MicroAid International – Blog

- YOU ARE VISITING THE MICROAID “COMPLETED PROJECTS” PAGE -

- TO RETURN TO THE MAIN SITE PLEASE CLOSE THIS WINDOW -

.

BENEFICIARY: Matafa’a Village (pop. 25 families, about 300 people)

LOCATION:  Southwest coast, Upolu, Samoa

PROJECT:  Replace/build 16 canoes

PROJECT DATE:  April, 2012

ORIGINAL DISASTER:  Canoes destroyed/washed away, September 2009 tsunami

In September of 2009, a tsunami slammed into the south coast of the main island of the independent country of Samoa.  Many people lost their lives and many others had all their possessions swept away.  In Matafa’a, one of the most remote villages in Samoa, all their canoes were destroyed or washed away.  For Matafa’a this was particularly devastating because they rely solely on canoes to get across the bay to connect with the rest of the island—it’s the way the kids get to school, the adults to the shop and to the bus stop to get to jobs in the capital of Apia.

MicroAid worked with the local craftsmen to build 16 canoes so that every family in the village would have one.  Additionally, because we were making so many canoes in so short a time, the older men were able to teach the next generation the skills necessary to carve a canoe.  And since the project was completed, other villages have hired the men to make canoes for them—an unexpected benefit of the project.

Here’s the basic process of building one canoe.  (We did 16.)

.

.

.

BENEFICIARY: Salea’a’umua Village (pop. 50 families, about 600 people)

LOCATION:  Southeast coast, Upolu, Samoa

PROJECT:  Replace Fishing Kits

PROJECT DATE:  March, 2012

ORIGINAL DISASTER:  Fishing kits washed away, September 2009 tsunami

When we think of fishing we usually imagine someone casting a line into the water and reeling in their catch.  In Samoa, fishing means swimming under the surface at night and using a spear (in other parts of the world called a “Hawaiian Sling”) to snag your prey, and/or stringing a net across part of the lagoon.

Here, a “fishing kit” is comprised of a mask, snorkel, fins, an underwater light, a spear, 180 meters of fishing net, and a cooler.

The 2009 tsunami washed away the people’s possessions, including their fishing kits—and most have not been replaced.  Now, if a villager wants dinner, they probably have to buy a fish at the market.  And since the villagers don’t really have any cash of their own, they usually end up borrowing money to pay for things—which starts a vicious cycle.

Things in Samoa are very expensive—about two-and-a-half times what they cost in the U.S.—so the likelihood that anyone could put together their own kit is remote.

To help people return to self-sufficiency, MicroAid has donated five fishing kits to the village of Salea’a’umua on the southeast coast of Upolu—the hardest hit area of the 2009 tsunami.

The women’s committee of the village will be in charge of loaning out the kits on a nightly basis, maintaining them, and monitoring their use.  Villagers can even sell extra fish if they catch enough.

This MicroAid project helps people reclaim their independence.

.

.

.

BENEFICIARY: Soodin Family

LOCATION: Hambantota, Sri Lanka

PROJECT: New Home Construction

PROJECT DATE: April, 2010

ORIGINAL DISASTER: House destroyed, December 2004 tsunami

In Hambantota, a town in southern Sri Lanka which was very hard hit by the tsunami in 2004—fifty thousand were killed, with hundreds of thousands displaced, and thousands of orphans created—MicroAid built a house for the Soodin family. They were very poor to begin with and over the years, many an INGO had promised to help, but never came through. Mr. Soodin is an industrious brick maker, but is living hand-to-mouth as he supports his wife, three sons, and three daughters. All the kids are going to school, except for one of the sons who works at the salt factory.

As a humanitarian project, the measure of this one will not be in how we helped “build capacity” or “affected productivity,” it will be in how many nights this family lives under a real roof, surrounded by solid walls, with a modicum of privacy, rather than living in a cramped, corrugated-tin shanty!

.

.

.

