Poverty Reduction Efforts; Nagapattinum

Helping those who are not recieving government aid
The devastation to the fishermen community was dramatic, and aid poured in to relieve their plight. However, there were other communities that experienced devastation as well. These people were already living below poverty before the Tsunami, as compared to the very abundant monthly incomes of most fishermen.

There is an entire community of people who service the fishermen community- like the people who pull in the nets, people who transport items to the boats, sellers who operate small tea shops or food stands, cooks who serve at the weddings, painters that paint the boats, and many more. There are at least 1000 families headed by men who perform this work who experienced the devastation of the Tsunami, and many of them lost their materials for their livelihood, some lost their homes, some lost family members and some suffered injury. Before the Tsunami, most of them were earning between $100-$150 per month to support a typical family of 4 people. They were living in small stone structures and eating only 2 meals of rice and vegetable gravy daily. They were given $100 and a month's supply of rice by the government. Now that money has run out, more than anything, these men want to get back to work and start the process of rebuilding their family's lives.