KOLLAY, Kerala, India, January 17 (IslamOnline.net) – Compared to other hardest-hit areas that suffered tens of thousands of human losses and massive destruction, this small Indian town's tsunami disaster might look unnerving to some of us. But human suffering here is no less than it is in the severest-hit towns or cities and relief here is definitely no less needed even with the Indian government's rejection of foreign help.

Kollay isn't in the headlines and it is highly likely that no one has ever heard the name of this small town which lies in the south of India, about 4 hours drive from Cochin in Kerala.

The district of Kollay lost 150 souls, buried by survivors of the huge wave which devastated wide parts of the coastal area of the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004 and also brought distress and death to the shore of Kollay.

The town itself has remained undamaged. Affected are the poorest of the poor, people living directly by the sea. It is really hard to imagine what the area looks like now unless you come down here to see for yourself.

Offshore along the mainland lies a stretch of land several kilometres long with a tropical climate and coconut trees growing everywhere. This piece of land is separated from the mainland by a strip of seawater and on this land the people used to live in their huts. When the killer wave came from the open sea, residents couldn't escape farther than to the other edge of the sand bank.

The way to the mainland was cut off. Those who hadn't enough strength to hold on to somewhere and those who weren't able to swim, drowned.

Oachira lies about 4 km away from the sea.  About 4,000 flood victims are put up in a camp there. The exact number of the families also counted by number of men and number of women is written daily on a board at the entrance of the compound. Children are not counted.

So one can estimate that 10,000 people or more are staying here. The camp is located on the grounds of a school and the sports field on the opposite side which was probably used for cricket games.

The camp is supervised by the Indian Military under the rule of a friendly major who politely offers to show us the whole camp and nevertheless shows relief when learning that we only want to have a quick impression.

Yes, there are a lot of people here, all of them very pitiful, most of them couldn't save anything but the clothes they were wearing, but they survived. Now the military is responsible for their basic needs.

There is enough water and food. They sleep in the open but under stretched tent roofs which also provide some shade during daytime. One can see groups of people with wet shining hair, having come back from bathing.

In some distance are the toilets, simple holes in the earth fenced off with blue plastic sheets like those of our big rubbish bags and fastened by wooden poles in the ground. Just a bare necessity are the white traces of chalk all over the place being dusted to prevent the spread of diseases.

One has the impression, that the military is dealing well with a reasonable task and has done its best in enabling these so hard-hit people to survive but they cannot and should not live like this for long.

After a few days they are to move to temporary housings if possible near to their former homes. Phase 1 of immediate survival is now coming to an end but now the way inevitably leads to the huge load difficulties of phase 2 which is rebuilding and rehabilitation.

Muslime Helfen is a free humanitarian aid organisation of Muslims in Germany, for which this write is undertaking this journey.

With its comparatively small frame of means, as an NGO, Muslime Helfen (Muslim Help) is trying to help overcome this huge load.

In cooperation with two Indian organisations, "household sets" are now ready for distribution among the flood victims leaving the camp and having to take care of themselves on their own.

Each household set comprises a big floor mat, a 30 litter container for water or other use, a rice pot with lid, a frying pan, two plates, cups, spoons and mugs, a blanket and a piece of clothing - the local "lungi", a cloth worn around the waist.

This seems to be little and it is. Before the natural disaster, however, most of the people who were provided with this kit also had their meals sitting on a floor mat and  eating from plates, drinking from tin mugs and they cooked their rice in a pot with lid, fried their fish in a frying pan and while having washed one clothing and drying it in the sun wore the other one they had.

Food especially rice will be provided by the government for quite some time but the question as how to cook it will have to be answered by themselves.

The head of the district authority, Mr. Srenivas is clearly pleased by our visit even if the circumstances aren't really pleasant. He is sitting in a somewhat desolate looking official house which is full of people looking for help and advice and is now also being crowded in his small office by our visitor group of more than a dozen persons.

All the responsible people of our partner organisations wanted to take part in this visit. To see and to be seen is apparently the motto here, the press would do a report and maybe there would be photo together with the District Authority Official.

Mrs. Rehana, the diligent secretary of the "Royal Educational Society", who has been and is in charge here holds a speech. A few of the "Household Sets" were brought along by the helpers and one is put on Mr. Srenivas' desk each of its components counted and explained.

Every coastal survivor in Kollay, whose livelihood had been fishing and whose boat has been smashed, doesn't know what to live on now.

The photographer makes an effort in getting all the important persons in the picture, his good reputation depending on this, and it is difficult for him because the room is small and full of people crowding around the desk.

I keep myself in the background which is also the spirit of our work, I myself am not important here. Important is that the needy receive their "Household Sets".

We (Muslime Helfen) have done our part. It is now important that the local helpers coordinate the distribution with the authorities and to do this the Head of the District Authority needs to be contacted and introduced with. But what is Mr. Srenivas to do with the 30 litter container and the floor mat on his desk?

His face lightens as he learns that this "Household Set" is not the only set meant as hope for future promises but that another 2000 sets, 1000 of them here, only a few kilometres away in the depot of the "Muslim Educational Society", are ready for distribution.

He enquires again and when he is assured that the things are indeed already paid for and packed, he expresses both happiness and gratefulness. Yes, he does of course have many inquiries and different offers but what we had already prepared now is beyond his hopes.

He hadn't expected this and for the affected people it meant a real relief and help towards the return to a nearly normal life again, hopefully soon.

One may ask why two local educational organisations became useful partners for this humanitarian aid task. The simple answer is that there is no NGO specialised in humanitarian aid here.

Both these organisations are distinguished by their many years' experience giving them educated and intelligent workers, in addition to their pupils, who in few hours of voluntary work were able to assemble and packed the "Household Sets".

The distribution was to be done in cooperation with district authorities as they are always informed of the departure of people from the camp.

Muslim Help

Muslime Helfen has discussed, planned and financed this project with its local partners. It will be completed by the locals, as is our usual proceeding. We do not run offices abroad but research and make use of local resources. This way our support can immediately benefit the actual relief actions without causing extra formality expenses.

Foreign relief organisations are not to be seen, at least not in this area and especially not a Muslim one. Muslime Helfen is so far the only organisation of this kind which has been engaged here.

Up till now the authorities have everything under control. Apparently the Indian Government for whatever reason does not want any foreign help. One could be of the opinion that this means no support is needed here but one would probably be mistaken.

Even though here in the district of Kolay, "only" 3,500 houses were destroyed by the water and "only" 35,000 people are homeless and "only" 150 lost their lives, for each and every one of the survivors it means the same catastrophe as in other places where the number of the victims is ten times or even a hundred times higher.

Every single one who has so suddenly and unexpectedly a dear one is in grief. Every coastal survivor here whose livelihood had been fishing and whose boat has been smashed doesn't know what to live on now. Each family living in a camp does not have a roof on its head. Each family which from one minute to the other lost literally everything it possessed and which cannot replace anything of it is not only but at least even helped by a "Household Set" which is a modest but still useful basic equipment letting them carry on with maybe repairing the destroyed house or building a hut elsewhere.