I made several trips to Asia as part of the tsunami relief effort. I lived in India for some time monitoring the efforts and attending school. India has such a wide range of different personalities, nationalities, cultures and religions. Traveling from the North into the South is like entering into a different country. People are friendly and their hospitality is one of the best in the world. Wherever I went government officials and village council members were very supportive of my efforts. (by Natascha Yogachandra)

Natascha is seen greeting Rev. Fr. Ratchagar, Director of Pondichery Multi Purpose Social Service Society, in Pondichery, south India. Fr. Ratchagar is currently involved in the tsunami relief efforts in many coastal cities including Nagapattinam and Cuddalore areas in the State of Tamil Nadu, India. He has offered help to hundreds of boys and girls who lost their parents. During a visit to a social welfare home run by the Society, Natascha shared some of her Foundations’ activities with Fr. Ratchagar.

Natascha and Debbie Yogachandra are seen with Mr. Paneer Selvam, Superintendent of Police of Cuddalore, in the state of Tamil Nadu and his 11-year old daughter during one of her trips to Tamil Nadu, India. Natascha spent several days in Tamil Nadu visiting camps and welfare homes, caring for children and families affected by the tsunami. During her meetings with Mr. Selvam, she learned about some of the processes involved in relief efforts undertaken by the city of Cuddalore. Mr. Selvam lives near the beach and he and his family witnessed the terrible disaster.

Rotary International has been involved in the tsunami relief efforts around the globe. My association with the Rotary Club dates back several years as my father is a Rotarian, a Paul Harris Fellow, and the Past President of the Fairport Rotary Club, New York, which helped me in my project – shipping books to children in African villages. Rotary Club International has been involved in the tsunami relief efforts in south India since December 2004

During my visit to south India, we met with the Rotary International District Governor 2980, Mr. Velayuthan Ravindran of Velore, India and discussed the relief efforts.

This picture below was taken in a small village in the district of Mahabeleshwar in the state of Maharashtra, India. We made several trips to this village to build benches and provide other educational materials to the school children. Like in any village where we provided assistance, we worked with the entire village – we want the community to take the responsibility of educating their children. We offered financial assistance and the villagers provided the labor. I met with the Education Officer and members of the Municipal Council of Mahabaleshwar.

The picture shows Natascha and Debbie Yogachandra are seen with Mr.Washivale, Educations officer and Mr. D. M. Bawalkar, President of the Municipal Council and a member of the Council

Natascha is seen with one of the popular Bollywood movie stars from India, Amir Khan. She met the star in Panchgani, India