Progressive Change For Tsunami Victims

Shifting Focus of Progressive Change...

2006-12-31T17:42:00.000-08:00

Update: This post originally contained solely the mothballing statement below. However, in light of the events of Darfur, Sudan, one of our admins felt that it would be irresponsible to move on without bringing attention to the overwhelming number of horrific crimes occurring their right now, which many have called genocide. Here is the New York Times column by Nicholas Kristoff (warning: graphic photos) urging action as well as links to two websites he mentions: http://www.darfurgenocide.org/ and www.savedarfur.org. Please also check out the links in the addendum of the sidebar. If you worked on tsunami assistance, please remember that these are all connected struggles in that the agony of the victims is agony, regardless of whether the proximate cause was natural disaster or human malice. Thanks for your continued patience, support, and decency.

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Well, folks, we've done what we could and now it's time for the admins of this site to move on. The web traffic on mainstream sites like SEA EAT is down to about 10-15,000 hits per day, and this site is, as you can imagine, much less frequently visited. However, the information here will stay up as long as Blogger leaves it up here.

If you're interested in taking over this site and transforming it (for example, into a Progressive Asian NGO clearinghouse), send your vision of what you think you want to make it into to sauravsarkar2000 AT yahoo DOT com. Thanks to everybody, and particularly contributors of information on NGOs, for your help. The site couldn't have happened without you.

Your Admins

Recommended Organizations for Charitable Contributions in South and Southeast Asia

2005-01-31T10:22:00.000-08:00

http://ektaonline.org/tsunami/ngos/

San Francisco Fundraiser, 2/3

2005-01-30T10:57:00.000-08:00

Thurs, Feb 3, 7PM
APA Artists 4 Tsunami Relief
Locus Arts @ Galeria de la Raza, San Francisco
All proceeds benefit tsunami relief in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
http://ektaonline.org/tsunami/

A Report on Tsunami Relief Efforts by Bhoomika Trust, Chennai

2005-01-30T01:28:00.000-08:00

January 30, 2005

In the wake of the December 2004 Tsunami that devastated vast swathes of coastal Asia, including Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, Bhoomika Trust has been coordinating relief efforts from Chennai, linking up with civil society and governmental efforts in the worst-affected districts of Nagapattinam (Nagai), Cuddalore, Kanyakumari, Karaikal (Pondicherry), and coastal villages near Chennai and Kalpakkam. Bhoomika has also been taking on the role of facilitating information exchange among diverse players in the field, including grass roots community organizations, NGOs, business houses, and the Tamil Nadu government, and has been coordinating with other organizations in providing input to policy-makers with regard to the shelter and rehabilitation needs of the affected communities...

For the full report, please log on to:
http://www.tsunami-india.org/what_we_doing.htm

First Person Account From Northeast Sri Lanka

2005-01-18T05:50:00.000-08:00

Crossposted at SEA EAT. The story below was generously shared by Harini, who was in Sri Lanka during and after. You can see her associated pictures here. Her comments on the pictures: "It's just a sample of the devastation caused...the pix of the boys in the orphanage are pre-tsunami on Christmas day we spent the day with them...everything else is aftermath of post-tsunami..."

The Tsunami disaster and the politics of international aid

Going back home, to the northeast of Sri Lanka, over the December holidays was an opportunity for me to learn about my homeland and discover my roots. I was born and raised in Canada, and the last time I had visited my homeland was as a small child in 1983.

When I stepped on the plane to begin my personal journey I never expected that it would end up being such a life-altering experience. I knew that this would be a profound experience for me, but never did I imagine the extent to which this trip would change my life. The tsunami that devastated 11 Asian countries hit the eastern coastline of Sri Lanka on the morning of December 26, 2004. The northeastern coastline of Sri Lanka was one of the hardest hit areas in the region. The group of almost 30 Canadian Tamil students that I was traveling with was only kilometers from the shorelines when the tsunami struck.

I remember hearing the sirens of numerous ambulances racing by the bus that was carrying us to our next location. I remember thinking, what in the world is going on? I looked over at the person sitting next to me and asked if the flooding was really that bad (recently there had been severe flooding in the area). We passed a small coastal town and saw the townspeople standing and sitting on the side of the road with somber expressions on their face. We asked what had happened, and they said that the waves from the ocean had claimed some lives. Neither they nor us knew the extent of this humanitarian tragedy. It would be one of the worst the world has ever seen.

We got off the bus to take some pictures of the landscape. After snapping some shots, I returned to the road to get back on the bus. To my unbelievable horror I saw a tractor carrying the bodies of several small children. At that point, I was standing, frozen, on the side of the road. Time stood still. I was in shock. I had never seen dead bodies in that state before. I felt as if I was in a dream. Someone helped me cross the road and get into the bus. I sat in the bus in silence. I kept seeing those tiny faces. To this day, when I close my eyes, I can still see those small faces.

As soon as we heard about the extent of the devastation we were dumbstruck. I could not believe this was happening. How could the ocean – such a beautiful and majestic force of nature – turn into a violent and destructive storm of death? I used to love the ocean. It was one of my favorite things in the world. The smell of the seawater, the feel of the wind, the sound of the crashing waves. Now, those sights, sounds, and smells terrify me.

I wondered what could we do to help the people who lost so much. We collected money and our own clothing to donate to people who were displaced and temporarily housed in schools. However, this didn’t seem like enough. That night a small group of students traveling with us went to the affected areas. They reported back with horrific stories. We saw video footage of grieving families, still in their wet clothes, wailing in horror. The bodies of their loved ones laying in rows; some were stacked one on top of each other. There was so much death.

The next day we went to the communities on the northeast coast that were hardest hit. We visited a village called Mullattivu, which has been devastated. We were completely overwhelmed by what we saw. The entire village had been washed away. The stench of death hung in the air. The waves had ripped children from their mothers’ arms. Fishing boats had tossed and turned on top of the waves and were thrown miles inland. Belongings and precious family mementos were scattered on the ground. I saw a photo album left on the ground. I flipped through the pictures and saw smiling happy faces. At that moment I prayed that the family was safe and would soon return to retrieve their belongings.

We went to visit the schools that housed the hundreds of people left homeless and displaced. There were no toilet facilities and supplies were limited. A few medical students cared for the injured, who formed long lines to get medical attention. Hundreds of children roamed around, some crying uncontrollably, others oblivious to the devastation and distress. In the background was the constant wailing of grief-stricken survivors. We had to choke back our own tears when we spoke with the survivors and heard their stories.

The relief efforts were coordinated by the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization, an NGO that operates in the north and east of Sri Lanka. They were the only organization present in the Tamil Tiger-controlled areas. Other NGO’s such as Oxfam and UNICEF had only briefly drove by in their air-conditioned jeeps to drop of a few dozen mats (UNICEF had their mats embedded with their logo). We were saddened to see that there was no international aid coming into the Tiger-controlled areas. The Tamil areas in the north and east were some of the worst-affected areas, yet none of the international aid pledged was getting to these hardest hit areas. We were there continuously for three days, but we failed to see any international aid in these areas. It was truly unfortunate that politics had come before humanitarian need. The Sri Lankan government was refusing to allow relief aid to enter Tiger-controlled areas. As a result, some people – those who had lost everything and everyone they loved – were left in shelters with limited supplies and no help from outside sources. They only had each other to count on.

We spoke with survivors and heard incredible stories of how they saw this giant black cloud of water over 40-feet high coming towards them. They told us how they had no time to think or gather any belongings. They just ran for their lives. They did not know where they were running to. They only knew what they were running from. They told us how they saw their neighbors and members of their own family be carried away by the giant waves and the receding sea. Most of the lives lost were those of women and children. So many children have been lost.

Senthalir Illam, an orphanage for children who lost their parents due to the civil war in Sri Lanka, lost hundreds of children – only 30 survived. We visited the site, and as we walked to the grounds we saw school desks and chairs scattered on the ground. There was a mangled crib in front of the damaged building where the children used to sleep and dream about their futures. I can’t describe how powerful a moment it was to stand on the ground upon which laughing children had played, knowing that most had been carried away by the raging waves. Only days earlier a friend of mine who had visited that orphanage had shown me video clips of those very children. I kept imagining those laughing children playing in the field. At that moment I broke down. I cried uncontrollably, along with my fellow students, at the loss of such innocent and young lives.

Children have also been left orphaned by this tragedy. Many villages and families have only a few survivors. One of the stories I heard from a survivor I will never forget as long as I live. It was the story of an 84-year-old grandmother. This story was very powerful to me because I recently lost my own grandmother. At one of the schools I visited there were two elderly women sitting on the ground alone. I walked up to them to hear their stories. One of the grandmothers told me how she had heard from neighbors about the waves coming. They told her to run and so she ran. While she was running she was thinking about her other family members. They lived in nearby houses. She tried desperately to find out about her family. She found out that none had survived. All of her children and all of her grandchildren had been taken by the waves. I wiped away her tears as she told me that she was alone in the world. She then said to me, “Why did I survive? I am an old lady. Why hadn’t my children or grandchildren survived? They had a future.” These words would haunt me for the rest of my trip. So many children were lost. In some villages no children survived. A whole generation has been lost.

