It is now 7 months since the Tsunami struck. So many things have happened around us that everything still seems somewhat unreal. Seven months is a good time – not too long, not too short. It is time to look back and reflect on what has happened, to analyze our success and failures, to plan for the future and to re-energize ourselves.
Most of the short and medium term efforts have come to an end. The focus is now entirely on the rehabilitation and long term community re-building efforts – though here and there we still have to revert to basic relief programs.
Most of the affected people have shown a great amount of courage in facing the losses they had to suffer. There is a strong sense of recovery and of moving forward which is inspiring to see. The earlier fear of the sea has been largely overcome and people have started going back to fish and to live and sleep in their homes near the coast. Children have gone back to schools and are playing near the sea again. People have been demanding rehabilitation as a right, not as charity. This has helped them retain their dignity even as they get outside help to resume their normal lives.
People’s response to this disaster has left us with feelings of hope and strength. We had expected most people who rushed to help to be with us only for a short time. While many people did leave after the initial phase, there were surprisingly quite a few who stayed and continued helping. We take this opportunity to thank all the people who helped – who gave their time and money generously.
The Tsunami completely transformed many of our volunteers and full timers. Lokesh suddenly realized that he could communicate and coordinate with a large number of English speaking volunteers! Samu who was always seen as a health resource person, was suddenly setting up a relief office, coordinating volunteers, organizing boat repairs, and handling constructions. Smitha, a software professional, had been volunteering for more than a year, unable to decide whether she wanted to get fulltime into AID work. Working days and nights on the Tsunami relief finally convinced her that this is what she wants to do fulltime! We never realized till the Tsunami that Vibha and Prabha had such amazing contacts and the ability to coordinate such a wide variety of things with so many different people. Almost all the fulltimers and volunteers demonstrated new talents and skills – it was this sudden blooming of talent that helped us scale up operations and add so many new dimensions to our work quickly.
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"People’s response to this disaster has left us with feelings of hope and strength. We had expected most people who rushed to help to be with us only for a short time. While many people did leave after the initial phase, there were surprisingly quite a few who stayed and continued helping. We take this opportunity to thank all the people who helped – who gave their time and money generously."