BENEFICIARY: Thaya Family

LOCATION: Kallady, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka

PROJECT: House Completion/Security, 3 Doors & 2 Windows

PROJECT DATE: March, 2010

ORIGINAL DISASTER: House destroyed, December, 2004 tsunami

MicroAid provided windows and doors to two tsunami families who, after their homes were washed away, were just handed money to rebuild. Well, needless to say, most of these simple people did not know how to budget for construction and were targeted by unscrupulous “contractors,” so most were left with half-completed and inadequate homes. The international agencies that gave them the cash (and you would recognize the big names) never did any follow-up to see how the money was spent, or if the people were OK. Until MicroAid showed up last year, no one had checked in on them.

Mrs. Thaya has three sons and tries to make ends meet by running a “boutique.”  When I asked where it was, she pointed to the hut in the corner of the compound.  The place does a brisk business with locals stopping by to pick up odd and ends.  Mrs. Thaya also supports her husband who was disabled in an accident when he was working at a bakery.  He lost an eye and was dismissed because he could no longer do his job.  There is no workman’s comp here.

.

.

.

BENEFICIARY: Nagakanni Family

LOCATION: Kallady, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka

PROJECT: House Completion/Security, 2 Doors & 4 Windows

PROJECT DATE: March, 2010

ORIGINAL DISASTER: House destroyed, December, 2004 Tsunami

Mrs. Nagakanni’s husband, a fisherman, had been abducted by the LTTE and then imprisoned for seven years.  He was away when the tsunami struck and destroyed their home.  They have a son and four daughters.  Their uncompleted house was designed with expensive, fancy arched openings for the front doors and window—a ridiculous design element given the circumstances and budget.  There are no standard sizes here; each opening is a different dimension.  Consequently, every frame, window, and door has to be custom made by a mill, then installed by a mason, then finished by another carpenter (in addition to grillwork done by a welder), making this the most expensive part of the house.  Both families helped by providing their own labor, and meals for the workers.  MicroAid  provided them with the dignity of a house with some security, privacy, light and ventilation.  They now have a home and not a dark depressing cave!

.

.

.

BENEFICIARY: Piumi Iniwinna

LOCATION: Siribopura, Hambantota, Sri Lanka

PROJECT: 3 year educational scholarship

PROJECT DATE: March 2010, ongoing for 3 years

ORIGINAL DISASTER: Mother killed, father paralyzed, December, 2004 tsunami

MicroAid will be supporting the education of this tsunami orphan for three years of primary school—otherwise it would have been a major struggle for her to attend. We will supply workbooks, transportation, lunch, additional tutoring, some doctoring (if needed), and shoes. Her father was paralyzed and her mother was killed at the Sunday market near the harbor, which was jammed packed the morning of the tsunami. She was taken in by her aunt, and wants to be a teacher when she grows up. She is 8 years old in the 3rd grade. Through our local partner, The Woman’s Development Federation, which runs the wonderful scholarship program, we will keep track of Piumi as she pursues an education and a brighter future. After three years, we can evaluate whether to support her academic efforts for another three.

.

.

.

BENEFICIARY: Anukala Shashibani

LOCATION: Maurapura, Hambantota, Sri Lanka

PROJECT: 3 year educational scholarship

PROJECT DATE: March 2010, ongoing for 3 years

ORIGINAL DISASTER: Parents killed, December, 2004 tsunami

MicroAid will be supporting the education of this tsunami orphan for three years of primary school—otherwise it would have been a major struggle for her to attend. We will supply workbooks, transportation, lunch, additional tutoring, some doctoring (if needed), and shoes. Both her parents were killed at the Sunday market near the harbor, which was jammed packed the morning of the tsunami. She was taken in by her grandmother, and like Piumi, wants to be a teacher when she grows up. She loves to dance and is very talented.  She is 10 years old in the 5th grade. Through our local partner, The Woman’s Development Federation, which runs the wonderful scholarship program, we will keep track of Anukala as she pursues an education and a brighter future. After three years, we can evaluate whether to support her academic efforts for another three.