Set up to assist the victims of the 2004 tsunami the ‘Disaster Management Committee’ of the Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association (SLGGA) has gone beyond their cause for the past 6 years.
“It was initially called the ‘Tsunami Relief Task Force’ and was set up to provide immediate assistance to the victims of the tsunami”, says Kumudini Amaratunga, treasurer of the committee. Since it was established on Jan 7, 2005, the committee has been involved in providing relief for flood victims and IDPs among others in need. Its name losing relevance in view of the work undertaken by the committee it was aptly changed to ‘Disaster Management Committee’.
Some of the major projects embarked on by the committee include The Nana Piyasa Library Project, The Tsunami Education Support System, The Child Development Centre, The Income Generation Project and Nethraloka.
Helping the less recognised schools that were destroyed or damaged by the tsunami and were overlooked by large scale rehabilitation efforts, the ‘Nana Piyasa Library Project’ was set up by the committee. ‘Nana Piyasa’ which translates into ‘House of Knowledge’, is fittingly named as each library constructed by the committee has been renovated and repainted, refurbished with furniture, supplied with electricity, provided with computers and well stocked with books, charts and other reference and learning materials.
Over the past three years, the committee has continued to oversee the repairing, maintenance, upgrading of computers and procurement of necessary books and materials, of the libraries. To date 13 libraries have been constructed in primary and secondary schools, while a further 3 libraries built in Jaffna will be completed by the end of the year. The construction of an additional 3 libraries in Puttalam will commence early next year. The Disaster Management Committee would have then provided schools from the north- starting from Killinochchi, along the east, south and west coast- ending at Puttalam.
The Tsunami Education Support System (TESS) was set up to provide financial support to the youth affect by tsunami. The committee has helped these children emerge from the trauma and flourish in school, securing them a better future by providing them with academic and vocational training.. Nadisha Lakmali who was orphaned at the age of 15, by the tsunami is now pursing an external BA degree at the Ruhuna University, thanks to the committee’s constant support. Nalinga Dinesh would spend days simply wandering around months after the tsunami robbed him of his parents, disoriented and distressed, the disaster management team gave him special care and provided him with counselling and training. “He’s now a strapping young man, we have to look up to talk to him”, smiles Kumudini, “he’s doing quite well having completed a course in Fishing Technology at the College of Fisheries and Nautical Engineering. He’s now qualified and is a deep sea fisherman”. Nadisha and Nalinga, are among 35 beneficiaries of TESS.
Concentrating on Tangalle, 2 Child Development Centres were organised in the area. “We were told that the students lacked resources, so the centres were organised to provide them with books, pens and such materials to help them study”, recalls Kumudini. “Later we found out that they need after school classes, so we arranged for that and gradually it developed into something much bigger, with us even introducing computers to the centres and scholarship programmes”. Roughly 500 students have been able to prosper academically thanks to the efforts of the committee.
Women, as well as children, being a concern of the SLGGA, the Income Generation Project were established to help the women folk of villages affect by the tsunami. Majority being these women being widows of fishermen, they were solely dependent on their husbands. Helping them become financially independent, the Disaster Management Committee saw to it that the women received training and well as the resources, in generating their own income. They were trained in painting, dress making, upholstery, patchwork, embroidery, beauty culture and bridal dressing.
With IDPs becoming a growing concern last year, the Disaster Management Committee was contacted by the Peace Secretariat for assistance. SLGGA was the only NGO allowed access to the Pompeimadu Camp to provide health and hygiene packages to the LTTE surrendees living there. “They wanted us to start an orphanage there, but that was more than what we could afford”, says Kumudini. After much discussion, she says the committee discovered that eye trauma was rampant in the area and launched the ‘Nethraloka’ project by December 2009. An ongoing project the committee’s target is to have 1000 patients in need of cataract surgery treated by the end of 2011.
Apart from the major projects, the Disaster Management Committee has organised flood relief projects, awareness programmes of HIV/AIDS and reproductive health and more. Aruni and Kumudi, wholly agree that the projects they have undertaken were successful due to their dedicated team of volunteers, especially Chathurika Hettiarachchi- project officer, and Maomi Gunaratne- assistant project officer. Chathurika and Maomi, have worked tirelessly and through the most difficult situations, unyielding, to ensure the people in need received all the help SLGGA could give them.
The efforts of the Disaster Management Committee have stretched far and wide, helping those who would not have been able to help themselves. Working closely with the government the committee will continue to do the best they can to improve the lives of Sri Lankans in need.
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