| December 2005
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Tsunami Newsletter
Series no: 3 |
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| Reviving & strengthening the
livelihood through catalytic interventions in selected
villages |
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 The
support extended by MSSRF to the villagers of Samiyarpettai
(Cuddalure district), Muzukuthurai (Cuddalure district)
and Madavamedu (Nagapattinam district) helped to repair
the boat, engine and buying new nets have been helping
to fishing activities. When the other agencies supplied
the boats, MSSRF helped to buy yarn for net making as
gap filling, which helped the fishermen to resume fishing.
MSSRF also responded the community to buy different
types of nets for different seasons; this is helping
the fisher men to continue fishing for all seasons.
After MSSRF supplied the net the other agencies also
responded the fishermen's request to supply net, which
helped the community to improve the situation to meet
the demands. A fisherman gets an average of around Rs.250
per day when he goes to the sea in a team using FRB
boats. The opinion about the fish catch differs among
the fishermen across the region like declining in certain
pockets and normal in some other pockets. The youths
are reporting that the training they have undergone
on engine and boat repairing is now helping them to
manage the problem on their own with out depending mechanics
from outside. The village level committee is playing
an important role in planning and collaborating with
MSSRF and other outside agencies. |
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| Women's enterprise activities
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 The
women in Samiarpettai, Muzukuthurai and Madavamedu villages
said that the support extended by MSSRF in the form
of `revolving fund' for SHGs is very useful. If it would
have been a one time help like many organizations did
during post Tsunami it would have been over after some
time. But this support is helping them to have a continuous
access to credit with low interest. In three villages
the women stopped taking loans from the moneylenders
and the capital has gone up with an additional amount
of Rs.25, 000 from the interest collected from the loanees.
The following are the details of the number of the SHG
women got the support and the purpose for which they
received the loan from September to December 2005. |
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| Number of women
used the money for fish vending: |
120 |
| Number of women used the money
for Dry fish business: |
75 |
| Number of women used the money
for petty business: |
15 |
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 At
Sadraskuppam in Kancheepuram district to diversify the
non fish based livelihood opportunities Mushroom and
backyard poultry were introduced. The two women SHGs
are being involved in poultry management. After 40 days
around 4300 birds were lifted for marketing and net
profit made by the SHGs were around Rs.25, 000/-. The
groups found the activity is profitable and got the
second batch of chicks. Similarly another women SHG
is involved in mushroom production. The group members
were taken for an exposure visit to another SHG producing
mushroom in Pondicherry. Now the group members started
selling the product in the local market. Each unit of
mushroom fetches around Rs.1200/ as net profit. Based
on the demand assessment the groups have planned to
increase the number of units and upscale the production,
which would enhance their monthly income. |
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| Friends of MSSRF community banking
have responded to the timely credit requirement of the
women members in the Samiarpettai village, Cuddalure
district. The current season is good for dry fish trading.
Access to credit is always a major hurdle for the women
members to take up in a large scale. Based on the business
proposal for six months period submitted by the women
Self Help groups credit facility with out interest was
provided by MSSRF. It is expected that the profit would
increase around 25% due to the interest free credit
facility. |
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| PRA exercises for livelihoods
strengthening |
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| Transecting in the backwaters |
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 Transecting
was done in the back waters near Madavamedu, Pazhyar
and Muzhukuthurai ( in the Pichavaram region) to find
out the feasibility and suitability for culture fisheries
as Tsunami livelihood rehabilitation activities with
experts from Periyar Integrated Fish Farm, Chennai,
MSSRF staff and the community members. The team traversed
in the backwaters of Madavamedu, Pzhayar and Mzhkuthurai
and found that the estuaries near the villages could
be used for crab fattening, the available dis used prawn
farms for crab culture and the open back waters for
different activities like mud crab fattening (through
penculutre and cage methods), grooper, sea bass fish
in floating cage culture and Oyster and green wood culture).
During the visit discussions were held with the fishing
village women and men with regard to the water availability
(seasonal) in the backwaters and mangrove canals, ownership
details etc. Based on the survey and the discussion
held with the villagers the process has been initiated
for crab fattening in Madavamedu in an area of 100 Sq.feet
in cage method managed by the village community. Discussion
to plan for other activities like pen culturing of grooper,
sea bass etc is in progress. Also a survey has been
conducted about the availability of water crabs in the
landing sites to assess the available quantity to plan
for expanding the crab fattening activity. |
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