The trip has changed my life forever. I am no longer the person I was a month ago. Being home in Toronto feels surreal. It is hard to reconcile the person that I am today with the life that I used to have. I have learned so much from this experience. I have seen devastation and destruction, but I have also see generosity and hope for the future. This tsunami has brought together people from all over the world in an unprecedented way.

I made a promise to those grandmothers that evening. I told them that I would go back to Canada and share their stories. I promised them that the international community would hear their stories and help alleviate the suffering of the survivors, that we would help them to rebuild their communities and their lives. Most of the people we spoke to had only one request for us: not to forget them.

There is so much work to be done. The long-term needs of these communities are enormous. Fishermen need boats to regain their livelihood. Schools need books, desks and chairs. Orphanages need to be repaired. Houses need to be reconstructed. People need to deal with the emotional scars of loosing their entire family. Let us not forget them!

For information about tsunami relief in the North and East of Sri Lanka please visit:
Tamil Rehabilitation Organization: http://www.troonline.org/ (416) 751-8777
Tamil Children’s Endowment Fund: http://www.tcefund.org/ (416) 451-3125

Memphis Area Tsunami Benefit 1/22/05

2005-01-17T03:33:00.000-08:00

Crossposted at SEA EAT. From Arjun:

I’ve been coordinating a fundraising drive in Memphis, TN which is throwing a benefit party this upcoming Saturday, January 22nd – details below. The owner of India Palace has graciously let us use his venue at no cost for the event, and the DJ is also working the decks pro bono, so that the maximum amount generated from the benefit can go directly towards aid, not overhead. All proceeds are going to progressive, grass-roots NGOs with a longer-term, egalitarian view of relief and reconstruction in India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia – we’re identifying groups to support currently from a shortlist including:

In Indonesia:

Kontras (the lead group of the Indonesia Civil Society Coalition for Tsunami Victims); Solidaritas Perempuan (a grassroots group organizing relief efforts, focusing on poor women); IMC (International Medical Corps), which is not grass-roots, but is handling a large chunk of direct medical aid in the area and is requesting both monetary and material aid.

In Sri Lanka:

Sarvodaya (a Sri Lankan organization with the largest community network in the country, which is conducting relief efforts in all Sinhalese regions, and directing aid to Tamil groups in the northeast as well); Sewalanka (another Sri Lankan organization which has set up refugee camps and clinics and have infrastructure in place from relief work during the war); Diverse Communications (the US receiving point for donations towards the EQUAL GROUND Relief and Assistance Program); and SEED, an organization that has direct access to affected areas in rebel-dominated northeast areas.

In India:

AID (Association for India's Development) is a volunteer group which is registered as a 501 (c) (3) organization in the U.S. that regularly funds grassroots development and human rights groups in India. They have already starting sending emergency funds through their networks, and they send 100% of donated funds. At the moment they are matching donated funds dollar for dollar securely online through sulekha.com at http://www.sulekha.com/aidtsunami. AID is currently doing relief work in the Andamans via SEEDS as well as within the mainland; SEEDS India is one of the few other NGOs operating out of the Andamans and coordinating relief efforts in affected areas (www.seedsindia.org/tsunami). SEEDS has done earthquake relief, rehabilitation, and preparedness work in the past with the UN and the Gujarat government; Solidarity Network: Andaman Islands Relief. The Solidarity Network seems to have substantial leverage beyond typical NGO efforts, partly because it has some Bollywood industry players backing it. The Solidarity Network is working in coordination with military logistics to extend relief work beyond Port Blair to affected areas in both Andaman and Nicobar.

If this event goes well, we’re hoping to turn Dance Relief into an ongoing club night series with benefit parties supporting progressive development organizations. We are planning a large-scale one-year-anniversary event for next year on the weekend before Christmas to bring together as much of the city's talents and resources as possible to the goal of supporting long-term relief and progressive development in affected communities.

For more information, please contact Arjun directly at adirghan AT jhsph DOT edu

Report from AID Volunteer on Dalits

2005-01-15T15:44:00.000-08:00

Please take a look at this report on relief and dalits (also known as "untouchables") in India. Pulled off of SEA EAT:

Srinivas Mirle of AID-Cincinnati reports:

Dalits comprise about 17% of India's population and continue to struggle to be included in mainstream India. They have been marginalized in India for ages and, surprisingly, they are not faring better even in the aftermath of the tragic tsunami disaster. This was evident from field visits that I made today with Ms. Shabnam Hashmi of ANHAD to the tsunami-affected areas of Velankany, Nagapattinam and Kesavanpalem in Tamil Nadu. Ms. Shruti Parthasarathy, a volunteer from Bangalore who is working with AID on coordinating relief activities in the village of Kuttiyandyur, has also observed the Dalit denigration.

In the tsunami affected areas of Tamil Nadu, there are about 8000 Dalit families who live in about 95 hamlets. About 30 hamlets were severely affected and about 5000 huts have been washed away, according to Mr. Vincent Manohar of the NCDHR, National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights.

Read the full report

UN calls for Gender-Specific Relief

2005-01-15T15:42:00.000-08:00

Pulled off of SEA EAT:

The Indian Ocean tsunami may have made no distinction between men and women in the grim death toll it reaped with its waves but it has produced some very gender-specific after-shocks, ranging from women’s traditional role in caring for the sick to increased cases of rape and abuse, a United Nations agency reported today.

“Understanding and measuring these differences is essential for an effective response,” the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a news release, stressing the need to raise awareness on gender issues among decision- and policy-makers to ensure that women’s and men’s different needs are reflected in policies, practices and resource through the phases of relief, rehabilitation and development.

Read the full article at UN News Centre

Sri Lanka Government Providing Medium-Term Housing, Land

2005-01-15T15:39:00.000-08:00

Pulled off of SEA EAT:

Sri Lanka has drawn up a plan to help tsunami victims that will include providing low income groups with land and houses free of charge, tax benefits and rations for at least six months, officials said Friday.

The preliminary report on government plans to help tsunami victims was Friday officially released. Some of the programmes have been put into effect by the authorities, but it is expected to fully come into effect only within the next week.

Read the full article at ReliefWeb.

Inmates at Canadian Prisons Donating to Tsunami Relief

2005-01-14T03:13:00.000-08:00

From Reuters via Yahoo!News:

TORONTO (Reuters) - The tsunami disaster in South Asia has sparked widespread generosity in Canada, even among the nation's most hardened criminals, federal prison officials said on Wednesday.

Fourteen prisons across the country have raised money from their inmate populations to support relief efforts by the Red Cross and other aid organizations.

Although the C$4,200 ($3,500) gathered to date is low compared with some multimillion-dollar donations, it is still an incredible effort for prisoners who have little in the way of income, said Diane Russon, a spokeswoman for Correctional Services of Canada.

"Regardless of the amount, the idea that they're actually caring about (someone) other than themselves, and making the effort and the donation, is pretty remarkable," she said.

At the Mission Institution in British Columbia, 103 inmates, serving two years or more, raised C$2,011, said assistant warden Diane Mousouliotis.

Inmates signed a pledge form for amounts ranging from C$5 to C$400 to be debited from their work program accounts.

"It was the initiative of one of the inmates," said Mousouliotis, "and seeing the tragedy that had happened, they wanted to contribute in some way. They rallied to it."

A member of the prison staff rushed the check to the local Red Cross office to make sure it arrived before Tuesday's deadline for the Canadian government's pledge to match private donations, dollar for dollar.

Russon said inmates can earn up to C$6.90 a day in work programs for jobs such as kitchen duties or furniture making.

AP: Malaria About To Hit Aceh

2005-01-14T01:33:00.000-08:00

Courtesy AP via Yahoo!News:

Health officials plan to go door to door and tent to tent with mosquito-killing spray guns beginning Friday to head off a looming threat that one expert says could kill 100,000 more people around the tsunami disaster zone: malaria.

The devastation and heavy rains are creating conditions for the largest area of mosquito breeding sites Indonesia has ever seen, said the head of the aid group anchoring the anti-malaria campaign on Sumatra island. The pools of salt water created by the Dec. 26 tsunami have been diluted by seasonal rains into a brackish water that mosquitos love.

While the threat of cholera and dysentery outbreaks is diminishing by the day because clean water is increasingly getting to tsunami survivors, the danger of malaria and dengue fever epidemics is increasing, said Richard Allan, director of the Mentor Initiative, a public health group that fights malaria epidemics.

The death toll from the earthquake and tsunami has topped 157,000 across 11 countries after Indonesia added nearly 4,000 more to its tally. Allan warned that an outbreak of malaria could take an additional 100,000 lives around the Indian Ocean if authorities don't act quickly.

