Rehabilitation of Costal Slum Areas

Villages situated between the sea and the backwaters are characterized by extreme poverty, poor housing conditions, high vulnerability to natural calamities, lack of services and scarce infrastructure. Most families live near the sea line and sea wall; calamities and frequent tidal waves damage and destroy their houses, so many people live in dilapidated shacks and sheds. The project assisted 100 poor families to start with a small unit that can be extended in the future. It has been realized as per the approved plan, with durable habitats. 75 families living in temporary sheds have been rehabilitated into permanent houses of their own, and 25 families facing vulnerability now have secure and durable roofing. Standard material and workmanship were applied in the construction of the houses to guarantee stability and durability. In this respect, accompaniment of the elder members of the family along the process of construction as helpers provided them basic skills to take care of the maintenance work. The local community stood in good support for them with voluntary labor. Skilled labor was made available by the groups of the local construction workers in time which include three days of free labor. The social disposition and the livelihood condition of the families improved. They are active in the self help groups and creatively responding to the lessons learnt during the classes and discussions. The project stands completed in all respects including the finance mobilized/received. Contact: Fr. M athew Kallinkal esss@rediffmail.com; christyesss@yahoo.com