A school van of the Sunflower School in Palayankotti, 150 km away, enters the settlement. Five boys from Class XI jump out followed by their teacher Meenakshi. The school's 10-day collection drive had yielded soap, medicines, plates, plastic cans, toothpaste, biscuits and children's clothes.
Antony Babu, 32, a software engineer trained in the US, accompanied the children. He had first come here three days after the tsunami, but had returned with the clothes he brought for the victims because they refused to accept used clothes.
The children offloaded the relief material and put it inside the damaged church under the supervision of church deacon, Kishore. The church also served as a medical camp for the affected people.
Dr Raj Kumar from the government health department has been stationed here along with two nurses. The medical problems that the survivors complain of are skin diseases, wounds, arthritis, fever and depression.
"We encourage them to talk, to cry," says Dr Raj Kumar, "And tell them they are not the only ones suffering."
ALSO READ:
The lost fishermen of Talaguda