Update: September 2005

It is with a great sense of satisfaction that we are now able to report that 100% of the funds that
you provided us with earlier this year have now been committed and that 4 of the 5 projects we invested in have now been completed. We estimate that once this last initiative is completed, your generous donations will have directly provided either homes or livelihood to over 1,000 survivors of the tsunami. We remain intensely indebted to all of you for this support and on behalf of these people we offer you our deepest thanks. We are also profoundly grateful to all those volunteers in Sri Lanka, both nationals and foreigners who have helped us make this happen.

We plan to provide you with one more update after the end of this year that will detail how your final funds have been invested in the entrepreneurial aid programme. At this point we will end our involvement in Tsunami Relief work, but we will remain involved in direct development work in Sri Lanka in other ways. More details will follow.

The reconstruction of Sarvodayapuram has created 113 new houses, a community centre and a playground for over 700 people, replacing a single village on the East Coast that had been totally destroyed. Amenti Relief funded 50 of these new houses, all of which have now been completed ontime and on-budget through the dedication and perseverance of our friends at LankaRealAid(see ulpotha.com) who managed the projects and the hard work of the villagers themselves.

The villagers provided extensive input into the designs of the houses (one of which is pictured above and below) and as much skilled and unskilled labour as they were able to offer. Three different designs were offered to families of different sizes, but all construction detailing was kept identical to minimise construction complications and costs. All houses are flexibly designed for future extensions and are constructed from local bricks and timber finished with a mixture of plaster and mud on the walls and cadjun grass roofs.

The second most satisfying aspects of the work at Sarvodayapuram has been the flow of other aid agencies who have visited the site as word as spread of what has been achieved here with limited resources but enormous enthusiasm and commitment. By far the most satisfying, however, has been witnessing the delight and gratitude of the tsunami survivors as they take occupation of their new homes. Once again, I thank you on their behalf.


Our chosen focus for the remainder of your funds has been energising the local economies and getting people back to work. The most glaring deficiency in this regard is skilled labourers, trades-people and small businesses who are still unable to operate due to the lack of essential
equipment or tools that were lost or damaged in the tsunami. Our objective is to provide such people with this equipment so that they are once again able to work, to become self-sufficient rather than dependant and to contribute to the revitalisation of their communities.


We have focused on the town of Mirissa, just two kilometres from the point on the beach where we were standing when the tsunami hit. Mirissa is an ocean-front community of around 4,000 people whose major industries were fishing and tourism, both of which were particularly badly effected by the tsunami. We have been working there in partnership with a small aid organisation, Mirissa For Life, set up by a French woman who was in Mirissa during the tsunami and which now has around 30 foreign and local volunteers on the ground assisting in a variety of local regeneration efforts.

Our entrepreneurial aid programme began by posting announcements all over town providing information on the initiative and inviting all those who believed they had lost essential business equipment to apply to us for its replacement. Meetings were also held at local community centres and temples in order to ensure that word of the initiative was spread.

In all, we received almost 200 applications from mechanics, fishermen, carpenters, hotel owners, shop owners, tailors, cooks, confectionery manufacturers, hairdressers, internet café owners, divers, drivers, brickmakers, electricians, lace weavers, masons, fish dryers,
spice grinders and carpet makers. Each applicant was individuality invited to an interview in order to verify the extent and the validity of their claims as well as the expected benefits from the replacement of their equipment. Once the claims and benefits were verified, the equipment required to return to work is purchased. Typical of the beneficiaries is Mr Piyasiri, pictured right, who lost his chainsaw to the tsunami, but is now back to work with his team of labourers employed in the clearing of land for new construction. The cost of returning each entrepreneur to work averages around $200.

In addition to entrepreneurs and small businesses that have been closed since the tsunami, we are also keen to identify and support new businesses focused on regenerating the economies of local communities. One such example is Suba Ude, a cooperative of 38 tsunami-effected seamstresses, producing the “monk bag”, based on a traditional design for Sri Lankan
monks, but redesigned and manufactured for the tourist and export markets.

Update: March 2005

Once again, thank you to everyone who has contributed to Amenti Relief and our efforts to rebuild Sri Lanka. Since our last update, the total amount we have received has risen considerably and we have continued to work hard to deploy this money as effectively as possible.

Our first two initiatives are now completed. The third and fourth, which were identified but not yet commenced last time around are now well underway and we have embarked on a new fifth initiative.

As well as these details, this report contains a brief but personal overview of the current situation in Sri Lanka in response to questions from a number of you.

