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TSUNAMI
In this section:
Indian Relief Efforts Reach Tsunami Victims
Sri Lankan Actor Steps off Stage to Inspire
Child Survivors
Indian Relief Efforts Reach Tsunami Victims
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Damaged boats in the harbor of Nagappattinam, one of
the hardest hit areas of Tamil Nadu, India. USAID is
helping repair or replace fishing vessels of poor fishermen
in the area.
Sky Wiseman, USAID |
Relief efforts are proceeding in India, even as thousands
of people grieve over the loss of family, property, and livelihoods.
Whole identities have been wiped out, according to one disaster
expert. With no paperwork or anything tangible left to mark
a human life, even claiming personal identity can be a struggle.
USAID sent a four-member Disaster Assistance Response Team
(DART) to Tamil Nadu state in southeast India Dec. 29—three
days after the tsunami—to gather information and craft
an aid plan. During the 11-day visit to hard-hit areas, U.S.
and Indian staff sent back daily field reports, met with district
officials to keep tabs on coordination of relief efforts,
and saw first-hand the personal and physical costs of the
disaster. The DART continues to monitor the progress of response
efforts.
“We have seen a dynamic and effective response from
the government of Tamil Nadu,” says Rebecca Scheurer,
a member of the DART. “Humanitarian relief efforts are
helping people return to normal life.”
The DART found that roads and other links untouched by the
tsunami boosted relief. There were no public health threats
as of late January, despite dire warnings by some relief groups
and critics cited in the media.
India was hit hardest in the coastal area of Tamil Nadu
and on the Andaman and Nicobar islands. More than 10,000 Indians
died in the tsunami, with 8,000 of those deaths coming from
Tamil Nadu alone. Another 5,640 people are missing.
U.S. aid is channeled through the India-based operations
of CARE, Catholic Relief Services, World Vision, Project Concern
International, GOAL, Food for the Hungry/EFICOR, ACTED, and
Exnora.
Efforts funded by USAID include
- a $900,000 cash-for-work program led by World Vision
India to build 2,500 temporary shelters, while providing
families the opportunity to earn money
- a $440,000 grant to Project Concern for recovery and rehabilitation
in four villages, including building temporary shelters,
repairing fishing boats, cash-for-work for disaster cleanup,
and daycare centers so mothers can rebuild or find work
and children can heal from the trauma
- grants of $650,000 to CARE and $750,000 to Catholic Relief
Services for drinking water and sanitation services
- a $250,000 to GOAL for cash-for-work efforts to rehabilitate
affected villages— repairing damaged properties, thatching
roofs, organizing debris—and establish childcare centers
In addition, Food for the Hungry received $280,000 through
its local partner, EFICOR, to conduct cash-for-work projects.
Rehabilitating wells and ponds and replanting trees will be
exchanged for income.
About 750 families will benefit from a grant of nearly $300,
000 to ACTED. The NGO aims to restore livelihoods by training
25 self-help groups in microfinance for restarting businesses.
Some animal-care commodities and sewing materials are part
of assistance packages.
Exnora will focus on waste removal and recycling in Nagappattinam—one
of the hardest hit spots on the coast—with a $115,000
grant. Local women and youth are target employees for this
jobs effort. Vocational skills for men and women and expanded
access to formal banking for residents are part of the activity.
As the immediate relief phase winds down, USAID/India is
considering longer-term recovery efforts, which could include
U.S.-India city-to-city partnerships, access to credit for
affected families (including women), and better community
preparedness to stave off impacts from future natural catastrophes.
Sri Lankan Actor Steps off Stage to Inspire Child Survivors
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Children in southern Sri Lanka are engaged in songs
and games as psychosocial help to recuperate after the
devastating tsunami that hit Asia in December.
Julie Fossler, USAID |
“Who loves the sea?” asked a man with a familiar
face, as he beat his tambourine. “We all love the sea,”
chanted the children around him, laughing and waving their
arms.
Vasantha Moragoda, a well-known Sri Lankan actor, invited
the children to sing along.
“Does the sea love us?” inquired a small boy suddenly,
looking for an explanation for the tragedy that hit his village
only a few weeks earlier.
The question touches each of the 98 children in the makeshift
camp at the Seenigama Temple in Galle, southern Sri Lanka.
All of them lost their homes to the tsunami, and most of them
were left with only a fraction of their family members. Some
have lost everything.
Moragoda cannot explain their loss, but he has come to help
raise morale and build the self-confidence of these traumatized
children.
In the village of Seenigama, massive waves destroyed the
houses of more than 300 families, leaving behind nothing but
rubble and desperation. The need for psychological support,
particularly of children and mothers, is acute.
To respond to the psychological damage, the psychosocial
drama project was initiated by USAID’s Office of Transition
Initiatives (OTI) in Sri Lanka, using funds made available
by the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance. The project
is being carried out by Multi Diverse Community, a local NGO
founded by Moragoda.
Assisted by OTI and his group of 50 people, Moragoda is
using theater techniques to help the children and teenagers
overcome their fears. The group also offers counseling to
adults. Through ingenious games and songs, the children gain
skills to cope with everyday difficulties in the camp, where
hundreds of people share the temple floor, seven tents, and
two toilets.
“Can we rebuild everything?” Moragoda asked.
“Yes,” respond the children.
“Who is going to clean the environment and pick up
the garbage?” he asked.
“We,” they respond.
“We are going to pull out of the disaster and rebuild!”
answer the children to Moragoda’s questions that both
challenge and motivate.
Every evening, the children play games and act roles that
require forming groups and doing tasks together.
“Already, a few days after starting the project, the
children were cleaning their camps, keeping up their own hygiene,
and—surprisingly—teaching the adults to do the same,”
said RHM Zafarullah from OTI.
Although Moragoda will move to other affected coastal communities,
his group will continue working in Seenigama.
USAID is also working with international and local organizations
to provide individual, family, and community counseling, as
well as technical support and guidance to ensure that those
services reach all in need.
Anna-Maija Litvak contributed to this article.
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