Here's is the housing story -
Given below is the story I received from Batticaloa - unedited.
Lending a helping hand to a hard worker
“Had not Caritas EHED assisted me with a new House in place of the house I lost during the tsunami, I would have lost my husband through depression of mind” says Mrs. Rasa Alatrees of Periya Kallar.
Hers is a very pathetic but courageous story. She is from a very poor fishermen family in Periya Kallar. Who had no schooling at all due to her parents abject poverty. However both her parents are hardworking people. From the age of 13 that is school going stage for other children of her own age, highly duty conscious Alatrees began to assist her parents in their family trade that is fishing.“ In the mornings I used to take my three brother to the near by school and wait outside the class room to ensure that they will not get frighten and cry out for me. It was at this time that I learnt to read and write by observing the class” says Mrs. Alatrees.
At the age of 17 she married a neighbor who him self was from a very poor family. Parents of her are very poor and they have no means to give her a dowry. Her husband’s parents had no means to assist him financially to start his married life. After they were married she went out to the lagoon with her husband for fishing just as she went out with her father before marriage. She used to paddle the boat while her husband handles the fishing net.
We managed to safe some money and purchase a piece of land for ourselves. There after we obtained a loan from the village money lender and commenced building our house” said Mrs. Alatrees while relating the history of their house which was washed away by the tsunami.
Their house was a large one with five rooms, a drawing room and a kitchen. They managed to build this house purely with their savings and also repaying the loan they had obtained initially. At this juncture she came to know about Caritas EHED’s National Animation Programme. “I heard about the activities of Caritas EHED in Periya kallar during the year 2000 and what I heard pleased me very much and I decided to join as a group member not because Caritas EHED was assisting its members with Grant or loan but because of the high values it taught its members.” When she joined as a member of Caritas EHED group, EHED was engaged in training its group members in leadership, group formation, saving habits etc…..
“It was 26th December 2004, we had been living in our new house for the past three years. All though it was day after Christmas, my hardworking husband had already left for beach to pull the ‘beach sciene’. I had come home from the Sunday mass carrying my infant son while my two other children were still in the church. Suddenly there was big commotion in the street and I saw people crying out that very large wave was approaching the shore” says Mrs. Alatrees while describing her frightful experience of seeing the tsunami for the first time.
Having seen the approaching killer wave, she had run with her infant son to the church and collected the two other children and sought refuge in the nearby Gov school. She thought that her husband had fallen victim to the tsunami. But fortunately he had survived it with his long experience in the sea. However he had gulped the brackish water several times and consequently he fell seriously ill and learning about the loss of his house that was built by his hard earned money he became depressed too.
The family spent a period of three months in a refugee camp amidst many hardships and they were provided with a tent by a NGO which they pitched at the site of their house. At this time those who had given loans previously to them began to press them to return their money because they themselves were hard pressed for money as they had become destitute by the tsunami. “Periya Kallar causeway which connected Periya Kallar and onthachimadam on the Batticalao Kalmunai road had been completely washed away and my husband and my self began the trade of transporting passengers between Periya Kallar and onthachimadam by our boat which was damaged by the tsunami. The day’s earnings were substantial and it helped us to repay the loan and also to fulfill our daily needs.” Says Mrs. Alatrees while describing her post tsunami experiences which consisted of many hardships.
Since she was a member of Caritas EHED SHG, animators from Caritas EHED visited her at this juncture and recorded her history. Thereafter she was provided with a temporary shelter and a permanent house was promised to her by Caritas EHED in view of her plight. “when my husband learnt that Caritas EHED was about to provide us with a permanent house in place of the one we lost to the tsunami there was a considerable improvement in the state of his mind”.