What it’s really like in Sri Lanka ?
31,000 people are now estimated to have died in Sri Lanka on December 26th. 220,000 homes were destroyed and 890,000 people became homeless. The total cost of reconstruction has been estimated at $5-6bn and the Sri Lankan Government has eagerly accepted a moratorium on its national debt repayments as it struggles with the cost of rebuilding the nation… but what is it really like on the ground?

There is plenty of good news. On the whole people have been adequately clothed and fed, and temporary tents have been widely distributed. There have not been any serious health problems.

Morale amongst the survivors is generally high, though fear of another tsunami still looms large. The population of the refugee camps has been halved as people are slowly returning to face what is left of their homes and their lives.

Nonetheless there remains an extraordinary amount of work to do. Most survivors are now living in tents or temporary wooden housing and surviving off cash handouts from the Government. Many people are too afraid to return to their land or their livelihoods. While a few reconstruction efforts are underway, these are primarily being undertaken by small aid organisations. There still seems to be a lack of coordination amongst the international aid organisations and as a result large amounts have yet to be invested. The most optimistic estimate is that the completion of the reconstruction effort and a return to normality for survivors will require a minimum of 5 years.

The reconstruction of the Pelena compound has been completed. All the houses that can legally be rebuilt have now been so. All the roofs, windows, doors and floors that were destroyed have been replaced. Each family now also have basic cooking and sleeping requirements. In addition, everyone has received information explaining why the tsunami occurred and what to do in the unlikely event of a recurrence. We hope this information will help people to get over their fear and on with their lives.

The fishermen of the compound are now back to work. In addition to the seven repaired boats, two new boats, fully equipped with nets and engines, have been purchased to ensure that all the the men have jobs. The fishermen have been enthusiastic about the opportunities this type of aid has created for them to regain control of their lives. While others must rely on handouts, this group of 25 men and their dependents now have the power to make things happen for themselves.

2. 3000 pupils back to school
As reported in our last update, this 3,000 pupil school near Galle had been unable to reopen as its toilets were destroyed by the tsunami. The construction of new toilet facilities has now been completed and the pupils have now returned to school.

3. Jobs for 195 fishermen in Arugam bay
Arugam Bay, on the South East coast of Sri Lanka was especially badly hit by the tsunami. We committed to buying two brand new large boats that would each provide jobs for 65 fishermen, but on closer inspection we were able to identify 3 such boats that were severely damaged, but that could be repaired for the same investment as two new boats.

The repair of these boats is now underway, and we have selected 3 owner / operators (Mr Najim (pictured), Mr Thasim and Mr Adambawa) who we believe will be the most proactive at ensuring the boats will be fully utilised to provide as many jobs for other people as possible.

4. Reconstruction commenced at Sarvodayapuram
The scope of the reconstruction of Sarvodayapuram, a muslim village near Arugam Bay, has grown from the 50 families previously identified to 78 families. The cost has also grown from $50,300 to $77,500. We have increased our own commitment to this project from $25,500 to $50,000 and are now working with a large corporation that has committed the balance of these funds. This project is being fully managed by our friends at LankaRealAid who are working, as we do, on a fully volunteer basis. We are extremely grateful to them for the opportunity they have given us to participate in this exciting work.

The reconstruction work has commenced with the construction of toilet facilities for each family, which have now been completed. In addition, two prototype houses are nearing completion. These prototypes are being built to ensure (1) the design fits the needs of local families; (2) the materials used are both locally available and environmentally friendly and (3) any problems in the construction process can be resolved before full construction commences. Full construction should commence within the next 3-4 weeks and should be completed within 9 months.

5. Entrepreneurial aid
Throughout all the work that we have been involved with, we have become convinced that the most effective form of long term aid is aid that gives people an immediate ability to reconstruct their lives for themselves. An event like the tsunami is psychologically very traumatising and survivors are left with a feeling of helplessness against a force much greater than themselves. To turn this helplessness into triumph in the face of adversity has a dual benefit. It gets people back to work, back to life and able to provide for themselves and their families. But it also has a strong psychological impact, enabling people to feel they have been able to overcome great difficulties and succeed despite horrendous conditions.

There are many ways to create this effect. Providing the tools and materials for the fishermen to rebuild their boats in Pelena or employing villagers to re-build their own homes in Sarvodayapuram are just two examples. Another example is restoring the tools of the trade required by an entrepreneur to re-start their business. In many cases with a relatively small investment, these small business owners , their families and their employees can immediately become self sufficient again. This opportunity to make a big impact with a small investment is directly in line with our strategy at Amenti Relief.

