My family is a very poor. My father is a daily coolie. We are seven in the family. I have two sisters and two brothers, all are younger to me. My father had educated us all upto school level. My father bought two cows and by selling milk, he had looked after our education. One of brothers is a handicapped. Our income was so meager that we were not able to study in colleges. My father could earn only for our food.

On 26th December 2004, Tsunami had destroyed our house and all our households. Our cows were killed in the Tsunami. We left all our belongings and ran for our safety. The sea water had taken away everything. After the water resided, we could find nothing in the place where our house had once stood. We were put up in a nearby marriage hall. I stayed with all my family members in that hall where food was served from time to time.
After a month, a few NGOs came to our place and took some details about the damage to lives and properties of the Tsunami deluge. AID was one among them. I came to know that AID needed some personnel to work for them. I joined AID immediately.

I collected some statistics of people who lost their lives and properties in my village for AID. I was trained by AID to come out of the psychological fears about Tsunami. Now, I am fully out of the fear of Tsunami. I forgot all my worries and now, I am helping my fellow villagers. By helping the affected people, I am getting a lot of benefits.

My family is struggling for its very survival. If I were to work elsewhere, I would have got only a salary. But, with AID, I get a lot of consolation, support and love which I needed the most from all my colleagues in AID and the other staff from AID Head office, Chennai. I get a lot of information about various issues and I learn a lot from them. I get strengthened in my duty by working for others. Now, I console the affected people in whatever possible way I can.

There was a fire accident in Nalliyan Thottam area. The ambulance of AID had taken the wounded people of that accident to the hospital and reached them back. I consider this as the greatest achievement of my work with AID.

P. Manimaran – Nalliyan thottam, AID Staff.