Onsite Update :: from Lakshmi in Chennai

Dear All of you who have written these letters of appreciation and helped/ are helping raise funds,

Thanks for the encouraging words.

I felt good reading your appreciation of the hard, good work. People like you have been sending their notes of appreciation and their suggestions as well. So I thought I could write about our work in general this time.

Yes it has been hard work, fewer sleeping hours, more responsibility, and more strategies to deal with the explosive situations of people really affected by the Tsunami and the other really poor but not directly affected by the Tsunami. There has been so much learning in the process and it continues.
Funds seem no problem now. Delivering with limited manpower is difficult and yet I must say committed volunteerism at asha Chennai and from it’s friends have taken us through the difficult 5 weeks.

Interactions with friends outside Chennai (from UP- college students and social workers) volunteers of NGOs in Chennai who are working outside the city) who spent time helping with the surveys, observing activities and rebuilding broken places and cleaning roads, has given an understanding of the details of how relief and rehab work is happening elsewhere.
Interactions with volunteer friends of NGOs and in individual capacity of Chennai who are working outside the city and working with children, has given an understanding of the details of how children are responding to the great trauma. Being part of groups creating good activity material for these children for self learning and group learning has provided insights

A lot of our plans of Project Back to School comes from these diverse personal experiences and interactions.

A very good outcome of our efforts- There are more young people in Chennai wanting to give their time and that is a great feeling.

Regards
Lakshmi