Consequently we have decided that our next investment will be focussed on re-establishing these businesses. We have identified an excellent initiative requiring funds that is being managed by Project Galle, another direct, volunteer organisation like Amenti Relief. This initiative involves assessing funding needs on a community by community basis and then funding these needs accordingly. To qualify for aid, each entrepreneur must demonstrate that they had a business before the tsunami, that they lost this business as a result of the tsunami and that they are not receiving aid from any other organisation. In return, each entrepreneur will receive the items they require to enable them to re-start their businesses.

Project Galle have already completed their first pilot, and have successfully invested in 80 entrepreneurs. We have allocated $20,000 to this project but will fund it based on the detailed list of requirements approved by project teams on the ground. We hope to join these teams ourselves in the near future and will keep you fully updated on the progress of these investments. In the meantime, if you would like more information about the Galle Project please feel free to check out their internet site at www.projectgalle2005.com.

Update: February 2005

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to Amenti Relief and our efforts to rebuild Sri Lanka. We had an incredible response and have received 86 donations since our initial email on the 6th of January. Since then we have been moving quickly to deploy these funds on the south and east coasts together with a number of other direct local organisations.

RESULTS TO DATE:

9 homes repaired, reconstructed and/or re-supplied
Before the tsunami, there were 15 homes in the Pelena compound in Weligama:

• 7 were totally destroyed and can not legally be re-built (a new law prohibits rebuilding
  100 metres from the beach)
• 2 were seriously damaged, requiring major reconstruction
• 6 required various repairs, primarily windows, doors and roofs

Following a detailed assessment Amenti Relief made the following investments:

• Clear rubble from the whole site
• Reconstruct the 2 seriously damaged houses
• Purchase materials for construction of a new home for 2 displaced families
• Make various repairs to 6 houses

Purchase mattresses and supplies as needed


Family of 12 re-housed in renovated home
Mr Shantha is a building contractor who agreed to work for free with Amenti Relief managing reconstruction projects. When we discovered that his own house and those of 4 of his 5 siblings had also been destroyed we offered him assistance and are happy to report that we have purchased materials for re-building one house to accommodate his homeless extended family.


31 fishermen back to work supporting 108 dependents
The Sri Lankan government estimates that 25,000 of the nation.s 30,000 boats were seriously damaged or destroyed by the tsunami, leaving 200,000 previously self sufficient people dependent on aid.

Of the 17 fishing boats on the Pelena compound:

• 3 survived
• 9 were seriously damaged but repairable
• 5 were totally destroyed and irreparable

To enable the fishermen to pursue their livelihood once again, we:

• Purchased fiber glass and resin to enable the fishermen to repair their boats
• Cleaned and repaired 9 outboard motor engines

Purchased 9 new sets of nets

With these investments 12 of the 17 boats in the compound are now back at sea and 31 men are once again able to support their families and take responsibility for rebuilding their lives.


New toilet facilities for 3000 pupils at Ahangama school
This school near Galle accommodates 3,000 pupils. The school largely escaped damage, but it has been unable to re-open to students as all its toilet facilities were destroyed. To enable 3,000 children to return to school as soon as possible, we have committed to re-building these toilet facilities within the next 3 weeks.


50 families self sufficient with two brand new large boats
Arugam Bay, on the South East coast of Sri Lanka, was one of the worst affected areas of the country. Working together with a partner relief organisation which is focused in this area, we have agreed to fund the purchase of 2 large fishing boats along with all the necessary engines, nets and other equipment. These boats will provide support for 50 families. Our partners are currently interviewing potential boat captains to ensure the boats are put to efficient use once they arrive. The boats will be constructed locally and should be ready to go to sea within 2 weeks.


The next project: construction of an entire new village in Sarvodayapuram - new homes for 50 displaced families
Work has begun on a large project to reconstruct a 50 family Muslim village near Arugam Bay through a newly formed relief agency called LankaRealAid who have been an incredible asset to the area during these difficult times. The reconstruction will provide 50 houses, half 2-bedroom (400 sq ft) and half 3-bedroom (560 sq ft). Each house will have a kitchen and living room and an outdoor toilet. The village will also be provided with a community centre and two communal wells.

The cost of this project is $77,300. We are currently exploring the possibility of funding half of this project with the second half coming from a large corporation who has expressed an interest in funding a project in the area.

Construction of the toilets has already commenced and we hope that the main buildings will be started in the next 4 weeks. We are extremely excited about the results of this potential partnership between two small direct aid organisations, a large corporation and a number of villagers all working together to make it happen. More news on this will follow in our next update in a month of two.