"The combination of the tsunami and the rains are creating the largest single set of (mosquito) breeding sites that Indonesia has ever seen in its history," he said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press.

Asked about World Health Organization (news - web sites) warnings that disease could double the tsunami death toll across affected areas, Allan said: "If anything, I think they are being conservative. Three-quarters of those deaths could be from malaria."

The World Health Organization said Thursday that seven cases of malaria have been confirmed in Aceh province. They are popping up now both because malaria season is just beginning and because a reporting system has been put in place over the last few days.

Relief workers in Aceh province on Sumatra island, meanwhile, warned that new rules requiring them to travel with armed escorts could cause bottlenecks in delivering aid and compromise their arms-length status from Indonesia's military.

"We discourage such actions because it blurs the distinction between humanitarian and military efforts here," said Eileen Burke of Save the Children.

Burke said her group has so far had no escorts — or problems — with their work in Sigli, about 60 miles from the provincial capital, Banda Aceh.

Rebels who have waged a low-level war for a separate homeland in northern Sumatra for 30 years reaffirmed their commitment to a cease-fire they declared hours after the tsunami.

Still, there have been unconfirmed reports of isolated skirmishes between Indonesian soldiers and rebels since the tsunami.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the government welcomed the rebels' declaration of a cease-fire. "Of course we welcome it. Indonesia will also make efforts toward it," Kalla said in Jakarta, the capital.

Indonesia's moves — which include an order that aid workers declare their travel plans or face expulsion — highlight its sensitivities over foreign involvement in the humanitarian effort, especially that of foreign troops.

Indonesia wants foreign troops out of the country by late March. The United States has the largest presence by far in south Asia with about 13,000 troops — almost all offshore.

However, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Indonesian authorities had informed the United States there is no departure deadline for U.S. troops.

"Nobody is asking us to go home," Boucher said. "The Indonesian statement about three months, they tell us, was intended as an estimate about how long the military part of the operation might be necessary."

The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday protested the restrictions on aid workers, which also apply to reporters. "Unrestricted access to information is absolutely crucial during this relief effort," CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper said. "We call on Indonesian authorities to drop the restrictions immediately."

U.N. humanitarian chief Jan Egeland said the overall tsunami relief effort was progressing well except in Sumatra, where "huge problems" remain.

"It is still an uphill battle in the region," Egeland said in New York.

Survivors among the tens of thousands living in refugee camps in Banda Aceh have welcomed the foreign troops, who have been flying helicopter aid missions to otherwise inaccessible areas and running field hospitals.

"If they leave, we will starve," said Syarwan, 27, a tailor who is living with some 45 relatives under a tarp at a camp.

The cornerstone of the anti-malaria offensive is an insecticide spraying operation, where fumigators will walk from house to house in all neighborhoods of Banda Aceh.

They will spray the walls and put a small chalk mark on the outside of the front door as they leave so that no homes are left out and locations covered can be accurately mapped.

The tents in the refugee camps dotted around the city will also be sprayed, but those are home to only a tiny fraction of the population. Most people have been taken in by other families.

In communities along the west coast of Sumatra where almost all buildings were wiped out, the main defense will be pesticide-impregnated plastic sheeting, which villagers use for shelter.

"This will be the first situation where there is an incredible threatening epidemic and where if we get everything in place without obstruction ... we have a chance of stemming the starting point of an epidemic which otherwise will undoubtedly happen," Allan said.

Although malaria is endemic in the area, meaning it is widespread under normal circumstances and the local population is used to getting repeatedly infected, that does not provide protection from any outbreak that might emerge from the tsunami.

"They are even more likely to get sick. A lot of them have already got diarrhea, poor nutrition. They are stressed, they've got multiple infections already and their immune systems are weakened," Allan said. "Any immunity they had is gone."

PHP and Java developers wanted

2005-01-12T17:59:00.000-08:00

The Crisis Management Software project which is being run by a group of Sri Lankan open source developers could use some coding expertise. If you can hack in PHP or JAVA, why not give these guys a shout. The software is totally open source so you can take it, hack it and use it for your country as well.

Sanjiva Weerawarana, one of the developers, documents the process of coding on his blog. However, I've also written a little about the problems he faced during development in a blog entry of mine. Later on, another developer commented about how difficult it was to get the word out to the international community on this effort. I checked out their project page on SourceForge and found that their Activity Percentile was 94.64% last week. The Sri Lankan Open Source community seems to have really rallied around this project. The software was also officially adopted this week by the CNO as their Crisis Management Solution.
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Personally I feel that this is one way the international programming community can really help with tsunami relief. I know that I'll be trying my best to help these guys out, even with the little php knowledge I have. So if you're a PHP or Java coder with a few hours to spare here and there, why not visit their project page and see how you can help out?

Progressive Sri Lanka Benefit in New York

2005-01-12T14:22:00.000-08:00

Crossposted at SEA EAT. From Trishala, Audre Lorde Project:

The Audre Lorde Project is a co-sponsor for this event. We encourage all community members to support this event through attendance, donation, and/or spreading the word. In this time of grief and healing, we hope that our response as a community can be part of an international shift towards peace, the strengthening of progressive grassroots infrastructures, and equitable resource distribution for all who need it.

__________________________

Saturday, January 15th @ 8pm

Tsunami Relief BENEFIT for Sri Lanka
EMBORA Movement and Wellness Studio
900 Fulton St., Brooklyn, NY
btwn. Washington St. & Waverly Pl.
Take the C Train to Clinton-Washington

Support and raise awareness of innovative organizations helping communities rebuild in Sri Lanka. Instead of rebuilding the status quo, help to rebuild a country free of economic exploitation, bigotry and violence.

Benefit Performance begins at 8 PM

Performers include:
Singer/songwriter Gabby Callender
Mango Tribe's Varuni Tiruchelvam and Marian Yalini Thambynayagam
Songstress Chaney Sims
Dominican and Haitian rhythms by Pa 'Lo Monte

Dance Pary 'til 2 AM
dj:ayden -- soul, b-sides, rare international grooves
DJ Rekha -- bhangra, bollywood, hip hop

Door is Sliding Scale $10 - Whatever You Can Give
All proceeds go to progressive relief efforts in Sri Lanka

Proceeds Information

We have a list of 13 groups doing progressive and/or social justice relief work in Sri Lanka who we fully encourage folks donating to. Information for all of these groups will be available during the benefit. The following are groups we have prioritized: grassroots, community-based groups, and activists in sri lanka. Many of the groups are in severely affected areas where there is less infrastructure and relief is slow to reach.

Initiative Sunrise Lanka (ISL for Ampara, Eastern Province) -- a people-centered initiative in one of the worst hit and long impoverished villages in Sri Lanka made up of Tamil, Muslim, and Singhala communities, Panama(paaa-ner-mer).
The Women's Fund for Tsunami Relief and Reconstruction, Sri Lanka
Equal Ground -- an organization doing relief work that is also committed to equitable status for all sexual orientations and gender identities.
Jeeva Jothi in Batticaloa -- the only secular orphanage in Tamil speaking areas; older girls help run the orphanage.
The Suriya Women's Development Center in Batticaloa -- in addition to general relief, this organization also takes action on issues such as women's vulnerability to sexual abuse in refugee camps; works with Tamil, Muslim, and Singhala communitites.

If your organization is interested in co-sponsoring this benefit please contact Marian at yalini13 AT yahoo DOT com.

Wealthy Nations Failing to Come Through on Debt Relief

2005-01-12T13:52:00.000-08:00

Write those letters and e-mails (see sidebar)! This isn't ever over. Excerpts from the BBC News article:

The Paris Club of rich creditor nations has offered to freeze the debts owed to them by countries affected by the Asian tsunami disaster...The Paris Club would be owed about $5bn (£2.7bn) in debt repayments this year...

Some development lobby groups, including UK aid agencies Oxfam and Action Aid, had urged the Paris Club to write off the debt altogether and not just defer the payments.
Oxfam said the Paris Club had failed to "take the bold steps needed on debt"...

Indonesia, one of the world's most indebted countries and the worst hit by the tsunami, has called for greater help...

Economists have warned that any debt relief must be structured carefully to avoid creating a heavier burden in the long-term. Wednesday's deal falls a long way short of this, involving only a deferment...A write-off was not thought to be under consideration even though the $5bn owing for 2005 would be, in purely financial terms, insignificant for the rich creditor nations.

Read the rest...

Grassroots Rehabilitation Work

2005-01-12T11:23:00.000-08:00

From SEA EAT:

As the focus on South Asia transitions from relief to reconstruction, those wishing to support these efforts are looking for safe channels to send financial support. One organization, GlobalGiving has tapped into its existing network of grassroots level projects in South Asia to identify long-term reconstruction and rehabilitation projects.All of the projects are mission focused and specifc in their goals and expected outcomes. This seems like a great way to be a part of the rebuilding process, especially if you can't make the trip to South Asia yourself.

Visit the list of projects here.

