3 January 2005
Sarvodaya plays an important role in peacemaking, community building, and securing a quality of life in Sri Lanka, and has a 45 year track record in reaching out and helping the poorest of the poor. Sarvodaya has mounted a well organised, countrywide relief effort using their countrywide network of 34 district offices and over 2000 volunteers who work in all parts of the country, well above ethnic and other divisions. Sarvodaya has pledged to take in and provide for all children aged 11 and below who have been orphaned by the Tsunami disaster, and will also care for all women and girls below the age of 19. The Tsunami has left shockwaves of fear, anxiety, stress and confusion in the hearts and minds of the survivors, and Sarvodaya is also mobilising a group of counsellors to support them in their pain and suffering. Sarvodaya, like KKĠ, is a member of IFAT (International Federation for Alternative Trade) and products from Sarvodaya are found at l-Arka in Valletta. Any one wishing to donate to Sarvodaya can send a cheque addressed to KKG at l-Arka, 306, Triq San Pawl, Valletta or addressed to Kopin at c/o 2, Juniper Lane, Birkirkara BKR 04. Further information may be obtained by writing to l-arka@maltaforum.org or phoning 2149 1373. For more information about Sarvodaya visit their website at http://www.sarvodaya.org/.
SOS MALTE ASIA EMERGENCY FUN
5 January 2005
You may wish to send a donation via a blank SMS on the following numbers: Lm 1 50617364 You may also send your cheques to SOS Malta at Dar L-Emigrant, Castille Place, Valletta or at the following banks:
Thanking you in advance for your generous solidarity. Sincerely, Lilian Miceli-Farrugia "The suffering of our peoples in Asia continues unabated" Message from IFAT Executive Committee 4 January, 2005 To all our partners in IFAT,
Our Asia Fair Trade Forum country representatives from Indonesia, Thailand and India have informed us that, although the casualties and damage in their respective countries are staggering, our IFAT members, their families and producers have been largely spared. An exception is Teddy Exports in South India. Ganesan, the Finance Manager, was on a Pilgrimage at Velankkani on the east coast of Tamil Nadu when the tsunami struck; his body was found early in the morning of 27 December. Sri Lanka is another story. Siyath Foundation found its field offices completely destroyed; two large orders ready to be shipped, suddenly lost in the floods; at least 12 bodies found in one of their collection centers. Other Sri Lanka members have not been able to ascertain who and how many of their producers have been displaced to date. The Sri Lanka Fair Trade Forum is embarking on a collective relief and rehabilitation program, primarily for its fair trade members and their producers, and secondarily, for other displaced communities. Relief activities involve provision of food, clothing, cooking utensils, etc. Rehabilitation efforts will focus on building of basic shelters. On their behalf, I appeal for your assistance. Donations in cash or kind may be sent to a central address below. Cash Donations Account Name: People's Organisation for Development Import & Export Bank: Hatton National Bank Ltd., Rajapaksa Broadway, Negombo, Sri Lanka Account No: 02-1113902-2 SWIFT Code: H.B.LILKLX H.N.B. (Negombo Branch) Donors are requested to advise Mr. Tyrell Fernando the follwing details: Name of Donor Amount Remitting Bank and Date Remitted Email address: tyrell@sltnet.lk Donations in Kind (canned food, light clothing, medicines, basic home utensils, etc.) Attention: Mr. Tyrell Fernando Official receipts will be sent to donors by post. An Activity and Financial Report will be submitted by the Sri Lanka Fair Trade Forum to all donors. Our members in Fair Trade Forum-India have evaluated the possibility of a collective relief program for affected communities in South India and their appeal appears below this message. To all those who have already extended their help, thank you very much. In solidarity, APPEAL FROM FAIR TRADE FORUM - INDIA Dear Friends, The National Secretariat of FTF-I has been raising a Relief Fund with voluntary contributions from member and fraternal organizations as part of its initiative to extend support to the Tsunami affected in the Southern states of India. We have so far assessed the impacts of the disaster through our member organizations in the affected areas and tried to identify the priority areas for the support to be extended. We invite our member organizations, fraternal organizations as well as individuals to contribute generously and extend support to the affected persons. Monetary support is necessary to help the most affected without delay. To contribute to this noble cause, you can send cheques/ DDs in favour of 'Fair Trade Forum - India' payable at New Delhi at the following Fair Trade Forum - India Ph: 011-55264630, 011-26918040 Looking forward to your valuable advice and support. Yours truly, Shyam S. Sharma, Ph.D. "they have no homes, no clothes, they have lost everything they had saved and invested" 29 December, 2004 GOSPEL HOUSE HANDICRAFTS LTD329, KURUNEGALA ROAD MADAMPE NWP SRI LANKA TEL (+94) (0) 32 2247575, (+94) (0) 32 2247712 FAX (+94) (0) 32 2247646
