© 2007 Catholic Relief Services
Read stories of hope made possible by faith, determination and compassion.
Life is gradually returning to normal for the people living in tsunami-affected areas.
Reports on program plans and spending to help families and communities rebuild.
Around the world, CRS works closely with our partners on the ground — local humanitarian and relief organizations that have been providing assistance to those in need for decades. It is because of these well-established networks of partners that CRS was able to begin a massive relief and recovery operation within hours of the tsunami. It is also because of our partners that we are now able to mount a more than $191 million long-term reconstruction effort in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India.
Meet some of these partners from Sri Lanka and India with whom CRS has been working for more than 50 years. Together, we are building homes for those who have lost everything to the tsunami, improving the ability of families to earn a decent income, helping people restart their small businesses and trades, and rebuilding roads, bridges and other major infrastructure.
Before the tsunami crashed onto Sri Lanka's southern and eastern shores, the Galle Diocesan Center for Social and Economic Development (SED-Galle) had eight staff members, including Father Herman as director. On December 26, some 4,000 people took to Galle's highest elevation — the Catholic cathedral — to escape the water. Since those initial weeks, SED-Galle has grown to more than 80 people who work with CRS technical staff to help rebuild the lives of survivors and those affected by the tsunami.
Father Damien joined the Galle Diocesan Center for Social and Economic Development (SED-Galle) as assistant director soon after the tsunami relief and recovery efforts went into full swing in Sri Lanka. With a long view to reconstruction, Father Damien and SED-Galle began working in earnest to rebuild schools and provide children a respite from the horrors of the tsunami. Recognizing the organization's need for continued support, Father Damien acknowledges that it is a worldwide effort that has made their work of rebuilding a possibility.
Bishop Perera of Galle Diocese reflects on how much was accomplished in the early days of the tsunami emergency, when people in Sri Lanka gave little thought to race, religion or ethnicity as they helped those who lost their loved ones, homes and belongings. The instinct to help overrode whatever tensions existed from the more than 20-year conflict between the majority Singhalese-Buddhist government and minority Tamil-Muslim forces. Bishop Perera offers his thoughts on what can be accomplished when people see only one human family and his hopes for a lasting peace in Sri Lanka.
The tsunami was indiscriminate with its destructive force, bringing down both the strong and the frail. In its wake, it left particularly vulnerable the weakest in society — children with disabilities. Father Joseph, director of the Indian Catholic Church's Southern Area Multipurpose Social Service Society, is working to ensure that the children are not forgotten in the reconstruction efforts in India.
Many of the hardest hit communities were the fishing villages along the shores of India. Father R. Ratchagar, executive director of the Pondicherry Multipurpose Social Service Society, knows these independent fishing families must build a common community if they are to bring about a full recovery from the tsunami. With Father Ratchagar, CRS is helping to strengthen these communities, providing more opportunities for women and improving the ability of youth to stay in school.