Emergency Tsunami Relief:

The December, 2004, tsunami that hit the Indian coast affected thousands of fishing people whose only source of livelihood was the sea. The Slum Development Society, a former grantee of the Martín-Baró Fund, took crucial leadership in efforts to distribute aid to the people of Chennai. As reported by SDS President D. Benjamin, the organization “helped victims to find alternative sites for living and working, gathered the youth of the affected areas and made them guardians of the aid materials provided to the people, cleaned the coastline and the area around the Srinivasapuram slum dwellings, distributed food packets, and cooked three days worth of food for the people of Srinivasapuram.” The Fund’s Special Grant to SDS helped to make possible the purchase of tents, school uniforms and other clothing and supplies, and the services of a mobile relief van to take victims to the hospital.The Slum Development Society was previously funded by MBF in 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2003. A full report from SDS President Benjamin is in our Spring 2005 newsletter.