Dear Friends,
Thanks for all of you who have initiated programmes in your country to collect money and material for Sri Lanka. Thanks for all of you who have sent us funds for our relief efforts. The magnitude of this disaster is beyond imagination for us. Both young and old and every Sri Lankan is grieved at this time and all of them are helping in their own little ways for the victims. Yesterday I did another trip a little south of Colombo and the devastation has pushed our country 10 years behind. I found a mother holding a school bag of her son who was 6 years and yelling wanting her son back. The son was washed with the wave and she never found him. TV channels are flashing pictures of kids who can early remember their parents names found at different places. Scores of stories of total families killed/lost. A beloved friend of mine since we were 6 years called me last night that he went on a search for his sister and her family. After a frantic search he found their car and the bodies of his sister hugging the two teenaged daughters stuck in the car. His BIL is not be found. The three bodies were buried at that spot as they were badly decomposed.
I visited Vincent (from Egoda Uyana), a producer of Gospel House who had fled when the river by the side of his home over flew in to his home but he moved to safety. He is back and did not suffer any injuries. Soon after seeing him I had to drive down the road bordering the Indian Ocean there were many make shift funeral houses and even two days later 3 bodies floating in the sea. It was bizarre as there was a funeral of seven- all members of the same family. The official death count by the government is around 18000. But there are bodies still floating in the sea and no one wants to handle them as they are badly decomposed and cannot be identified. So many are still lost and the Media is announcing names of people who are lost. Most of the dead are children and women both young and old.
On 30th by 3am the GH and the "Agape Medical Mission" teams will be leaving for Tangalle (the Southern coast of Sri Lanka) carrying food and medical supplies. This will be the phase 1 of our programme and early next week we will be leaving with a stock of other essential items. I know this will be even less than a drop in the ocean but we will do what we can. The need of the hour is for Food, Water, Clothing ( specially undergarments for both men and women), Clothing for children and infants, Mats, Pillows, Mosquito nets, feeding bottles and medicines,. Within the next few weeks the persons displaced will need kitchen utensils and other basics before they move back to their own shelter. We will keep you updated daily but if you do not hear from us on the 30th it is just that we all will be in Tangalle. We will make sure that we take pictures of the relief work carried out and sent to you or placed on a website. Please pray for us. Gospel House Team. PS. We attach our previous emails below. GOSPEL HOUSE HANDICRAFTS LTD329, KURUNEGALA ROAD MADAMPE NWP SRI LANKA TELEPHONE :- (+94) (0) 32 2247575, (+94) (0) 32 2247712 FAX :- (+94) (0) 32 2247646
Dear friends, Email of 28th December It is the morning of 28th Dec. We are very thankful for all your mails, calls & the support. We have made contact with the Producers in Moratuwa and they are safe. The deaths have gone up to 13500 this morning. Still the missing is not accounted for yet. The Water, sugar, milk powder packs, biscuits been delivered to the office of GHH packing room. Tonight few of the production staff of GH will commence packing. We have some friends from Holland, UK & the US that will be sending clothes. Cooking utensils are much needed too. It is nice to see how the GH Production staff is working taking much responsibility in organising. This is a good experience too. We see much team work. Many of you have requested the bank details to send financal help. The bank accounts are as following. Please use the account relevant to the currency that you will send For US $ - Transfers A/c NO - DFCA/WEL/USD - 01 Bank of Ceylon Colombo 6 - SRI LANKA For Pound Starlings, A/c - DFCA/WEL/STG-04 Bank of Ceylon Colombo - 6 Sri Lanka For EURO Transfers A/c NO - 0087 55 3000002 5 Bank of Ceylon NRFC Dept. PO BOX 1234 Colombo 1 Sri Lanka. Please let us know when you transfer and please mention purpose of transfer as "Flood Relief" Thanks very Shiran Karunaratne
---- Original Message ----- From: Gospel House- Woodbrix Toys To: Gospel House - Woodbrix Toy Sent: Monday, December 27, 2004 7:24 PM Subject: Fw: Relief - Gospel House - 2