NY Times: Indonesian military restricts movement in Aceh

2005-01-12T11:06:00.000-08:00

I suppose it was inevitable given the early signals and the recent history of conflict and abuses in Aceh, but this action by the Indonesian government still makes me angry. From the New York Times by way of SEA EAT.

The Indonesian military on Tuesday ordered restrictions on foreign aid workers, limiting their free operation to the two main cities hit by the tsunami in an effort to assert control over international relief operations here. Outside those cities, Banda Aceh and neighboring Meulaboh, aid workers will need special permission to go into more remote areas where hundreds of thousands of people were uprooted by the disaster.

...

The general asserted that the new measures were needed to protect foreign aid workers from the separatist rebels that Indonesia has been fighting for 30 years. But rebels from the Free Aceh Movement, known by its acronym GAM, released a statement on Tuesday guaranteeing "the safety and free access to all parts of Aceh for international aid workers."Many foreign aid agencies, including the World Food Program, are generally reluctant to work with military escorts because they fear that accepting the protection of soldiers from one side could drag them into the conflict. Only in "very rare circumstances" does the World Food Program accept military escorts, said Bettina Luescher, the spokeswoman for the program. She pointed to Darfur in Sudan, where a civil conflict rages but where the program's trucks are never accompanied by military personnel.

Read the rest...

Sri Lanka Benefits in Atlanta, LA, and New York area

2005-01-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

Crossposted at SEA EAT. Thanks to D'Lo for sending this:

Greetings, everyone.

As you may have already known, I had left Sri Lanka only hours before the Tsunami hit - only to return to the States to hear of the great devastation, including the death of a dear friend of mine and her mother.

I’m hella thankful that it wasn’t in God’s plan for me to be on the beach on the 26th of December (which is what normally is scheduled every year we go), but it made me hella sad not to be there to help. I am sure that the amount of hurt and feelings of helplessness was felt by all who identify on a national or ancestral level with the countries that got hit.

Immediately, a non-profit was formed by a friend and I to make sure that relief supplies and funds were going to the places in Sri Lanka that weren’t mentioned on the news or places that are hard to reach. Attached is a letter stating what it is that we are doing.

It’s funny, y’know. With so much corruption and everyday occurrences that reflect a lack of compassion from people, it is easy to lose faith in the human race. But what has happened to renew my faith has been the immense amount of love and support from close friends AND acquaintances as well as the community at large. It seems that everyone has donated something to the cause, whether it be money, supplies or food – and if they didn’t have much to give, the amount of volunteering has been heart warming. The aftermath of the tsunami has made many a people’s lives hectic with organizing aide to those countries affected and unfortunately there hasn’t been time for much else. I’m writing this letter to say thankyou to all of you who have shown their concern, empathized with and prayed for those of us who are going through this process of mourning- your love is not ignored and will not be forgotten.
If you didn’t know where Sri Lanka was, now you won’t forget. Unfortunately, on the negative side, the relief efforts have been at times overshadowed by the politics between the North and South. On a positive note, the organizing efforts have shown their faces through emergency non-profits and relief movements all over the world. Wanting to bring the larger Sri Lankan community together, I would like to share the different efforts that I am involved with so that you may find the time or money or supplies to donate to whatever you feel best fits your ability KNOWING that it will all go to a worthy and bridge-connecting cause.

Arts Events
Minneapolis – Jan 23
New York – Jan 15th (Brooklyn)
(shows being organized in both Los Angeles and New York) specifically for rebuilding/rehabilitation efforts for the months of March and April
Non- Profit – Aide to Sir Lankan Tsunami Victims

In solidarity and with love to all those who have lost people
and those who are dedicating their lives helping rebuild,
D’Lo

From Diasporaflow (arts org. in Minneapolis founded by 2 Sri Lankan Americans):

Over 47,000 Sri Lankans have died from the tsunamis and one million are homeless. Sri Lanka is in great need of financial support to aid the survivors and help in the rebuilding process. We are in a position of great power and privilege and with that privilege comes the responsibility to aid people who have been left injured and without shelter. Diaspora Flow, a Sri Lankan run 501(c)3 nonprofit arts organization, has started an initiative called The Sri Lanka Relief Fund, a coalition of Tamil and Sinhala Sri Lankans committed to the long-term rebuilding of the lives of all Sri Lankans (Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim) affected by this destruction. A benefit show will be held on January 23rd, We firmly believe in the power of art to create social change, please click on Benefit Show for more info. All donations will go to provide basic needs as well as long-term rebuilding projects in the Eastern Province. ALL funds will go directly to aid survivors, absolutely no overhead costs on our end or the volunteers doing the work in Sri Lanka.This has been one of the most traumatic times in the history of our country. The crisis has nothing to do with politics or ethnic conflict. This is a natural disaster that has affected everyone on the island. What took lifetimes to create was destroyed within a few hours. It will take years to rebuild the lives of the coastal regions. We urge everyone to donate in this time of great need.
If you have questions about the fund, email us at:

srilanka-relief@diasporaflow.org please feel free to contact any of the people below:
Pradeepa 612-237-7670
Chamindika 651-489-8393
Vinothini (Vino) 763-443-1320
Amirthini (Amu) 763-639-6833

Website: www.diasporaflow.org

Diaspora Flow presents a Benefit Show forThe Sri Lanka Relief Fund Sunday, January 23rd 7 pmreception following showsliding scale : $10-to as much as you want to give!!!!!Coffman Memorial Union Theater at the University of Minnesota 300 Washington Ave. S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55455

We're deeply grateful for the donation of time from all artists, but especially those coming out of state/country, taking days out of their schedule:
D'Lo, Sri Lankan performance artist from L.A. will also MC the evening.
Rose of the music group Lal, from Toronto.
participating local artists:
DJ Don Cuco Sri Lankan
composer/musician Manjunan GnanaratnamSri Lankan
visual artists Chamindika and Sumitra Wanduragala, whose posters will also be raffled off for the fund
Sri Lankan dancer/choreographer Pradeepa Jeevamanoharan in collaboration with dancer Annelize Machado

---

Dear Friends and Family,

As you by now are aware, the tsumani that washed over much of South and South East Asia and parts of Africa has devastated humanity in many ways.
1) Almost 120,000 to date are dead.
2) Over nine major nations have been severely affected.
3) 5 million people are at risk without food, shelter, or water.

Sri Lanka's death toll stands at 45, 000 people. Over 15,000 people are missing. Over one million people are homeless.

In affirmation that we are indeed one world, our brothers and sisters from various nations have stepped up to the plate in organizing various relief efforts. In solidarity and fueled by the pain and suffering of our ancestral home, Aide to Sri Lankan Tsunami Victims was created.
Aide to Sri Lankan Tsunami Victims was organized in Los Angeles by Nisha Rodrigo and D'Lo, both Sri Lankan Americans from opposite sides of the tracks (Nisha being Singhalese and D'Lo being Tamil). Maintaining a friendship over years, the decision to create the organization for the sole purpose of relieving the suffering in their homeland, was immediate and without question.
As the stories have unfolded, we are realizing large relief organizations, while successful in obtaining funds and supplies, have been struggling to administer distribution on a local level. Consequently, victims are still without food, water, clothing, shelter, and comfort. ATSTVs' efforts are to ensure that supplies and funds will get to where they are needed most through ground-level grassroot teams.

Unable to stand by complacently and realizing aide is not reaching victims in time, teams have taken it upon themselves to travel to remote areas in need. These teams are comprised of people who have experienced the horror first-hand and were fortunate to escape with minimal physical loss.

Enclosed with this email, is a direct account of one grassroot team's efforts to save lives. More importantly, the account demonstrates the dire need to deliver aid to parts of the country you have not yet heard from. While there has been ample coverage of the Tsunami effects on the southern regions of Sri Lanka, there has been none on that of the north or northeast. It is crucial to mention due to the ongoing civil war, these provinces are far more challenging to travel to and therefore report from. In desperate need of our support, these teams are dedicated to saving people trapped in the wreckage, without food or clean water.
ATSTV vehemently asks the people of the world to donate money, clothing, food and water for this cause. This natural disaster has affected each of us differently. The common goal we now have is to heal so many nations in our global community. All of us have experienced adversity and struggle in our own right. We have endured it with the help of others. We cannot recover from this in a vacuum. It will take a united front to relieve this magnitude of suffering. Please help us bring hope back to a nation without any.
Financial donations should be made out to the order of: Aide to Sri Lankan Tsunami Victims (Tax Deductible)
Monetary or any other donations such as medicine, and blankets should be sent/dropped off:
Shakti's Elements
717 Broadway Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
tel: (310) 576-2008
cell: Nisha (310) 200-6353
D'Lo (310) 576 5696

