we are all committed to continue supporting on their path to rehabilitating themselves.

PS: We may still come back to you for some more help for support of the rehabilitation process. We expect to have proved worthy of your trust so far, and hence we will not hesitate to ask for your (further) help if and when it is needed.

Employment of some people from Chargheri at various hotels

We have missed out on highlighting to you the news of another important bit of support that we could provide to some people of Chargheri over the past 2 visits. I am including Kaustuv's email below which some of you may have already received. It is self-explanatory. This is a very effective initiative for which PAKT's Khelaghar and Biswajit da have taken a leading role.

Inspite of the desperate condition that they find themselves in, people of Chargheri have generally shown mixed responses when presented with the option of moving out for a job. Hopefully a feedback from the four people, who have already moved out by taking up jobs at Sikkim, will help some others make up their minds on taking up the remaining offers available.

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"As per the commitment made by PAKT to the local people of Chargheri, we have successfully placed 4 men from Chargheri into Hotel jobs at Rinchenpong, West Sikkim. These guys halted overnight at Kolkata
on 8th Sep'09. On 9th Sep'09 they departed for Sikkim via Darjeeling Mail and on 10th Sep'09 they have reached the hotels at Rinchenpong, safely and in good health.

All the arrangements for these 4 men, since they reached Kolkata, have been done by the Hotel owner Mr. Dibbendu Ghosh. He has also arranged for garments, shoes and other necessities of these 4 men. At present these 4 men are working in two Hotels at Rinchenpong. They will undergo a training cycle of 2/3 months, after which they will be fully functional to serve the Hotel & its customers.

The names of these 4 men are - Harekrishna Mondal, Surajit Mondal, Manab Mondal & Ranjan Mondal. They are placed in the hotels, "Rinchenpong Nest" & "Norla", at Rinchenpong, West Sikkim.

This is just the beginning of the PAKT's Employment Rehabilitation program. We are planning to provide such placements to 15 more villagers from the Aila affected Chargheri area and hopefully this shall be accomplished within a month's time. At present, we are satisfied to be able to save at least 4 families by providing them an alternative livelihood.

Regards,

Kaustuv (on behalf of
PAKT)"

Off week

We are not visiting Chargheri this week as we had distributed stuff for 2 weeks last time. We plan to visit the next weekend to distribute food and medicines for the next fortnight. In the intervening time we will also assess if we can manage to provide a few more of the essential requirements. Polythene sheets were one of these. Some of the Chargheri people requested for these sheets when we enquired about any other essential requirements at the time of last distribution.

We had noticed that some of the common medicines were already in short supply and needed to be replenished. The common ailments of adults and children were also noted down. Stocks need to be maintained of medicines for those ailments. If things go as per plan, we may also have a kind doctor joining us on these Chargheri visits in the coming weeks to run a 'proper' medical camp.

Khelaghar had arranged for useful medicines in the first few weeks. We are happy to learn that we now have commitments of support stocks for medicines as well. We may get some boxes of such medicines from our generous supporters for the next trip.

3rd visit and formation of PAKT

Kaustuv, Sandeepan and Biswajit - da (another friend of ours, introduced to us by Kaustuv, who is actively supporting this effort from the 1st visit itself) have made the 3rd team visit to our target area on Saturday the 18th of July with a shipment of 1400 kg of rice. This food material is distributed amongst approximately 2800 people in 670 odd families (expected to cover for one week). Like previous weeks, the expenses of food purchase and transport were met through individual contributions from some of the above people and a few of their friends.

Pictures here.

For ease of reference, henceforth we will refer to this initiative of ours to support the people of Sunderbans as "Help Sunderbans Initiative" or HSI.

Kaustuv, Sandeepan, Biswajit da and myself represent 3 independent non-profit organisations. Starting off more as individuals willing to help the people at Sunderbans, we have now involved these organisations in this work. It did not take us long to assess the manpower and fund involvement required to pull through this effort on a sustained basis.

Sandeepan and I are associated with Atanu Memorial Association, or ATMA, for nearly 6 years. It is a registered welfare association formed by our college mates. Pather Katha is Kaustuv's orkut travel community. Khelaghar is a youth club at Garia who are involved in social welfare activities. Biswajit da and our other new friends Susanta, Santanu & Partha are all associated with Khelaghar.

Pather Katha has joined hands with ATMA and Khelaghar to form PAKT i.e. PatherKatha-ATMA-Khelaghar Team!! In other words PAKT is an informal and temporary "JV" of these three associations, formed solely for the purpose of making Help Sunderbans Initiative (HSI) a reality.

But then PAKT is also so much more than these three organisations. It would have little chance to fulfil its purpose of formation without the many others, perhaps including you, who are putting their hands up to offer help in various forms.

[Hope this deluge of names does not distract you! Let us just say that HSI is merely the reference (or project) name for the undertaken work and PAKT is the group trying to carry it out.]