Since Mrs. Alatrees fell in the category of beneficiaries who deserved to be assisted with a new house in accordance with the selection criteria of Caritas EHED, Animators from EHED showed her four model houses to choose from and she did accordingly. “I chose a model which we liked very much and Caritas EHED introduced it’s self built scheme which was greatly appealing to me. I hired a skilled mason who built my house and Caritas EHED paid him through me”
During the building process the Animators and the Technical officers of Caritas EHED were constantly monitoring the building activities which I witnessed. “Whenever I pointed out certain modification that could be convenient to me, the technical staff of Caritas EHED acceded to my request and the skill mason made necessary alternations.” Said Mrs. Alatrees gratefully
In addition to being assisted with a brand new house build according to her wishes with certain alternation that suited her convenience, Caritas EHED also gave livelihood assistance by way of loan and grant. She used the financial assistance to enhance her family trade of sea fishing. With the proceeds of the sale she was able beautify her house and also purchase certain house hold electrical appliances.
“Although my husband is illiterate and I was fortunate to learn to read and write without going to school, I know the value of education and am determined to give my children a decent education with in my means”
Given below is the story we included in the brochure
Story of Change- Batticaloa/ Kalmunai -EHED - Lending a helping hand to a hard worker.
When the tsunami hit Batticaloa, in the eastern coast of Sri Lanka, Mrs. Rasa Alatrees lost her house. “We had purchased the land with the money we managed to save,” says Mrs. Alatrees recalling the days she paddled the boat in the lagoon while her husband laid the nets for the catch. “We had borrowed from a money lender to build our house,” she continues.
The destruction of their house, and the pressure by the money lender to repay the loan, made her husband, who fell critically ill by gulping the brackish water of the Killer Wave, depressed as well. To earn their living, they set out on carrying passengers between Batticaloa and Kalmunai in their damaged boat, as the roads had been completely washed away.
She received a transitional shelter with the promise of a new house from Caritas Batticaloa/Kalmunai-EHED. “When my husband heard that EHED would provide us with a house, there was a considerable improvement in his condition. Had it not been for the assistance of EHED, my husband’s depression would have worsened and I could even have lost him,” she says with gratitude.
The staff of EHED had given her four designs of houses to choose from. “I chose a model which we liked very much. I hired a skilled mason who had built my previous house. EHED paid him through me,” says Mrs. Alatrees.
EHED also provided her with a loan and grant to start her business. She used this support to enhance her family trade of fishing, with training she received in leadership, group formation and savings prior to the Tsunami as a member of an animation group of EHED.
“I was fortunate to learn to read and write. I know the value of education and am determined to give my children a decent education.” says Mrs. Alatrees who learnt these skills only by observing the lessons her brothers followed in school.
When the tsunami hit Batticaloa, in the eastern coast of Sri Lanka, Mrs. Rasa Alatrees lost her house. “We had purchased the land with the money we managed to save,” says Mrs. Alatrees recalling the days she paddled the boat in the lagoon while her husband laid the nets for the catch. “We had borrowed from a money lender to build our house,” she continues.The destruction of their house, and the pressure by the money lender to repay the loan, made her husband, who fell critically ill by gulping the brackish water of the Killer Wave, depressed as well. To earn their living, they set out on carrying passengers between Batticaloa and Kalmunai in their damaged boat, as the roads had been completely washed away.
She received a transitional shelter with the promise of a new house from Caritas Batticaloa/Kalmunai-EHED. “When my husband heard that EHED would provide us with a house, there was a considerable improvement in his condition. Had it not been for the assistance of EHED, my husband’s depression would have worsened and I could even have lost him,” she says with gratitude.
The staff of EHED had given her four designs of houses to choose from. “I chose a model which we liked very much. I hired a skilled mason who had built my previous house. EHED paid him through me,” says Mrs. Alatrees.
EHED also provided her with a loan and grant to start her business. She used this support to enhance her family trade of fishing, with training she received in leadership, group formation and savings prior to the Tsunami as a member of an animation group of EHED.
“I was fortunate to learn to read and write. I know the value of education and am determined to give my children a decent education.” says Mrs. Alatrees who learnt these skills only by observing the lessons her brothers followed in school.
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