A Steady Job and a Cleaner Community
11 December 2006
"We have now got a strong roof over our heads, good work to do, and enough food to eat. This time even if there is heavy rain, we have a secure place to live.” So says Nagamma, whose life has been transformed since the tsunami – thanks in part to trash.
Nagamma’s was one of 1,100 tsunami-affected families from coastal hamlets in Chennai who were relocated to temporary shelters at Duraipakkam, some 12 miles from their original homes, jobs, and schools. When the monsoon struck this low-lying area, the families were evacuated by the government once again.
Oxfam and its partner Don Bosco have worked with these vulnerable communities since the tsunami. They advocated with the Slum Clearance Board (SCB), a state agency that helps re-house people evicted from Chennai’s slums, to allocate them housing, and in March of 2006, the families were finally able to move into permanent homes in Semmencherry.
This success encouraged Don Bosco and Oxfam to press the authorities to address other issues of concern for the community, such as public health, education, and livelihoods. Don Bosco created 40 self-help groups - 36 of them composed of women - to implement livelihood activities, linking them to an ongoing SCB program funded by the Asian Development Bank.
One of the activities is a trash-collection program. Nagamma and 17 other women have been provided with cargo tricycles so they can make a living collecting and disposing of their community’s waste. The SCB has agreed to pay their monthly salary of 2,000 rupees ($44) for a period of three years.
“We are glad to be engaged with the trash-collection program,” says Nagamma, dressed in her blue cap and uniform. “It not only gives us enough money to buy food for our family, it also helps us keep the community area clean.”
Don Bosco also lobbied the state education department for a local school. Children in the community were having to travel almost an hour and a half every day to reach their school, and many were dropping out. In June of 2006, a primary school was inaugurated in Semmencherry.
December 2006
