TSUNAMI

BACKGROUND

Sri Lanka and Indonesia were the countries worst hit by the tsunami generated by the Indian Ocean Earthquake of 26th December 2004 which left a trail of destruction and human loss in almost all the coastal areas of the region. In Sri Lanka the deadly waves left five of the country’s provinces in ruins, affecting 13 districts in total. A total of 38,000 people are reported dead, some 15,250 reported as injured and around 6,000 listed as missing

A total of 201,959 families have directly been affected by this disaster. 84,141 families were displaced and the total number of displaced persons stands at 555,298. These people are now either living in welfare centres set up in a network of schools, churches, temples and mosques or with relatives and friends. The majority are currently cramped into welfare centres/camps which total about 430 throughout the five provinces.

Apart from the irrecoverable loss of life, the properties and livelihoods of people have also been affected severely by the tsunami. Currently a total of 90,261 properties have been declared irreparably damaged and some 41,960 houses categorised as partially damaged. Most of the properties described as partially damaged have suffered major structural damage and might not prove to be fit for occupation. It has also been estimated that 80% of the country’s fishing fleet has been affected which is a major setback for the affected population, most of whom rely heavily on fishing as their source of livelihood.

RESPONSE INTERNATIONAL’S IMMEDIATE INVOLVEMENT

On 26th December 2004, the day of the earthquake and the resulting tsunami, Response International (RI) was fortunate in having Dr Hilali Noordeen (a Sri Lankan national, founding member of the organisation and past Board Member) already in Sri Lanka. He made early contact with Rotary Colombo East as well as with RI’s London headquarters and RI’s aid programme commenced later the same day.

From our well established operational bases in Pakistan and Lebanon, where we implement several substantial programmes, staff were temporarily reassigned to Sri Lanka to respond to requests in support of local efforts. Pakistan has considerable manufacturing capacity relative to the region and frequent air transport takes just three hours to Colombo. Prices of shelter material and medicines are competitive compared with the Western world and discounted and free air cargo space was made readily available. In response to requests from our representatives on the ground, some 300 kg of medical supplies including 1,000,000 water purification tablets were procured and distributed from Pakistan to meet the urgent needs of injured and traumatised survivors. These were obtained at concessionary rates with no taxes or duties. Food for unaccompanied minors was procured locally and distributed.

On 8th January 2005 a Water and Sanitation Expert and a Programme Coordination Manager arrived in Sri Lanka to spend a month in the country assessing needs and refining our response.

CHILD PROTECTION PROGRAMME – PAHAMUNE REHABILITATION CENTRE

Early response to an emergency on the scale of the December 2004 tsunami can be broadly divided into two phases:

• immediate relief providing for the urgent needs of the communities
• provision of protection to the affected communities whilst reconstruction occurs

As described above, Response International made a significant contribution to the immediate requirements of the affected communities. Using our skills, contacts and experience, we are now participating in the provision of protection through a project targeted at children orphaned by the tsunami.

RATIONALE

Children have suffered immensely. In Sri Lanka alone, about 14,000 children are believed to have died which is almost 45% of the known dead. Some 1,300 have been orphaned and around 9,000 have lost one parent. The safe, secure and familiar environment they once lived in has been stripped away in an instant leaving an entire generation of children scarred by the immense upheaval and trauma they have experienced.

Unaccompanied children’s centres, providing shelter, protection and education, could provide the ideal solution to the current crisis for many children. Such centres have been the Sri Lankan Government’s least preferred option for dealing with orphaned children during the 20 years of war with the Tamil independence movement. However, the preferred options of fostering or adoption have led to significant trade in children and there are many documented cases where they have been sold into hard manual labour or prostitution under conditions that constitute slavery, or sold for adoption overseas. Moreover the sheer numbers of orphaned children requiring immediate help makes the slower process of fostering or adoption less viable.

Response International’s Approach

Response International has embarked on a project that offers an integrated package for unaccompanied children by combining the benefits of a centre (shelter, protection and education) with a comprehensive programme of psychological support (see below) provided by local staff trained by RI experts. All the project’s activities are carried out in conjunction with the National Child Protection Agency (NCPA) and other stakeholders with concurrent interests in this area of work.

The building for this project, called Pahamune House, has been donated by the A.M.M. Sahabdeen Trust Foundation (www.ammstrustfoundation.org/pahamuna.htm). This Foundation, which is incorporated under Act of Parliament, was in the process of establishing a 40,000 ft2 vocational training facility in Kurunegala in the North West Province of Sri Lanka which had not yet opened when the tsunami struck. With support from RI (nearly £100,000 has already been raised through private donations and the generous support of the Headmaster’s Committee Appeal), the Foundation has now re-established the facility as the Pahamune Rehabilitation Centre (PRC) to provide for the long term resettlement and education of children temporarily housed in schools, churches, mosques and temples.

Subject to the success of further fundraising efforts both in the UK and Sri Lanka, 300 boys and girls aged between 6 and 18 years will ultimately be housed at Pahamune House. Children belonging to any religious or ethnic groups are welcomed. 50 children arrived on the 17 th of January 2005 and a further 42 on 14 th of February making a total of 92 at present all of whom have been placed in local schools. A further 100 are expected in the coming months.

The legal requirements involved in setting up such a facility in Sri Lanka are complex, not least because this is the first such multi-ethnic centre in the country with accommodation for both boys and girls. That the Foundation has established the PRC in full compliance with existing legal requirements, in accordance with UNICEF and other agency guidelines, and has obtained approval from the NCPA in such a short time, is a major, commendable achievement.

PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT

Like most affected by the tsunami, the children in PRC are, to varying degrees, traumatised. General medical care will be provided by local hospitals, of which there are three in the near vicinity, and RI will provide for the expert assessment of each child’s wider needs. This care will be provided by local staff, with training and direction supplied by Professors Pat Blakeney (clinical psychologist) and Dan Creson (psychiatrist) from the University of Texas, both of whom have worked extensively with RI on previous projects and have established enviable reputations in the psychosocial support of post conflict/natural disaster communities.

The clinical approach favoured avoids the learned helplessness and dependency that accompanies many disease models. It aims to:

• Normalise responses and reactions. This means defining the child’s response as a normal reaction to the terrible trauma they have suffered.
• Legitimise the emotions the child has experienced.
• Provide information. The more the child knows the more they experience a sense of control.
• Identify those children displaying evidence of more profound psychological distress requiring specialist input.

This approach has previously been successfully implemented by Professors Blakeney and Creson in Bosnia, Kosovo, East Timor, and West Africa, in addition to their work in the USA.