A roof above their lives

In the rainy season the thatched roof, often made with coconut or palm leaves would leak and on the ground level the flood water is a home for leeches and snakes. This is how Irulas, a tribe dotting the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh landscape, have lived for centuries.

Even in the first wave of relief and rehabilitation that followed the destruction caused by the tsunami the Irulas of Kalaignar Nagar found themselves hopelessly bypassed. Their livelihood, catching prawns using their bare hands in the backwaters, had been damaged as much as those of the seafaring fishermen who lived on the coast.

As the fishing community was provided with new boats, fishing equipment and new houses, the Irulas remained unaided. CARE decided to include them in a new wave of economic activity. CARE, along with a local Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), the Centre for Rural Education and Economic Development (CREED), provided permanent shelters to all the 165 Irula families. Electricity, water, sanitation and programmes to help people find an alternative way to make a living were also provided.

CARE and CREED engaged the Irulas in constructing their own houses, paying each of them for the six months they worked as unskilled workers. "This helped them develop a sense of ownership over their houses and the income was used by many to buy household goods like fans, cots and even TV sets when they moved into their new homes," observed Moses Samuel, CARE’s District Coordinator.

"It’s beyond our wildest dream. We never imagined we would live in a house that was so big and did not leak during rains – a house in which we could walk around without having to stoop," observed Sakunthala, who spends six hours a day in the backwaters, knees bent and hands groping the mud for that elusive prawn.

Since the idea of a house with an attached toilet and bathroom was a novelty for the Irulas, who are used to open fields, four volunteers from CARE trained them in hygiene and community health issues. In turn they have educated 20 to 30 Irulas as village level health volunteers who spread the awareness to others.

CARE supported 78 families by providing four kinds of nets to revive fishing activities. Another 12 families were given Kannathonis (small canoes) since the Irulas had lost their thonis (canoes) along with the nets in the tsunami. Also,
15 families received three mechanized boats with each boat shared by five people.

Normally four to five people work in a mechanised boat – usually one owner and the rest as hired labourers. Post-tsunami, there was such an influx of new boats that many fishermen could not find hands for hire for their boats since these workers had become boat owners. To prevent such a situation in Kalaignar Nagar, CARE chose to give three boats to be shared by five Irula fishermen so they’ll be equal partners and can share the income from the catch. This has enabled the Irulas to venture into sea-fishing for the first time. The Irulas had always been working with the local fishing communities as crew but now, for the first time they have become masters of their own destiny.

CARE has helped the Irula women to start nine self-help groups (SHGs) capable of borrowing up to the equivalent of £130 for their group activities like lantern-making. The women are also being taught how to approach different government agencies on day-to-day issues like getting ration cards, medical care, old age pension and welfare schemes. Since 99per cent of the Irulas are illiterate, CARE has started courses so they can read newspapers and public announcements, do basic calculations and sign their names.

Subbayan, who is the elected head of the Irulas at Kalaignar Nagar, is bristling with confidence about their new lives. "We used to be at the bottom of the social ladder before the tsunami, at the mercy of the other communities that exploited us economically and otherwise. Today there is greater hope about our future, especially for our children," he said.