Homes for those displaced

KOCHI: Perhaps the most devastating repercussion of the floods which ravaged the state last August is hundreds of people losing their homes. Consequently, a number of NGOs and philanthropic foundations had come forward wowing to rehabilitate those affected.

While work is still underway in most resuscitation projects, the efforts of Lodge Cochin, the Kochi chapter of a three-century-old global social service organisation, came to fruition on June 1 when the district grand master of the Madras wing of the confederacy handed over the keys of six newly rebuilt homes to the beneficiaries at Puthenvelikara in North Paravur. “We have succeeded in rebuilding the houses in record time. Six homes were raised from the ground within a span of months. The community in Puthenvelikara was identified with the help of the local parish priest and social activists. The area was one of the worst affected during the floods. We found that six houses in the locality were severely damaged so we solicited donations from the members of the organisation,” said Joseph Zacharias, a senior member of Lodge Cochin.

I10 lakh was raised through donations from members across the state for the project. As part of the second phase of the rehabilitation initiative, I50 lakh was rallied to renovate the flood-destroyed houses in Tiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district. “I must appreciate the efforts of Lodge Cochin for taking up an important cause and accomplishing it in a short span,” said T A Devagnanam, the district grand master of Madras who also unveiled the revamped homes in Tiruvalla to the local community. While the worldwide organisation headquartered in the UK called the United Grand Lodge of England boasts of a history dating back to over three centuries, the Kochi chapter was established in 1921. Lodge Cochin has been effectively pursuing charity-related activities for more than two decades.

“The last time we undertook a similar large scale social service project was in the aftermath of the tsunami in 2004. The Lodge shouldered the initiative of rebuilding a school in Kannamaly which got washed away. We distributed pulses and rice to the local community during this emergency,” said Joseph. “The Lodge otherwise focuses on the health and education sector. We have provided scholarships to many underprivileged students,” he added.