Tsunami struck women utilized government aid better than men

India has faced a number of serious man-made and natural disasters in the past few decades. One such disaster that shook the whole country was the Tsunami of 2004, which struck the southern region of Asia. The giant shockwaves that affected the fates of people living in eleven countries left thousands of people dead and even more homeless. The government’s support, however, helped the Indian victims re-establish their lives to some extent.

Today it has been a decade since that tragedy and the Deccan Herald reports how effectively the government aid was utilized by both males and females in the country. A study done over the period of last ten years revealed that while women used the aid constructively, most men did not because of which there has hardly been a change in their condition.

The report says that according to the state-owned Post-Tsunami Sustainable Livelihoods Programme for the Coastal Communities of Tamil Nadu, affected fishermen, especially those in Nagapattinam and Cuddalore, failed to utilise the scheme. Sagayaraj, a fisherman from Nagapattinam, told Deccan Herald, “I was scared of re-entering the sea. Therefore, I decided to sell my boat and use the funds to start a chit business, but incurred heavy losses.”

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Devaki, one of the Tsunami victims, on the other hand, joined a small self-help group (SHG), and now earns more than Rs 7,000 a month. Talking about her life after the tragedy, she said: “I lost my husband to the tsunami. I had two school-going children at that point of time. I opted for the government's free vocational training. Now I take care of my family and children well.”

Devaki who is now involved in eco-friendly paper production work, also said, “I go to my work when my children are in school. I am back by evening, tending to the family. When the time comes to pay school fees, I do overtime.” Many women like her have benefitted from such programmes, most men however, frittered away the aid, according to Deccan Herald.

ORIGINAL SOURCE: Deccan Herald

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/449813/women-did-better-post-disaster.html