1. PROJECT TITLE:
EMPLOYMENT GENERATION PROGRAM
RECIPIENT ORGANIZATION: BOAT CARPENTERS FEDERATION OF CHENNAI
PROJECT OBJECTIVE:
(a) General Objective: To help implement a rehabilitation and reconstruction
program encompassing livelihood and shelter, to address the midterm needs of the people
affected by the tsunami tidal wave in Tamilnadu.
(a) Specific Objective:
 To help 130 members of the BOAT CARPENTERS FEDERATION OF
CHENNAI affected by tsunami to restart their livelihood, raise their standard
of living and support their families through their regular income
 To help rehabilitate them psychologically, reinstate their status, self-respect
and identity in the society.
DESCRIPTION
The tsunami of December 26 2005 devastated the lives of
many a coastal inhabitant. Amongst the severely affected were
the Boat carpenters, who though not suffering any deaths, were
however laid destitute due to the fact that their shed housing their
all important tools and implements that was a means of earning
their bread and butter.
Having lost their most important source of livelihood, the
boat carpenter’s had no implements to work with. Even their meager savings were spent in
catering to their basic family needs. The carpenters were languishing in a state of despair, as
even the state did not come to their help. Most of the NGOs too bypassed the pressing
demands of these carpenters.
INPUT (RESOURCES AND
ACTIVITIES)
EXPECTED RESULTS
(OUTPUT)
PERFORMANCE
INDICATORS
Oxfam Trust (CIDA)
 Financial
Assistance
 Rehabilitation of the
boat Carpenters.
 Be able to earn a
steady income.
 Be able to live a
normal life as per pre
tsunami conditions.
 Empirical observation.
 Improved lifestyle
 Oxfam’s narrative
reports.
Table 3.4
Oxfam Trust decided to support about 130 registered members of the Boat carpenters
by providing them a set of personal tools and about ten sets of community tools such as

2. electric drillers. This project was handled directly by the PO at Chennai. The following was the
expenditure incurred:
 Total cost of the Project: Rs 1,22,134.40/-
 Contribution from Boat Carpenters: NILL
 Contribution from Oxfam Trust (CIDA): Rs 1,22,134.40/-
Comments/Observations
The total budget allocated for this project was Rs 1,22,134.40/-, or about 12.45% of the
total budget used for the relief program and about 07.07% of the entire CIDA budget.
The evaluator visited the carpenters at their worksite at Kasimedu and Nagroorar
Tottam, where the work in repairing and constructing of new boats was
in full swing. It was a good sight to see the once devastated and barren
sight of the boat yard now teeming with activity. The methodology used
to iteract with the members was as follows:
 FGD
 Interviews
 Transect Walk
 Empirical Observations
The evaluator met the Chairperson and the Secretary of the Boat
Carpenters Association, along with about ten members. The general feeling amongst the
members of the association was the timely help provided by Oxfam Trust and the impetus it
gave them to start off in their vocation. The evaluator discussed the changes with the
members and each agreed that life was back to ear normal especially after they were given
the requisite tools. These tools were able to ensure that the boat carpenters were able to start
their vocation of boat repair and building.
The evaluator had a look at the shed where the
carpenters stored their heavy tools, all the personal tools were
now being carried by them to their houses after work. This has
been a new development after the bitter experiences of the
tsunami. However the evaluator also during the discussion
found out that the heavy tools such as the electric drillers were
auctioned off amongst the members who could afford them.
This was apparently done after the consensus of the
Association members. Now the tools were hired out to the other members who required them.
This was apparently done to ensure that the tools were maintained and to avoid general
confusion and heart burn if it was left as a community property. The money collected after the
auctioning off of the ten electric drillers were now in a common corpus that would be used as
welfare funds. A small case was referred to wherein a carpenter who suffered a fracture while
working and who was prescribed a bed rest of a month was supported by the Association by
virtue of the corpus that they had collected.
Prior to the tsunami each carpenter would earn about Rs 150 to 175 per day. After the
provision of the tools, each carpenter today is earning about Rs. 200 to Rs 225 per day; in

3. addition by working as normal carpenters in houses etc, an additional income close to Rs
1500 to Rs 2000 is earned every month by these carpenters.
It was indeed a pleasure to have witnessed a successful project being run, albeit it was
a relief project, wherein there was minimum supervision required. The program was totally
participatory in nature in the sense that a needs assessment was carried prior to arriving at the
mode of service delivery. Another aspect that needs to be highlighted is that the members
were involved at each stage of the project, be it in identifying their needs to that of
procurement of tools.