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Sri Lanka - Aftermath of the Tsunami
The Diocesan Relief and Rehabilitation Desk of the Diocese of Colombo is implementing a programme in which inter faith volunteer youth groups travel to areas affected by the tsunami, and work with those from the area to clean up houses, schools and public places.
As the immediate relief work was being done by different agencies using heavy machinery, we saw the need to send small groups to different areas to initiate cleaning work as the people were in a state of shock. The clean-up teams organised by the Diocese were of 12 to 16 youths. One of the conditions was that no cameras were to be taken as we had to be very sensitive to the image the teams will project. The young people generally started with a moment of silence, as they were inter faith groups. They took with them some basic tools, and when they started the work, local people sometimes joined them with their tools.
Report of one Inter Faith group.
As soon as we settled in, we decided to get down to work without wasting a moment. A house had been organised for us to clean at Rumassala. The team was extremely efficient and through teamwork we cleaned up the entire dwelling in no more than two hours. Soon afterwards we headed back for lunch, which was followed by a half hour respite.
We then went to another site not far from where we were based. No walls remained to identify this house. Its only visual reference was its foundation, which served like a grim reminder that this slab of concrete had once been the floor of a home. One helper found a picture of a seven-year-old boy in the rubble. The picture had survived its innocent master. Despite the swelling feelings of despair, the team cleared away as duty expected them to do so.
The next day we awoke refreshed in mind, yet our bodies were still recovering from the exertions of the previous day. We had thought that the cleaning of the school was a task more suited for Hercules and not us, yet the team rose to the challenge of two whole buildings, which included six classrooms and an office. We completed in four hours what would have seemed like a two-day project. Teamwork was epitomised. Like our country, we came from different walks of life, different cultures and different faiths, but we were one team working as one.
The next day was to be our last day in Galle. This saddened us as we wished we could have stayed longer to help more. This experience was rewarding not only for the cause that it was done for but also for what it taught us about working together in troubled times. The 16 people who set out on this expedition became a very close-knit unit and we made the most of it with no mishaps. We did our best to give something to those who had lost everything. It was the least we could do.
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