The challenges of poverty, disease, healthcare, poor sanitation and homelessness are ever-present all over India. In such a great and populous nation, it is a daunting task to even hope to make a noticeable difference to the lives of children and families who daily scrape together an existence.

I first visited Hyderabad, by invitation, over 10 years ago followed by Chennai in 2003, to try and work out small scale assistance that could impact the lives of some of the most vulnerable in a practical way.

It was in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu that Eagles Wings first took action following the devastating tsunami of December 2004, and a sudden cyclone that hit the east coast in November 2006. The east coast is very prone to monsoon flooding and cyclones every year.

There are two facets of our humanitarian aid to these regions. Firstly, the ability to supply emergency help to those who are struggling, and secondly, to help build longer term and sustainable solutions for those who will not manage on their own, such as orphans and widows.

Family food preparation in Narasaraopet, India

Emergency Aid

Tsunami Relief
It was on Boxing Day, December 26th 2004, that a series of tsunamis hit the east coast of India wiping out whole villages and fishing communities. An estimated 25,000 were killed and another 7000 missing, presumed dead. My friend Moses Prem Kumar, a resident in the city of Chennai, joined together with other men from the community to help in the rescue and to provide emergency shelter for those who had literally lost everything.

Moses and his family took in 75 adults and children to live on their open roof, and together with Eagles Wings and other UK friends, we began to supply blankets, bottled water, clothing and food to women and children in particular. This initial support quickly developed into a long-term plan to help re-locate, feed, clothe and care for up to 200 orphans in a purpose-built home.

Cyclone Relief
Further up the east coast in the state of Andhra Pradesh, a sudden cyclone compounded the tsunami relief efforts in November 2006. The same coastline was again under a few feet of water, and local coastal communities mainly living off the sea were devastated.

Eagles Wings partner, Prem Babu and a local community leader David Palli, assisted us in helping re-build fragile homes and putting together some longer term aid that would enable them to continue in employment after the cyclone. By providing fishing nets, bicycles (used as a simple taxi service), tricycles (for goods transportation), weighing scales (market), irons and ironing boards, water pumps and sewing machines at relatively low costs, we have greatly helped residents of Chirala get back on their feet quickly and have given them the ongoing ability to earn a living.

Longer Term Help
Perhaps one of the greatest challenges we face as providers of humanitarian aid to India is for those receiving it not to become dependant on us. Our longer-term goal at Eagles Wings is to find ways of empowering women and children for the future with sustainable employment, training and education. The demand for ‘more’ forever rings in our ears daily, and we have to balance the ‘now’ with the self-sufficiency programmes that we have proven work better with good, local management on hand to oversee them.

Our experience in Chirala following the cyclone convinced me that providing bicycles, sewing machines, scales and fishing nets would enable families to earn enough to eat and drink adequately for a few weeks and months after the tragedy. Of course, we must always respond to emergencies for basic essentials, but in the long run we have to work towards self-sufficient communities either living off the land or sea, or having good skills that can enable families to survive.

Education
After the tsunami in the Chennai region, literally hundreds of orphaned children had to be taken into care. Many lost either one or both parents, and it was particularly devastating when the main breadwinner went missing or drowned.

With other charities in the UK, we took legal responsibility for around 200 children under the local control of Moses Prem Kumar, who initiated the Yelambakkam Children’s Centre on two acres of charitable land sponsored by UK friends. With an ambitious building project, around 100 children are now safely protected in a family environment in our centre at Yelambakkam. The others will eventually join them.

Perhaps the biggest expense is the fee-paying schooling that is required in India. With term fees, school uniforms, shoes, text books, exercise books, pens and pencils and school transport, the monthly bill works out at £19 per child per month. In addition, they need food and medical care, and the running costs of the centre need to be covered which is a further £15 per child per month.

Without individual child sponsorship, I cannot see how else this kind of programme can be viable unless there is a major re-think on educational funding at government level.

Having said that, I was impressed with a local church-based school in Gopalpet, near Medak in Andhra Pradesh. It was incredibly basic, but with relatively small investment from Eagles Wings to provide mains electricity and schoolbooks, it was working in that community.

There seems to be a need for wisdom in the provision of manageable and sustainable education that does not overburden the donors, who could be providing basic needs of food, water and healthcare elsewhere.

Income Generating Projects
There is a great need for locally based employment for those leaving school and teenagers who could not afford to go. Of particular interest are small-scale enterprises that require an initial kick-start financially, which can then generate income to enable families to live off the proceeds long term.

Eagles Wings are open to discussing such projects with other like-minded charities, groups and individuals who have seen success in India and who would be prepared to share their model with us.