HOUSING FOR INDIAN TSUNAMI SURVIVORS
Source: Muslim Aid - UK
Muslim Aid
Website: http://www.muslimaid.org
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One hundred permanent houses funded by Muslim Aid and built by the Islamic Foundation Trust (IFT) for tsunami victims were handed over to the beneficiaries at the village of Thethi in Tamil Nadu recently.
Ebrahimsa Mohamed, special advisor at Muslim Aid, handed over the keys of the houses at a function attended by leading civic officials of the district of Nagore, and distinguished guests from all communities, on November 9.
It is nearly two years since the most powerful earthquake in 40 years erupted under the Indian Ocean near Sumatra on December 26, 2004. It caused giant, deadly waves to crash ashore in nearly a dozen countries, killing more than 290,000 people in the southern hemisphere, and injured hundreds of thousands more.
Ebrahimsa Mohamed said Muslim Aid had been extending humanitarian services wherever it was necessary. It was geared towards serving humanity, wherever people were in distress on account of natural calamities irrespective of the country in which they occurred.
He appealed to IFT, which is based in Chennai, and through which the project was taken up, to work towards encouraging people to live in harmony. He also appealed to IFT to create job opportunities for their livelihood in their new habitation.
In partnership with Oxfam, Muslim Aid has delivered remarkable housing and livelihood programmes in Indonesia, Somalia, Sri Lanka and India. Muslim Aid's contribution, in conjunction with institutional funding received from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC), to emergency relief shelter & construction, education, orphan care has reached over £12 million.
H Abdur Raqeeb, Chairman, IFT, who presided, said the Trust was able to construct the 100 permanent shelters thanks to the Tamil Nadu Government and the Muslim Aid. The project included all infrastructural facilities like electricity, drinking water and street lighting. A park and a play ground for children had also been provided.
Stating that the habitation had been named as "Samarasam Nagar" (Peace Town), he appealed to the beneficiaries to send their children to schools and develop this habitation in the years to come.
(ENDS)
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