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Tsunami Update
October 18, 2005
Indonesia
Construction workers and potential homeowners discussing the types of homes to be built in the Banda Aceh area. This is a Habitat for Humanity project involving Global Ministries’ missionary Tim Fonderlin as a building center coordinator.
CWS’ long term plans include assisting in livelihood recovery by providing seeds and tools, as well as fishing equipment. They have set up a field office in Medan and are serving a number of communities and relief camps in the region. Yayasan Tanggul Bencana is the social development wing of the Communion of Churches of Indonesia. YTB has brought in truckloads of clothing and has set up a public kitchen. They have also established a regional crisis center in coordination with the regional council of churches. YTB is also providing school supplies and trauma counseling for children.
The long standing conflict in Aceh between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Indonesian Military has complicated the establishment of effective relief delivery systems. There have been reports of military officials confiscating aid or trying to control aid delivery to their political advantage and they have conducted searches of relief camps in order to arrest suspected members of GAM. Despite these reports, the government says it is committed to providing aid to all those who are suffering. Temporary shelters in the way of barracks are being built to house the homeless for up to two years while permanent homes are built. Human rights groups are concerned that these barracks may be subject to intense military intimidation and control to isolate GAM from the people who would support them.
Sri Lanka
Global Ministries’ (OGHS & WOC) response to the disaster in Sri Lanka has been through its partnerships with the Jaffna Diocese and the National Council of Churches of Sri Lanka.
Global Ministries’ Board member Dr. Dyanchand Carr is currently teaching at Christian Theological Seminary in Jaffna and is involved in the Seminary’s project to help the village of Thumbalai in their recovery. They will be assisting with the purchase of land for reconstruction of 50 houses, and with livelihood recovery, counseling and vocational training.
The Jaffna Diocese plans a three year outreach effort in these tsunami affected areas of northern and eastern Sri Lanka and will provide for day to day practical needs as well as helping with long-term revival of livelihood capabilities. The assistance will include supplying an educational programs for children, counseling, livelihood supplies, housekeeping kits, restoration of a day care center, a tuition center to provide catch-up educational support to the children for 3 years, temporary shelters, vocational training for girls and women’s empowerment programs. They will be working in several small coastal villages, including Chulipuram, Tholpuram West, Chempianpattu North & South, Potpathy, Manalkadu and Kudaththanai. The rebuilding programs will employ local people who lost livelihoods in the disaster. The livelihood recovery program will provide “Fishing Units” to groups of families (to share). Each fishing unit will have one 18 ft. fiberglass boat, an 8 hp motor and 20 varied fishing nets. In addition to these programs the Diocese proposes to construct a “Village of Peace” to be a home for children who were orphaned by the tsunami. They will build homes and staff them with house parents and provide other buildings and services to create family and community for these children.
There appears to be a growing rift between the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Elam (LTTE) and the government, despite pledges from both to cooperate in the delivery of disaster relief. The possibility that relief may be politicized is a concern in the international community. A report from WCC Asia Secretary, Dr. Chunakara, cites the additional concern that large numbers of foreign consultants are being brought in to manage the rehabilitation efforts. Local expertise is being passed over just when there is the greatest possible need to employ locals and act with maximum cultural sensitivity.
India
Children living in a temporary shelter in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The challenges in India are much the same as in Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Although the immediate emergency needs have largely been addressed, the long term needs for housing, livelihood recovery and trauma counseling remain. CASA is working on the mainland and will be helping to provide relief and rehabilitation assistance to 50,000 families. There is still a very high level of trauma in the affected communities. There are also concerns about the ability of temporary shelters to offer adequate protection when the monsoon season begins.
The Church of North India is providing food security to 10,000 families in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and will be helping 7,500 families in 20 villages to rebuild and will be providing them with safe water and sanitation, food rations, education and recreation kits for children, housing, livelihood assistance, counseling and training in disaster
mitigation and preparedness. In addition CNI will be building 24 churches, 15 schools, 20 community buildings/disaster shelters.
Christian Medical College at Vellore, Madras Diocese and Peace Trust are all working with villagers in their areas, helping to provide relief, medical assistance, counseling, school supplies for children and temporary shelters.
Thailand
Western news media covered the disaster at the beach resorts in Thailand, but little was said about the losses suffered by the coastal communities. Ethnic communities that lived by the sea and made their livings off the sea suffered in Thailand just as they did in neighboring nations. The Church of Christ in Thailand is helping to provide relief to some of the affected communities which have been overlooked by other aid groups. CCT will also be working to protect the land rights of these ethnic communities. There is talk of relocating these populations—talk which may be driven by the attractiveness of their historic homelands for tourism-related developments. Global Ministries also plans to support the World Council of Churches’ plan to provide training for trauma counselors in Thailand.
Myanmar
In Myanmar, even though many lives were lost, the full extent of the damage is not known to the outside world because of the Myanmar Government’s restrictions on such information. There is some kind of refusal on the part of the government to acknowledge the extent of the damage. Our partner, the Myanmar Council of Churches is also not able to undertake any major rehabilitation work, except for some immediate relief work, which Global Ministries supported.
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 18 October 2005 ) |
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