Amenti Relief would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to our partners in various of the projects above without whom our work could not be completed:

• Mr. Graham Ross Russell, London
• Mr. Susantha Peeris, Sri Lanka
• LankaRealAid (www.lankarealestate.com/lankarealaid.htm)
• Galle Project 2005 (www.galleproject2005.co.uk)
  

Making it Happen

Thanks to the generous donations of so many concerned people around the world, Amenti Relief is pleased to report that re-construction has begun. Alistair has arrived in Sri Lanka to begin deploying the efforts of the first month of fund-raising, focussed on the fisherman's village in Weligama. There we have identified the first nine families that will receive aid and we have completed a list of their requirements. We have also made contact with the local school and Alistair will be able to fulfill their requirements when he arrives. Getting the schools open is an important priority at the moment as it allows the children to return to some aspects of the routine of "normal" life.

The necessary infrastructure is in place. The builder we are working with has kindly agreed to work free of charge despite the fact that his own house and all his possessions were lost in the wave. We have identified several boat suppliers and are heartened by their willingness to negotiate. We have also identified a source of trainee carpenters, plumbers and electricians who are willing to volunteer their services and we hope we will be able to utilise their skills.

Small, volunteer based groups like Amenti have popped up all along the coast and are working frantically to begin the re-building process. We are connecting with these groups, enabling all of us to be fully informed on what is really going on on the ground and progress being made. Though Amenti Relief is not involved in day to day work in the refugee camps we have been amazed at how well this network has been able to share information and expertise and even resources. In one incident recently excess food in one camp in the south was seamlessly transferred to another in the east that was in severe need.

We hope to be able to continue this ethos in the re-building phase. We are seeing in practice the benefits of small, independent units, networked together and the speed with which such organisms can react to needs and impact lives.

Human aid

As the local infrastructure both in Sri Lanka and elsewhere gets organised there has been an outpouring of interest in human to human assistance. People want to make a real difference in helping to rebuild the region and whether it is a designated project or contribution of arms and legs on the ground, making an impact is fast becoming the flavour of the day. Schools are seeking to sponsor schools and communities are seeking communities to adopt. Some networks have contacted us hoping to isolate a specific project - a new boat, new classroom etc. that they can identify and target for their fundraising efforts. At Amenti Relief we are big supporters of this type of aid. It is powerful for a number of reasons:

1. It directly benefits a survivor on the ground in a material, measurable way. Because the costs involved in changing someone's life are relatively small, this is a powerful way of making a massive difference to a human being and their family.

2. It is overhead free meaning that 100% of the donation is deployed in the field. Grassroots efforts of this kind do not involve paid staff. The benefits of the financial donation go directly to where its needed most. The benefits of helping others go directly to the volunteers involved.

3. It allows groups to really participate in the process of helping and enables all of us to feel less helpless in the face of this human tragedy. This humanises the process of aid. It allows us to move beyond the incomprehensible plight of the millions of faceless survivors to the positive practice of truly changing the life of an individual, a family, a classroom or a community.

At Amenti Relief we are big supporters of this development in the way aid is deployed. True, it does not provide solutions to big projects, infrastructure or the massive scale of the aid efforts as a whole. However, the trauma created by surviving the tsunami was vast involving everything from psychological fear and loss of confidence to physical destruction and death. In the midst of this unimaginable human pain, the impact of helping one person get on the road to their new life is massive: one human who is suffering less, one human who can begin to grieve and ultimately to heal.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch should you have questions, concerns or suggestions. Our contact details are further down the blog.

Funds are beginning to roll in

A huge thank you to everyone for their helpful contributions. We have received an outpouring of money, encouragement and good wishes from our immediate network. We are also incredibly grateful to everyone who forwarded our appeal around. People who don't even know us have opened their wallets. This generosity has fuelled our enthusiasm and has enabled us to begin planning the first trip to Sri Lanka. Alistair will be flying out in about a week to connect to our local networks and start building!!

Our initial focus will be on recovering the Pelena compound as quickly as possible and we look forward to keeping you posted on our progress.

Our Email Appeal

Dear Friends

As survivors of the recent devastating tsunami that hit the south Asia region we need your help.

We were on a beautiful beach on the south coast of Sri Lanka with our two children, Finlay and Maya on the morning of the 26th of December, on our way to visit some new friends we had made in the next door compound. As we were walking along the water to their compound we noticed the boats beginning to dance violently before charging up the beach. Behind the boats a large volume of water was rushing towards us. Finlay was separated from us in the chaos. He became trapped by a wall, water on one side and no where else to go. The wave hit him straight on and he was completely engulfed in water.

