Disaster Relief
The M.A.Math is a non-profit
organization that has such a vast, multifaceted infrastructure that
when a major disaster strikes anywhere in India, it is able to immediately
respond with the power of its dedicated volunteers and monks, including
professionals in various fields, to take care of every aspect of
disaster relief, from emergency work to long-term rebuilding and
rehabilitation.
Another very important factor is that, when
Amma pledged $23 million for Tsunami relief efforts she knew that
her admirers from all over the world will make that pledge a reality.
When asked about it, she simply stated, "My children are my
strength."
True to her faith in her children, donation poured in and we must
say that expenditure kept exceeding the income as the relief efforts
are expanding in multiple ways.
Nevertheless, until today the volunteers are working consistently
and the relief efforts are progressing steadily and impressively.
The United Nations commended the M.A.Math for its outstanding disaster
relief efforts and conferred the NGO status to the Math on July
2005.
RELIEF EFFORTS OF THE M.A.MATH & M. A. CENTER in 2004 and
2005
Tsunami Relief Efforts
After the terrible Tsunami struck Asia and Africa in December
2004 the M.A.Math has done outstanding relief work that continues
till today. Tsunami
Relief Efforts of the M.A.Math.
Moreover, the M.A.Math pledged $23 million towards Tsunami relief
and rehabilitation in India and Sri Lanka. But, in truth, altogether
the value of the project is in effect nearly $46 million, as so
much of the work is being done by volunteers.
On July 2005, the United Nations officially
recognized the Mata Amritanandamayi Math as an NGO.
By now more than 2000 out of the 6200
permenant homes have been constructed in various parts of
India, Srilanka, Andaman and Nicobar islands.
Relief efforts are still going on in full swing. the victims continue
to receive help and support in the form of permenant homes, food,
medical aid, vocational training, educational supplies and schooling,
orphanages, counseling and so on.
The Relief Efforts of the M.A.Math has also gone into such details
to help with the trauma of the victims, for example: -
After the tsunami struck the coast near Amritapuri Ashram, most
children living in the neighboring villages were terrified of water.
Amma asked the foreign residents at the Ashram to teach the children
to swim. Then, Amma herself came out one day and gave them swimming
lessons. The children, who previously couldn’t swim at all
and at first were petrified to even touch the water, are today swimming
right across the pool. It is difficult to get them out of the water!
With the tsunami
disaster relief work,the M.A.Math is offering opportunities
that can uplift the lives of coastal villagers. Before the disaster,
village life went on as it had for decades; people eeked out a simple
living, or as in the case of most village women, had no possibility
to earn a living at all.
Now, in response to their pleas for help, the M.A.Math is providing
hundreds of villagers with free vocational training of their choice.
Their lives are changed in ways they could never have imagined.
 Floods
in Mumbai, India- On
July 26th 2005, 94.4 cm of rain fell in Mumbai on a single
day, the highest rainfall recorded not only in Indian history, but
in the world too.
Millions were affected. Floods and landslides washed away countless
homes. At least a thousand people drowned. Tens of thousands were
stranded in their offices for three days. Floods not only submerged
many areas in the state, they also paralyzed all land transportation,
cutting off supplies of food, water and medical aid.
The M.A.Math distributed supplies such as mats, bed sheets, stoves
and kitchen utensils, rice and groceries to the tribal folks belonging
to the areas of Khidkupada, Panvel.
The medical teams sent by the Ashram comprised three doctors, two
fully equipped ambulances, seven paramedics, two nurses and two
pharmacists. They attended to more than 1,500 patients every day
and distributed a total of two tons of medicines [value of Rs. 20
lakh or $46,500 U.S.D.] that were sent from the M.A.Math's charitable
AIMS hospital in Cochin. Due to the large number of patients attending
each camp, the medical team ran out of medicines at one stage. In
appreciation of the great work being rendered by them, the Chief
Minister of Maharashtra, Vilasarao Desmukh asked F.D.A. to provide
medicines to the Ashram for distribution.
 Katrina
Relief Efforts - Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf
coast of United states in the month of September, 2005.
The M.A.Center has
donated $1M towards Katrina Relief to the Bush-Clinton to help
rehabilitate the Gulf coast region. Read about M.
A. Center's response to Katrina disaster
 Kashmir
Earthquake Relief Efforts - In October 2005 a disastrous
earth quake shook the lives of the people of Kashmir and Pakistan.
M A. Math & M. A. Center have sent thousands of sweaters and
other warm clothing to the disaster struck areas of Pakistan and
Kashmir. M. A. Math also plans to adopt and rebuild 3 worst hit
villages in the area. Read
more of their efforts.
RELIEF EFFORTS IN THE RECENT PAST
After the earthquake in Gujarat
in 2001, the M.A.Math sent a large group of medical specialists
and volunteers to the area.
Just over one year later, three entire villages had been completely
rebuilt through the organization's disaster relief program. When
four years later, the Gujarat villagers heard that the area around
the M.A.Math main ashram in Kerala had been devastated by the tsunami,
they collected 20 tons of grain, blankets and clothing for the tsunami
victims in the M.A.Math's care.
A group of the village leaders then made the three-day journey to
Kerala to help the M.A.Math rebuild the houses in the area. They
said, “When we needed help, you were there for us. Now it
is our duty to help you.” They helped in another way, as well.
They brought hope to the traumatized villagers, because they themselves
had also recently lost everything, but had recovered beautifully—largely
because of the compassion and care showered by the volunteers of
the M.A.Math
.
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