Allapad (Kerala): The tsunami ravaged their homes and they have all shifted to makeshift shelters. But for these victims of the killer wave in Allapad, life has been unfair twice over.

They came to this tsunami relief shelter after they had borne the wrath of nature and now it seems that the government machinery too has left them in a lurch.

The government promised them houses in six months time, but it's been a year now and nothing has happened. Even the monthly allowance promised to them, to tide us over in difficult times was stopped after three months.

Every morning, when these people wake up and take stock of the misery around them they hope against hope that the day would be their last at the camp.

The odds are stacked against them but with a little bit of courage, the women living in this camp have figured out that life can still go on. They have decided to fight the system, waging a daily battle to get life back on track.

A lot of them are widows and many have lost their children but they say that nothing can stop them from putting the pieces of their life back together.

Mary makes images in straw to earn a few currency notes. She has an eight-year-old son to look after and Mary says that if a little help comes by, this can become a livelihood for her.

"This is how I earn my living. After the tsunami my husband started drinking and now does no work. I have a son to bring up and I need to work. Now I am looking up to the government to help me make this my source of income," says she.

There are other women who work as masons, competing with their male counterparts, to improve the living quarters at the shelter.

In spite of the brave fight that these women are putting up, there are times when dejection sets in. These are the times when the havoc and the resulting pain caused by the cruelty of nature recedes and instead anger at the laxity of the government sets in.