Gujarat earthquake: Self help is the best help

In the aftermath of the man-made disaster of September 11, attention has naturally been diverted from other devastating occurrences. Thousands lost their lives when a major earthquake hit Gujarat on January 26, 2001. While there may be debates about whether help is reaching the victims in time, there is no denying the sincere initiatives taken by several groups of NGOs and other agencies.

It is heartening to note that many agencies are doing their bit to help bring quake ripped Gujarat back to normal. One such NGO is the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) of Ahmedabad with over 210,000 poor informal sector women members. In Boha village of Kutch, disaster-affected artisans have pitched up a large tent where they do embroidery work together. They say that only more work will help them bring harmony back to their lives and to their village.

s Without work, they feel the horrors of the quake will continue to haunt them. SEWA is up-scaling community-based employment opportunities in this and other disaster-affected areas of Gujarat. In September 2001, SEWA organised a sale of 100% cotton fabric – hand spun, hand woven, hand dyed and printed – at Sri Sankara Hall, Chennai.

SEWA is proud of the fact that 65 per cent of its total sales revenue goes directly to provide relief to the affected families of Gujarat spread over 145 villages.

An artisan of SEWA Mahila Trust, recently in Chennai to mobilise funds for Gujarat quake victims.