Sincerely,
Nisha & D'Lo

Great Resource On Grassroots efforts In Asia

2005-01-10T10:40:00.000-08:00

Crossposted at SEA EAT. Jess passed along information for Asia Coalition for Housing Rights, which apparently has a well developed network across most of the affected countries and is providing information from a grassroots perspective. It's well worth looking into, particularly for the Thailand news, which, as you all know by now, has been heavily squashed in favor of coverage of how tourists were affected. A couple of excerpts:

For the international community, I think it is important to start combining the issues of RELIEF with JUST AND APPROPRIATE REHABILITAION and LAND issues. It will be great and extremely helpful if UN-Habitat or UN in general, can make cautious and constructive remarks to the affected governments on this point.
For INTERNATIONAL AID AGENCIES, it will be good if you can take up the LAND issues agenda and link it with the relief issues. For international MEDIA, we should start trying examine and raise this HIDDEN ISSUE.
If we take up this issue TOGETHER - it may well turn this unfortunate crisis into an opportunity for a just and proper community rebuilding, rehabilitation - if we now look beyond just relief and mere physical rehabilitation....

and

3. In Thailand , at this moment, we are also trying to mobilize planner/architects to develop with those affected - alternative plans for communities to reconstruct communities in the same locations. It is very important for sensitive planners/architects to provide and promote constructive new possible forms of change - to governments and society. The challenge is how this new - people sensitive planning - can be done in such a way to solve not only the affected community's serious emerging needs, but also produce a better local environment and meet the needs of the communities, towns and cities; how real human and social qualities - that existed before the tsunami - can continue - and be strengthened; how justice can prevail for land. This is the big task ahead of us now. If we look at Asian conventional systems and power structures, this will NOT be a small task at all.

...

Visit the ACHR website

or contact them:

Phone 662 538 0919 Fax 662 539 9950
Email achr@loxinfo.co.th
73 Soi Sonthiwattana 4, Ladprao 110, Ladprao Rd Bangkok 10310, THAILAND

Information and appeal from grassroots Indonesian organization

2005-01-10T10:28:00.000-08:00

A grassroots Indonesian organization (as far as I can tell), UPC, sends out an appeal and
news:

Jan 4

From UPC Jakarta

It is, indeed, the first time in the lives of most of us to witness such calamity. We are now mobilising all possible resources for relief activities. Social solidarity is very high, practically everybody is doing what they can to give assistance and support -- even the poorest communities in urban areas collecting their donation. Unfortunately, the government, who assumes coordination function, is very slow and not effective. Dead bodies are still scattered all over, and as of today the military can only handle those in major streets in Banda Aceh, the capital city of Aceh. Many dead bodies in the back allies, behind and under ruined buildings still stay as they are. Transport facilities to send food, water and other urgent needs are very limited.

At the moment, the Urban Poor Consortium/ Linkage, is mobilising aids and supports as well as volunteers. We concentrate on two focuses, relief actions and recovery programs. For relief action, with financial assistance from Misereor, we are sending tons of food, drinking water, medicines, blankets and others to Aceh and North Sumatra. Also, in coordination with the NGO networks, we set up aid centres both in the disaster areas and in major cities in Indonesia. Yesterday, we managed to send 2 tons of plastic sheets for corpses from Jakarta to Banda Aceh; today, we have to fight very hard to get our 6 tons of liquid milk be trasported, we finally got the space for 6.30 am tomorrow, 2 Jan. Today, we decided to send the rest of the stuff , around 30 tons of different things such as biscuits, drinking water, blankets, medicines, sanitary napkins for women, antiseptic soaps, etc. from Jakarta by sea -- a journey of three days. Donation such as used clothes and others from the urban poor networks all over the country are transported through the Aid Centre of NGO Coalition Network in Jakarta. In order to get the transport facilities, we have to rely on high level contacts in the government. It is not a matter of corruption but lack of coordination and verry slooow action from the government's part.

I agree that we have to think ahead, to start preparing ourselves for the recovery stage, especially when the business community is all ready to take all the reconstruction projects of the ruin cities and areas. I was informed that the younger brother of the Vice President has all ready with plans and proposal and funds for the recovery projects. We need all the possible and concrete ideas as to what to do in this stage. We would welcome not only concept and ideas, but also technical assistance and experts to come and sit and work with us to soon plan for it.

Wardah

URBAN POOR LINKAGE INFORMATION CENTER:
News on Aceh 8

Diseases Threaten People

Generally, the condition of Banda Aceh, the capital city of Aceh,is getting better. Economic Activitiy starts again. However, danger still threaten the population. The failure of the evacuation team to achieve of goal to bury 6000 corpses a day and problems on sanitation and hygiene make the population in danger of cholera epidemic as well as other disease.

Until 4 January, there are still many corpses piled up under ruins, especially in isolated areas.

It has detected many people who infected by lung disease, especially children. Many people who have been evacuated to other city (Medan and Jakarta), have reported dead because of the limit of oxygenic for medical operation as well as on airplane.

In isolated areas such as in west coast, small health problem can easily transform into big one. Scrape or contusion can become a dangerous infection spreading into entire body. Lack of nutritious food weakens body and make people easily attacked by fever. People with hurt fester or Pneumonia, a lung infection that can be caused by germs, is everywhere. Bone fracture which in normal condition is not dangerous can cause a death because it leads to decaying of body. In this case, amputation is become the solution to save the patient

Evacuation of wounded people were carried out by Indonesian as well as international volunteers using a USS Abraham Lincoln helicopter. In 4 January there are 43 people have been evacuated from west coast of Aceh. However, when volunteers bring them to Kapesdam Hospital, they have to face a very chaotic situation. There are many corpses left unmanaged. This situation makes the hospital looks very dirty, and it upsets the patients.

Only 60% of the evacuation process succeed because military often gives wrong coordinate points. It is worsened by the people themselves which often have doubts to be evacuated and need to be convinced first. Helicopter also can not stay long time in one point since many people always approach asking for food. In each points, there are two to ten persons wounded.

It also has been detected many people suffer from serious condition of scabies it which can not simply treated using anti-itch powder. Oral medicine is urgently needed. If this disease is not overcome quickly, it will spread among the people since those who live in the same camp-share toilets and water.

It is also worsened by the general situation of the camps which are surrounded by stagnated water which in the near future will cause spreading of malaria, cholera, dysentery, and diarrhea. Such diseases can spread rapidly since there is the limit of toilet facility, water, as well as cooking equipments.

Many children suffer from diarrhea because they have to drink water which is not cooked properly. The lack of stove make people have to cook water quickly to give others opportunity to do so. This make water never boiled properly.

Health logistics needed,
Oxygen 100 units
Anti-itch salves
Ambulances
Jerry-cans
Other health logistics, sanitary and hygiene equipment (disinfectants, etc) and medicines such as antibiotic, norit, oralit, etc, need to be supplied continuously.

Source: report of Tim Relawan Kita-Forum LSM Aceh,
January 3, 2005.

Jan 4
From Johan Silas
In Indonesia we are still concentrating on the rescue effort.

Meanwhile at ITS (Surabaya) we are preparing quick construction housing model as the need is great, but most areas are not accessible by ordinary means.

And we have a new ministry for housing. meaning that every thing has to start from scratch, including the budget. ITS have given him our full support.

Yours, Johan SILAS

Jan 4 from UPC - Received Jan 5

URBAN POOR LINKAGE INFORMATION CENTER no 7

BURY 6000 CORPSES A DAY

A team consists of volunteers, militaries, and government officers work hard and mobilize all available resources to achieve target to bury 6000 corpses a day. By 1 January, 12,383 corpses have been evacuated in Banda Aceh and 8,500 in areas outside of Banda Aceh.

This is far from death toll which has reach 94,081 by 3 Januari according to http://en.wikipedia.org .

The team must do their work quickly because rotten corpses which have not been buried will endanger population.

Diseases such as, diarrhea and fever, haunt refugees. Report of Aceh NGO Forum on 3 January said that in camp of Jembatan Lamnyong, Darusallam, where 300 people live, two refugees dead in four days because of diarrhea. In Cot ilie, three babies dead and one person wounded.

The condition of refugees is worsened by inadequate supply of water and sanitation. If this situation continues and accumulates with limited food, poor quality tents, and inadequate of medicine and doctors, health condition of refugees is in big danger.

Donation for Aceh can be sent to:

URBAN POOR LINKAGE INFORMATION CENTER
Urban Poor Consortium - Konsorsium Kemiskinan Kota
Billy Moon Blok H-I/7 Jakarta 13450,
Phone: 62 - 21 - 8642915,86902407
Fax: 62.21.86902408.

Bank Account
Konsorsium Kemiskinan Kota
account number: 230-3000097
BCA KCU Kalimalang
Jl. Tarum Barat Blok E no. 5
JAKARTA

Rape Account in Sri Lanka

2005-01-07T11:30:00.000-08:00

I'm posting this because the broader agenda of this blog continues to be to support progressive work of all kind, and without information like this, we can't. However, this recent spate of Western media stories about instances of violence against survivors of the tsunami by people from their own communities is really troubling me (see the last two posts as well). I don't understand what the dynamic is exactly that's prompting the writing of these stories, but I don't want to play a part in a game of blaming the victim societies if that's what's going on. On the other hand, ensuring that people know that child trafficking, violence against women, and similar issues are still happening seems central to the task of this blog. Thoughts are very welcome.