Dear Friends, Some of you may be receiving a mail from us for the first time or this may be the second. In any case, we attached our first mail below. At the moment, all Producers of Gospel House are OK. We still cannot contact one of our producers south of Colombo - Moratuwa. This is a family group and is the producer for the turning items (Products as Skittles). Their small production centre was by the Moratuwa River. Modestus has tried to go this evening to that area and seems very very difficult to get to the place. He will go to that area again tomorrow. Gospel House was to have their annul family get-to-gather party on the 2nd January. All producers felt that they should cancel this big party and contribute to the Relief of the south. This is where all started. In fact today been a holiday at Gospel House, the office is working in arranging the relief. Modestus did visit some of the areas that were badly affected by the tidal waves just South of Colombo and most of them being fisherfolk have lost their belongings and abandoned their houses and moved to refugee camps. He with a few volunteers from his church did asses the damage. As we have said in our last mail the Destruction is too much for our country and we at Gospel House will be doing in our small way to assist some of the people who are suffering. As you may know by now the official death toll is now increased beyond 8000 and still people are unaccounted. As this was a holiday season so many were travelling to the south and there are reports of families being washed away in the flash Tidal waves. Right now the affected people do need food, water, clothes and medicines. In a few days they will need shelter and cooking utensils. To meet the immediate need We just manage to organise the first load of relief to the effected areas. The GH team with two trucks with food & 1200 cans of Drinking water, will leave on the 29th early hours. We will be taking a qualified medical team from AGAPE MEDICAL MISSION a small medical relief organitation but with much exprience in conducting free medical clinics in Sri Lanka with medical supplies too. GH has set aside US $ 2000 from our finances for this for the start. If any of you would like to partner with us you are welcome to do so in this effort. We see the immediate need is also for clothes. The people who fled for safety had to go away only with what they were dressed at that time. So if you know any friends or any organitations that are willing to send clothes ( used) etc... please let us know. We have spoken to the Director General of Customs in Sri Lanka and he has personally assured us that all material aid consigned to Gospel House will be allowed free of duties, taxes and other levies. It is very important that we receive only used clothes (washed and dried) as at this time all relief coming into Sri Lanka is screened by Health Authorities. Also please keep in mind that Warm wear will be of NO/ LITTLE USE at this stage.
You can use the following address for any delievery. Gospel House Handicrafts, 329, Kurunagala Road, Madampe, - 61230 SRI LANKA. Thank you for all your concern and love. Sincerely, Shiran
Email of 27th December
Dear Friends
It is 1.25 am on the 27th December here in Sri Lanka and many in this Island are still awake following the latest situation here. As the International media has reported Sri Lanka has never been ready for such a Natural Disaster and spread through most of the Country. You may be receiving many emails today from other Countries in the region.
Both Shiran and me have received so many telephone calls and SMS and emails enquiring of the situation here. Thanks for your concern.
I just don't know what to write to you the disaster is so enormous and our Country cannot bear it. The death toll is rising by the minute.Soon after the morning flash tidal waves only 150 deaths were reported but now after 12 hours the death toll is over 4300. Over 200000 homes have been destroyed. This is the worst disaster in living memory.
I saw the disaster with my own eyes as I went personally to the Wester coast (Colombo) beach and saw the carnage. Pictures on TV show loved ones hugging the bodies of their beloved and our whole country is mourning at this time. There are reports of entire trains loaded with passengers and hundreds of busses been washed off to the sea. Some victims have been tourist who went to sea to enjoy the beautiful weather early this morning. Some entire villages have been washed away without any survivors.
Gospel House will be moving into the effected areas carrying relief (food, drinking water, dry food) as soon as we can consolidate a stock of such items and group our selves.
In a few hours I will be going to a few places that are badly effected( Providing I have permission to get in to such areas) to see how best we could help them.
Please pray for our country at this time.
Regds
Modestus
|
|||||||||
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
|
   
| 
| Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust 306, il-Ħanut l-Arka, Triq San Pawl, il-Belt Valletta, Malta VLT 1213 | Tel: +356 2124 4865 Fax: +356 2131 5562 info@l-arka.org |