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'The memory will always be with me...' The tsunami that hit south-east Asia on Boxing Day 2004 was unprecedented in its scale. No other disaster in living memory has affected so many people across so many countries. This update recalls the event and explains how the money that was given with exceptional generosity is being used. The killer waves reached ten metres in height and three kilometres inland. They flattened houses, uprooted roads and electricity poles, threw cars into swirling waters and hurled fishing boats on to coastal roads. The tsunami in the Indian Ocean took the lives of many and left hundreds of thousands homeless and destitute. Christian Aid's longstanding partner organisations in both India and Sri Lanka were active on the very first day of the disaster, helping to evacuate people to safety, and setting up kitchens to feed communities. Christian Aid has also been supporting partners in Indonesia through Action by Churches Together, and has started working with a new partner, Lembaga Pencerahan dan Advokasi Masyarakat. LPAM has been providing vital relief on the island of Nias where a second earthquake caused further devastation to the west coast of Indonesia. Over the past 12 months, the focus of the relief work has shifted from short-term emergency relief to longer term rehabilitation. The scale of this task is huge, and by the first anniversary of the tsunami, many people will still be waiting for permanent housing. By that time, Christian Aid plans to have spent £20 million from its appeal and from Disasters Emergency Committee funds on tsunami-related work. This includes activities such as constructing permanent shelters, helping men and women to return to work, and providing trauma counselling. Thadaham, a Christian Aid partner in Sri Lanka, has been working closely with communities to encourage people to talk to one another about their experiences and to help them come to terms with their grief. Thadaham has been helping women like Pushpavathi Gunaseekaram. Pushpavathi lost her husband and two daughters in the tsunami, and is now the only parent to her two sons. Her husband was fishing when the waves struck. According to his ~shing partner, who survived, he died trying to swim back to land to save his family. 'I heard that the waves were coming and took my family to higher ground,' says Pushpavathi. 'The waves caught us and took all my children.' It was at the hospital that she learned that her youngest daughter's body had been identified. Her eldest has never been found. 'I met the team from Thadaham at the welfare centre where I was relocated. They helped with food and sanitation. I then met the counsellors in the new village, but at first I couldn't talk. 'I was not thinking about my surviving children. I was emotionally blocked. I couldn't think about anything; I was in unbearable pain. I started having long discussions that really helped. I realised that there are people to listen and help. 'I feel very close to the people at Thadaham. Each and every day they help and support me. I can't say how long I'll need that support. I need it for my young children. I am still undergoing the same emotions and same pain, but I can cope a bit better. 'For example, at night I feel that the children are next to me. When I realise it is just a dream I am unable to cope. But during the daytime Thadaham help me to survive. The memory will always be with me.' Rachel Stevens, Christian Aid |
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