Courtesy AP via Yahoo!News:

Sri Lankan Teenager Raped by Rescuer

By SHIMALI SENANAYAKE, Associated Press Writer
GALLE, Sri Lanka - She survived the tsunami, only to suffer the brutality of her rescuer.

On a pilgrimage to a temple, the 18-year-old and her family stopped for a picnic by the beach. That's when the tsunami struck.

Flailing in the water, the teenager heard a voice. "He told me to grab his hand, that he will save me," she said.

She and the stranger were swept into a muddy river. When they reached a bank, he pushed her into a bed of brambles and raped her.

"I screamed and told him not to hurt me," the shy teenager told The Associated Press. "He put his hands around my neck and told me that even if he kills me right there, no one will know."

Since the Dec. 26 tsunami, authorities have received many reports of sexual abuse — including attacks on children — at refugee camps and elsewhere. But there was no one to help the 18-year-old — the waves killed her father, mother and seven other relatives.

Earlier that day, the family and neighbors had left for the Kataragama temple, venerated by Buddhists and Hindus, to celebrate her father's 65th birthday.

Their bus, which carried 32 passengers, stopped at a beach. The girl was wading at the shore with two nieces when the waves crashed around them. Fourteen of the travelers died.
At the teenager's home in a village near the southern town of Galle, her only surviving sister displayed photographs of their parents, brothers, sisters and their families at weddings and birthday celebrations.

She allowed the AP to interview her younger sister on condition the teenager and the family would not be named and no photographs would be taken. They fear being ostracized by the village because of the attack.

After the rape, the teenager said, "I felt lifeless." Soaked with mud, her body itched all over from the thorns.

Dazed, she saw two figures approaching.

"He told me not to breath a word," she said. "He spoke to the men and left me with them. I didn't say anything and was terrified because they, too, were men."

The teenager was loaded into a truck with corpses and the injured. She recognized her brother's body and fainted.

At Karapitiya hospital, doctors and nurses were kind, she said. Dr. D. Wasantha said the teenager didn't mention the rape until a day after being admitted, and was initially treated for respiratory problems from inhaling water.

"She was very reluctant to talk and we didn't want to probe too much as she was already very upset and kept saying not to tell anyone," Wasantha said.

After learning of the rape, the doctor gave the young woman pills to prevent pregnancy.

"I don't want to talk to the police. They ask a lot of questions I don't understand and don't know how to respond," the teenager said, toying with the corner of her brown T-shirt.

The teenager lived a sheltered life before the tsunami, but she did go to college for a time, studying the Sinhalese language, political science and economics. She dropped out a year ago to take care of the family household.

"I want to be a journalist," she said when asked about the future. Her eyes lit up and she smiled faintly, but that faded when her aunt said they hoped some man would marry the teenager.

Her sister soon dampened any idea of a quick marriage: She said gossip already was swirling around the village, where rape brings stigma and shame to the victim rather than the rapist.

Confirmed Child Trafficking in Indonesia

2005-01-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

Courtesy Reuters via Yahoo!News:

UNICEF Confirms Tsunami Child Trafficking Case

By George Nishiyama

JAKARTA (Reuters) - The United Nations Children's Fund confirmed a case in Indonesia of trafficking in children orphaned or separated from parents by the Indian Ocean tsunami as ravaged countries were warned to be on high alert for kidnappers.

Reports of children being taken away surfaced soon after the killer waves swamped 13 nations, killing more than 153,000 people and leaving more than a million people injured and homeless. But the UNICEF (news - web sites) report is the first confirmed case.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) also said Friday that an Indonesian aid agency had reported seven cases of child-trafficking since the Dec. 26 undersea earthquake that sent giant waves crashing ashore across Asia and East Africa.

Birgithe Lund-Henriksen, chief of the UNICEF Indonesia child protection unit, said UNICEF and Indonesian police had confirmed that a 4-year-old boy was taken out of Banda Aceh, the capital of devastated Aceh province, by a couple claiming to be his parents.

Local police were alerted after non-governmental organizations (NGOs) became suspicious when the couple took the child to a hospital in Medan, 450 km (280 miles) southeast of Banda Aceh, she said.

"NGOs grew suspicious when the couple were not consistent in their story," she said, adding they now say they are the boy's neighbors.

Lund-Henriksen said there were other reports of possible child-trafficking cases, including a sighting by an NGO worker of about 100 infants being carried in a speed boat in the middle of the night in Aceh province.

"We're absolutely concerned about trafficking. This is something that existed prior to the
earthquake tsunami. And with syndicates in place, it's clear they will take advantage of the chaos that's going on now," she said.

Lund-Henriksen said Medan had long been a departure point for smuggling children out of Indonesia for illegal adoption, forced labor, or work in the sex industry.

HIGH ALERT

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned affected countries to be on high alert against trafficking of orphans or other vulnerable people, adding that it already had child-trafficking experts working in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand as part of its emergency response to the tsunami.

"To date, actual confirmed cases of human trafficking remain minimal. But we are boosting our counter-trafficking operations and working with governments," IOM spokeswoman Niurka Pinheiro told a news briefing.

Some 250,000 people are trafficked in, out and through the South East Asia region each year, according to IOM estimates. Many victims are exploited sexually or used for domestic labor.

"An NGO has reported seven trafficking cases in Indonesia," Richard Danziger, head of IOM's counter-trafficking unit, told Reuters. He declined to name the agency.

"Something like (the tsunami) can worsen an ongoing problem. We have not actually identified any cases ourselves. But you can't say it hasn't happened just because you haven't seen it," he added.

UNICEF has set up a children's center in Aceh province, and plans to set up 20 places to accommodate unaccompanied children and to prevent them from being taken away.
Countries hit by the tsunami, including Indonesia and Sri Lanka, and some outside the region such as the United States, have banned adoption of children orphaned by the disaster in a bid to prevent smugglers from taking advantage of the situation.

Indonesian Social Welfare Minister Alwi Shihab told Reuters this week: "The government has decided that orphans should stay in Aceh to maintain their cultural heritage."

He said the process of counting orphans was under way.

Why Politics Matters: Dalits Forced Out Of Relief Camps

2005-01-07T08:03:00.000-08:00

Crossposted at SEA EAT. This is a great example of why you can't ignore political values just because there's a crisis. Article from AFP via Yahoo!News:

India's untouchables forced out of relief camps

KESHVANPALAYAM, India (AFP) - India's untouchables, reeling from the tsunami disaster, are being forced out of relief camps by higher caste survivors and being denied aid supplies, activists charged.

AFP Photo
AP Photo

Kuppuswamy Ramachandran, 32, a Dalit or untouchable in India's rigid caste hierarchy, said he and his family were told to leave a relief camp in worst-hit Nagapattinam district where 50 more families were housed.

"The higher caste fishing community did not allow us to sleep in a marriage hall where they are put up because we belong to the lowest caste," Ramachandran said.

"After three days we were moved out to a school but now the school is going to reopen within three days and the teachers drove us out," he said.

"Where will I take my family and children? The school had no lights, toilets or drinking water," available for the displaced.

More than 6,000 people died when tsunamis struck this southern Indian coastal district on December 26 and activists said that included 81 Dalits, who were daily wage earners working in agricultural lands.

The ferocious wall of sea water destroyed swathes of farm land and the Dalits no longer have any employment.

At Keshvanpalayam, the Dalits had only flattened homes to show while survivors elsewhere enjoyed relief supplies such as food, medicines, sleeping mats and kerosene.

No government official or aid has flowed into the village which houses 83 Dalit families more than 30 kilometres (20 miles) from Nagapattinam town.

Cranes and bulldozers cleared the debris of a neighbouring fishing community, but they are yet to reach the Dalit village.

Chandra Jayaram, 35, who lost her husband to the tsunamis, said her family has not received promised government compensation of 100,000 rupees (2,174 dollars).

"At the relief camps we are treated differently due to our social status. We are not given relief supplies. The fishing community told us not to stay with them. The government says we will not be given anything as we are not affected much," Jayaram said.

S. Karuppiah, field coordinator with the Human Rights Forum for Dalit Liberation, said in some of the villages the dead bodies of untouchables were removed with reluctance.

"The Dalit villages are in most places proving to be the preferred choice of the fishing community to bury the dead. If the Dalits ask for relief materials the government says they can only give the leftovers," Karuppiah said.

"The government is turning a blind eye," he said. "When Dalits bury the dead they are not given gloves or medicines but only alcohol to forget the rotten stench."

Another activist, Mahakrishnan Marimuthu, who heads the non-governmental Education and Handicraft Training Trust, said tsunamis dealt a double blow to the caste.