Alistair who had run into the water to help the fishermen with their boats was the last of us off the beach. He ran into a house that quickly filled with water. Luckily he saw an open window at the end of the house and as the water reached the ceiling he managed to swim out of the window and cling on to a nearby coconut tree moments before the house completely collapsed. Hanging onto Maya, Jac continued running, now in gushing, thigh high water when a man ahead motioned for her to follow him into a nearby house. As they entered the house water engulfed the room, rushing around like the inside of a large washing machine. Water rose to the ceiling. The man took Maya and placed her on a window grate before punching a hole in the ceiling of the hut. Maya was pulled to safety by her hair and Jac followed just as water completely filled the entire room. As the wave receded Jac looked down from the roof to find Finlay holding onto a branch in the debris below. He had dived into the water and swam the length of three houses before grabbing an electrical wire that had become tangled in a small tree. Though he was severely bruised and in shock he was alive.

It took another 24 hours to find a way out and back to Colombo. The next day we rented a van and filled it with supplies. After many hours we made it back to the village where we had been. It was deserted. Families had relocated to the refugee camp fearing the return of the wave. We found a few people vainly attempting to salvage anything they could from their destroyed homes but all that remains is rubble and large pools of filthy water that have immediately become a very serious health concern. The boats, representing the livelihood of almost everyone in the village were damaged beyond repair and sat in a heap at the bottom of the compound where the waves had left them.

The rest of the villagers and their children along with others had gathered in a nearby school. It was not until we arrived there that the real extent of the destruction hit us. 2000 people including over 600 children were huddled in little groups, crammed into the open air classrooms with no where to sit or sleep but the hard concrete floor. Many were deeply traumatised by what they had seen and all were desperate for anything that could be provided. In Sri Lanka alone there are 500 such camps spread across the country and filled with traumatised families that have no where to go. Surviving the tsunami was a terrifying experience, but nothing in comparison with the sight of the devastation the wave has left behind.

Three days later we walked into our beautiful apartment in Paris. But for so many other survivors of this terrifying experience, the prospect of returning to their homes and communities seems bleak indeed. Countries like Sri Lanka are extremely poor. Keeping these people alive is a challenge with which the government has already admitted it cannot cope let alone the challenge of rebuilding homes and livelihoods. In the meantime, the possibility of disease increases daily and the ability of these families to begin recovering from the myriad effects of this terrifying experience decrease exponentially.

There are 5 MILLION survivors currently displaced as a result of the tsunami. To date $2 billion in aid has been pledged by governments around the world – but even this is only enough to feed and care for survivors for 3-6 months without any left over to enable the survivors to re-build their homes and livelihoods. In comparison, the 1000,000 survivors of the Bam earthquake 12 months ago continue to live in temporary housing dependent on an ever-decreasing flow of aid. Clearly we cannot depend on the aid organisations alone to bring these families home.

Our response to this situation has been the establishment of Amenti Relief. We believe the most efficient and most effective way to provide assistance to these devastated communities is to get them out of the refugee camps and immediately back on their own feet so that they can help themselves and, from there, help those around them. These people need new homes so that they can begin to deal with the immense psychological trauma of this disaster. The objective of our efforts is to rebuild communities to the point of self-sufficiency fast, one family at a time, The aid we provide is direct and total.

ALL our work is done without cost to the charity. 100% of your donation will go directly to those who need it most and you will be able to follow the impact that your money combined with our entrepreneurial approach can make on so many lives through our website.

The first recipients of aid from Amenti Relief will be the compound whose families we got to know but each of those families know ten more whose lives have been effectively erased. Each day we learn the names of new survivors who are connected to our network and we put them on our list. We are focusing initially on Sri Lanka, simply because we were there, but we are currently looking for partner organisations with similar goals in other affected regions. We are also looking for government agencies and corporations who might be prepared to match the aid we raise.

Please help us by giving generously and by recommending this email to others who may be able to help.

Donation Details

Donations can be made as follows:

By cheque (sterling, US dollars or euros):
Payable to: Ross Russell Trust (Reg Charity 1022570)
Sent to: Amenti Relief
30 Ladbroke Square
London W11 3NB
UK

By money transfer (any currency)
Account name: Ross Russell Trust (Reg Charity 1022570)
Account number: 10007653
Bank: Royal Bank of Scotland
Branch : Notting Hill Gate
SWIFT code: RBOSGB2L
SORT CODE: 16-00-82
Reference: Amenti Relief

On behalf of the survivors we send you our deepest gratitude for your generosity