"They lost their jobs, houses and relatives. On the other hand the social discrimination is proving to be worse," he said.

The government denied the allegations and said it was providing relief to every tsunami-affected family.

"There is no intention of closing down any camps and we are providing relief to each and every family. We will provide temporary shelters as these relief camps are getting overcrowded," said

Veerashanmugha Moni, Nagapattinam's senior government administrator.
The United Nations (news - web sites) Children's Fund UNICEF (news - web sites) said government, relief agencies and aid workers did not discriminate against the Dalits but the caste issue always exists.

"All the aid going in is distributed the same way to all survivors. The social discrimination has been there during normal times," said Amudha, who heads a team of UNICEF volunteers in Nagapattinam.

"After the disaster happened it is still continuing. That is nothing new," she said.

Vijaya Lakshmi, spokeswoman for South India Federation of Fishermen Societies, agreed and said one could not wish away a centuries-old caste system when a disaster struck.

"If they (Dalits) are comfortable by staying separate they will," she said.

Update and Appeal from Indonesia Group

2005-01-06T23:06:00.000-08:00

Crossposted at SEA EAT. Please note that they have been funded by US AID, an agency of the U.S. government, in the past. Thanks Jess:

ACEH AID at IDEP
TSUNAMI DISASTER RELIEF UPDATE
Vol. 1, No. 8 - January 5, 2005

Aceh Aid at IDEP is a two-pronged initiative to bring appropriate aid directly to affected communities in Sumatra. IDEP, in cooperation with Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS) / Orangutan Information Centre (OIC), is helping mobilize emergency supplies in Medan for delivery in Aceh Province. In cooperation with the Indonesian surfing community, IDEP is mobilizing and delivering aid to the hard-hit, remote islands south and west of Padang.

On January 4, a fully loaded 200 ton cargo vessel leased by AUSaid and supplied by AAAI departed Padang. It is offloading carefully selected supplies including specially packed buckets designed to help survivors build simple shelters and stay in their communities. The boat also carries equipment to make communities self sufficient in water supplies. These supplies are being offloaded to smaller craft and then handed directly to the survivors of small, isolated communities. As of January 5, AAAI has channelled about Rp 600,000,000 in donor funding into this initiative. Financial specialists on the ground in Medan and Bali are consolidating data to ensure full transparency. The Ferry is now at the island of Nias networking with smaller vessels to ferry aid and technical support back and forth to the areas in most need. In many coastal fishing towns, most of the men were killed while working on the beach or on their boats; only women and children survive. Needs on the ground change on a daily basis. Severe nutritional deficiency is already an issue after 10 days.

Very special thanks and Kudos to Chris & Christina who have opened up their home / hotel as the hub for relief aid activities in the area. Chris has been the chief scout and guide for the expedition to date. See : http://www.sumatransurfariis.com/quakeupdatesnew1230.html for details and photos.

Now we are responding to reports of serious nutritional deficiencies, and AAAI is focusing on buying fresh fruit and vegetables for rapid delivery to affected communities on the Sumatra coast and islands. Lee our Project Coordinator, is leaving Padang on the 7th and working together with IDEP’s community programs coordinator Samantha Sinclair who cut her Christmas vacation short and has arrived from Australia to take over his coordinative role on the ground in Padang. Robert Wilson from Rip Curl is arriving in Padang today to assist with coordinating the flow of support and activities as well.

Aid is being delivered as follows : Each family bucket contains essential food, health, sanitation, emergency shelter, and personal care items. These are branded goods which local people are familiar with, and can put to use immediately without any intermediation whatsoever. They were purchased in local shops by our volunteers and supporters in the community, locally, and are therefore labeled in the Indonesian language.

One in every five buckets is a “leader pack,” and its contents include a one-inch chisel, a hatchet/hammer, a shovel, a handsaw, a crowbar, nails, and other supplies.
One in every ten buckets is a “heavy leader pack,” which also includes a two-man saw and a sledge hammer.

The aid vessel is also carrying hundreds of 20 liter jerry cans.

The boat is also carrying two complete kits for drilling wells, and all the equipment need to pump-clear and restore existing wells which are tainted with sea water from the tsunami. These sets of equipment, which include powered and hand pumps, and piping, are are being used in local villages to repair and complete wells. Once the A.A.A.I. volunteers have demonstrated the process to members of stricken communities in this way, they will be able to make hundreds of wells themselves. Standard 350 liter water tanks for storage and treatment have been delivered, along with 50 kilos of chlorine. The team is still short of the certain types of water treatment chemicals, which we were not able to arrange to deliver from Singapore, due to depletion of funds and priority allocations as described above.

MORE NEWS IN BRIEF

Our most immediate priorities at this moment are delivery of urgently needed food, supplies, tools, and knowledge to affected areas of Sumatra, through reliable channels, to reliable people, and supporting the efforts of our volunteers and partner organizations in the field. Therefore, we are no longer able to publish these updates on a daily basis during this critical phase of the disaster relief process.

World Neighbors, an international NGO with a focus on sustainable development, has elected to channel its funding through IDEP for people in need in Sumatra.

AID DELIVERED FROM MEDAN IN COOPERATION WITH THE SUMATRAN ORANGUTAN SOCIETY/ORANGUTAN INFORMATION CENTRE The third convoy of trucks Christine and Ade, Logistics Consultants on the ground in Medan since January 4, report that all aid in government warehouses in Medan is bottlenecked. This highlights the importance of the role of NGOs in delivering aid. In spite of tremendous obstacles, SOS-OIC continues to deliver AAAI aid directly to survivors in Banda Aceh and towns en route. Two convoys of trucks have already arrived in Banda Aceh another AAAI truck is now en route and due to arrive tomorrow. Because of the rapidly changing situation on the ground, SOS-OIC is not currently working in association with the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) as previously reported.

VOLUNTEERS TO SUMATRA TO DATE

Bali AAAI Headquarters is working hard to match a flood of international volunteer applications with stated needs from the field.

On our last update (no7) there was a typographical error in the names of one of the volunteers : Stefan Wodicka - Medic, Padang, should have read Stefan Zawada (apologies).

Christine and Ade our logistics and coordination team has now landed in Medan and has begun assisting with coordination and brought some new energy to the team on the ground, who are truly exhausted. More purchasing of much needed supplies is planned for tomorrow.

Our volunteers coordination desk in Ubud is accepting applications for skilled field volunteers -- doctors, triage specialists, SAR techs, engineers, sanitation experts, and others – for possible postings in the field in Sumatra. Contact volunteer@idepfoundation.org.

COMMUNITY-BASED CRISIS RESPONSE KIT

Following the Bali bombing, USAid funded IDEP to develop a fully integrated community-based crisis response response kit. This includes a workbook covering all stages of disaster management from an Indonesian grassroots perspective such as mitigation, response and short-term recovery.

Draft copies of this book have been sent to Medan and Padang where they have been immediately integrated into AAAI intiatives. In Padang, a program of training of trainers for public sanitation based on the manual is already underway. In Medan, components of the manual are being distributed.

How you can help Aceh Aid at IDEP

Online Donations by Credit Card
(Tax deductible in US, thanks to the cooperation ofTides Foundation)
Click on the donation link at www.idepfoundation.org
Or go directly to www.paypal.com
Special thanks to Keith Pleas in Seattle, Lauren at Tides Foundation Julie Lerman at Data Farm in Vermont, and others for their help with this.

1. Go to www.paypal.com
2. If you do not have a PayPal account set up, click "Sign Up" or "Join Now".
3. Follow all of the instructions for signing up with PayPal (they are rather complicated, so be patient).
4. When you are signed up, you are ready to send money.
5. Click "Send Money".
6. Follow instructions to send money, to acehaid@tides.org
7. Note: When you try to make your first payment, you will see beside the "amount" line, that you need to click there to "Verify Credit Limit" first, before you can make a payment.

Wire Transfers to Indonesian Bank Account:
Account Name : Yayasan IDEP
ACCOUNT NO : 034.001229576.003
Bank : BNI (Bank Negara Indonesia), Cabang Ubud, Bali
Bank Address : Jl. Raya Ubud, Bali - Indonesia
SWIFT Code : BNINIDJA DPS

Donations can also be made at the IDEP Foundation office, Jalan Hanoman No 44b, Ubud, and other locations in Bali.

The information provided here was accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing. Conditions change rapidly.
We will provide as much information as we can, as often as we can.

24 HOUR PRESS ENQUIRY LINE
(IN INDONESIA) 08133 8468073
OUTSIDE OF INDONESIA +62 8123 665 669

Debt Relief Information from Jubilee USA Network

2005-01-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

From Jubilee USA Network. Please see the related actions in the sidebar to promote debt relief. Thanks Jess.

Jubilee USA Network Calls For Debt Cancellation for Tsunami Affected Countries

WASHINGTON, DC -- As the death toll mounts in the countries in Asia affected by the Tsunami and as governments prepared for the International Tsunami Summit in Indonesia on Thursday, Jubilee USA Network joined with debt cancellation campaigns from Asia and around the world to call for immediate and unconditional debt cancellation for countries affected by the Tsunami.

The US debt cancellation advocacy group was encouraged by reports that rich governments were considering a moratorium on debt payments by countries affected by the tsunami, and called on the US government to support an expanded version of the moratorium while cautioning that a moratorium must be followed by actual cancellation of debts.

"A moratorium on all debt payments from tsunami-affected countries is needed immediately. This moratorium must go beyond what has been proposed by the UK and Germany which would only apply to Paris Club debt - it must also include stopping payments to the IMF, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank," said Neil Watkins, Co-Coordinator of Jubilee USA Network. "These countries simply cannot be required to pay debts - many of which are unjust, odious, or illegitimate - while facing a humanitarian disaster of such a magnitude.".

The Indonesia-based debt International NGO Forum on Indonesia Development (INFID) insisted in a statement that Indonesia must receive an immediate moratorium on its debt payment but ultimately it "needs more than a debt moratorium. A debt moratorium would allow Indonesia not to pay its debt for a certain period, but it will have to fulfill its obligation to the
creditors in the future. Thus a debt moratorium is simply the debt burden to the next generation."

Binny Buchori, Director of INFID said today: "Every delay in deciding on Indonesia's debt means more lives lost in Aceh and North Sumatra. The international community must tackle the issue this week".

INFID reports that Indonesia's total external debt is upwards of $130 billion, or more than 60% of that country's GDP, which cripples its ability to finance its emergency and recovery program.

Jubilee USA Network also announced today that it has signed onto a letter initiated by Jubilee South and the Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development which will be released just before the January 6 Tsunami summit in Indonesia. The letter expresses sympathy and solidarity with the peoples of the countries affected by the Tsunami and states, "In addition to
emergency relief operations and rehabilitation, what we need immediately is unconditional debt cancellation now! Governments should not continue to prioritize debt service and stop paying onerous and illegitimate debts."

Jubilee USA also highlighted the need for debt cancellation for global South countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, including dozens not affected by the tsunami. Jubilee USA renewed its call for G-7 Finance Ministers and the IMF and World Bank to support full, 100% multilateral debt cancellation for all impoverished nations, without harmful conditions, at the next
meeting of Finance Ministers scheduled for February 4-5 in London.

Figure 1. Debt Data for Tsunami-Affected Countries

COUNTRIES BADLY HIT BY TSUNAMI
1st number = MULTILATERAL CLAIMS (DEBTS) AS OF END OF 1ST QUARTER 2004
2nd number = BILATERAL CLAIMS (DEBTS) AS 0F END OF 4th QUARTER 2003

Figures do not include private/other types of debt.

in Millions US $

INDIA
29,226.46
17,147.29

INDONESIA
28,948.71
32,443.82

SRI LANKA
4,360.18
4,095.31

THAILAND
2,743.01
8,660.08

MALAYSIA
1,065.21
2,535.35

BURMA
1,087.47
3,534.50

SOMALIA
696.50
516.06

MALDIVES
106.19
6.62

PHILIPPINES
7,924.94
12,283.65

TOTAL
76,158.67
81,222.68

Data from Joint OECD-IMF-WB External Debt Statistics.

Neil Watkins
Interim Co-Coordinator
Jubilee USA Network
(202) 783-0129
http://www.jubileeusa.org

Write a Letter To Support Debt Relief for Indonesia!

2005-01-06T09:33:00.000-08:00

From Jess. Please see this related action alert also:

Action Alert!

Urgent Action, INFID:

Indonesia Needs Debt Relief after Tsunami Devastation

Please take action and circulate widely TODAY

Summary:

Following the earthquake and tsunami in Aceh, North Sumatra and Nias, INFID calls on the international community to mobilise global solidarity and pressure rich countries to grant debt relief to the countries destroyed by the catastrophe as a form of global solidarity for poverty eradication. There are already positive indications that some countries are considering such measures, but further backing and official confirmations of the details of the proposals are needed.

Supporters of this appeal should contact decision-makers in their countries by Thursday 6th January (the day of a donor conference on Indonesian reconstruction) demanding:

1) A moratorium on Indonesia's debt repayments for the next 15 months
2) An international conference to deal comprehensively with Indonesia's debt problems

Specimen letter text appears below.

BACKGROUND

Destruction in Aceh, North Sumatra and Nias. The horrifying earthquake and tsunami have crushed major parts of Aceh, North Sumatra and Nias. The death toll of this catastrophe has reached 96,000 (including 270 students, 600 policemen, 1000 soldiers, 20,000 children) and thousands of others who were killed by the huge wave. Around 500,000 people were forced to leave their homes and villages because they have nothing left. Almost all public facilities are not functioning. Schools, hospitals, the electricity network, telecommunication facilities, roads, and government buildings cannot be used anymore. The huge wave has also ruined thousands of homes.

The reconstruction needs are enormous and pressing. Preliminary official estimates for the reconstruction of basic infrastructure in Aceh and North Sumatra are Rp. 10 trillion (US$ 1 billion), however this figure is undoubtedly too small because it considers only physical infrastructure not social reconstruction needs. The Government of Indonesia will not be able to self-finance this and is reliant on aid and debt relief from the international community. Indonesia has very tight budget and social spending is in any case too low owing to debt repayments even when there is no emergency. In 2004, the government agreed to make full payment of its principal and interest of Indonesia's external debt, amounting to Rp. 68.8 trillion (US$ 6.8 billion). For 2005, Indonesia has allocated Rp. 71.98 trillion (US$ 7.1 billion) to pay the principle and interest on external sovereign debt. This represents a quarter of Indonesia's domestic revenue. Indonesia will reimburse over US$ 7 billion every year from now until 2009, according to the Indonesian Central Bank.

Indonesia's debt payments for 2004 are 10 times more than spending on health and 32.7 times more than spending on housing.

PROPOSALS

In this context, Indonesia clearly needs significant debt reduction if it is to meet its constitutional obligations to meet the essential human needs of its peoples. Resources released through a debt write-down would help to kick-start the social and economic rehabilitation and reconstruction of the devastated regions. This translates into improved infrastructure, more employment opportunities and poverty reduction.

Governments of developed nations have a moral obligation to assist those whose lives have been turned upside down by this horrific disaster, and many governments have indeed pledged their help and support, which we warmly welcome. As well as new aid pledges several proposals have emerged from Germany, UK, Italy, France and Canada for a temporary halt to debt repayments by some of the countries devastated by the disaster, including Indonesia. These proposals will be discussed at the 'Tsunami Summit' to be held in Indonesia on 6 January and at the next meeting of the 'Paris Club' in France on 12 January.

There is a precedent for such actions by creditor nations. In the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, Honduras received significant debt relief including a Paris Club moratorium on bilateral debt service payments between November 1998 and December 2001.

INFID would like to stress however that while it welcomes the indication from some of Indonesia's principal creditor countries that they support proposals for a debt payment moratorium that these initiatives are insufficient. Indonesia's external debt burden will remain a serious drain on government resources this year and for many years to come.

INFID therefore proposes the following:

1. While we recognise that the Paris Club is deeply flawed, the overwhelming human need in Indonesia and other affected countries makes it an imperative for the club to grant an immediate and unconditional moratorium on the region's debt over the coming fifteen months;2. That during this time, an international conference on Indonesia's debt be convened with the objective of finding a lasting, just and comprehensive solution to Indonesia's debt burden. The guiding principle of this conference should be achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Assessments of debt sustainability should include calculations of Indonesia's financial needs to achieve the MDGs taking into account the prevailing conditions after the tsunami disaster.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Support INFID's proposals, by:

· Writing letters to the Head of States and the Ministers of Finance of rich countries, members of the Paris Club;· Writing letters to the President of the World Bank, Managing Director of IMF, President of the Asian Development Bank and the General Secretary of Paris Club.

Jakarta, January 5th, 2005
Ivan Hadar, Executive Secretary

Specimen letter text appears below. Please adapt, translate and send as soon as possible. Plus keep us informed of your actions and their outcome!

Wednesday 5th January

Dear [insert name of decision-maker here],

I am writing to urge you to take further action to support the hundreds of thousands of people affected in Indonesia and other countries by the devastating tsunami. I am concerned that the governments in the affected countries will not be able to take sufficient action to provide for the short-term welfare or long-term needs of affected people because of their budgetary situations. As well as new emergency aid I believe it is vital that a moratorium on debt repayments be instituted rapidly so that governments can spend money.

Indonesia last year spent one quarter of the government's domestic revenue on debt payments. This is clearly intolerable, especially in such circumstances, and we urge you to support a 15 month moratorium on Indonesia's debts and the convening of an international conference during this time to find a comprehensive solution to the debt problems of this and other affected countries. I look forward to your response setting out your government's detailed position on this very important issue.

Yours sincerely,

[Insert your name and address]