English Reformed Church, Amsterdam

St. Andrew's Scots Kirk "Turning point" - Tsunami Status Report No. 7: 12th May, 2006.

"What a difference a day makes". That's what the old song says. The day that made a difference to Sri Lanka and to everyone living here was December 26, 2004. It was a turning point for us all. My wife, Patricia, and I spent that day driving across the island from SW to NE. Colombo was spared the tidal wave. We knew nothing of the tsunami's advent until we arrived that evening at our beach hotel in Nilaveli, north of Trincomalee. What we hoped would serve as our accommodation had been devastated. th We had no choice but to turn around and head back home to Colombo. We had had these turning points before - after Hurricane Gilbert struck Jamaica, where we were living, on 12th September, 1988. As we headed SW once again, we knew what lay in store - many long months of recovery. It had taken a year of constant work to put things back together in Jamaica. The broadcasts on our car radio indicated that tsunami recovery would take a lot longer. That has proved true. One year after the tsunami we, the tsunami committee and the Kirk Session of Elders at St. Andrew's Scots Kirk felt we had made little progress. We had received many generous donations but had only managed to spend about a quarter of the fund. There seemed to be frustration at every turn.

There were reasons. From early on we had committed ourselves to Mawella, a small, spread out community near Dickwella in the south. Its claim to fame is its tidal blow hole which can shoot water 60 feet into the air. We can wonder how high the water went on tsunami day! It is 5 hours hard drive from Colombo. We leave at 5.00am and return at I 1.00pm. The expressed need was for a water supply to replace the contaminated wells. We were holding onto the major part of our funds for a filtration plant from the lagoon or a ground source. Until that was in place, we could not contemplate any other major project. Second on our list was Moraketiyara School, which the Mawella children attended. New teaching blocks were required.

In March, 2006, the plug was pulled. Big blue plastic pipes appeared on the roadsides. It became apparent that the local government was seeing to the water supply. At the same time, construction work on the new teaching block, funded by Rotary International, began at the school. Our funds were not required for these two elements. Very quickly then, we have been able to make funding available to build or repair 43 houses in Mawella and to buy 32 sewing machines to enable income generation. We have committed to building a new preschool in Mawella.

Mawella has not been our only project area. We have been helping up and down the south west coast from Negombo, through Dehiwela, Induruwa, Hikkaduwa, Galle, Weligama and Hanwella. We see ourselves as a channel for funding, enabling those who are hands-on in the immediate situation. Two local ministers have been our contacts in the Induruwa and Hikkaduwa area. Both are single men and have lots of energy. Together we have built houses, donated sewing machines and bicycles, restarted businesses making bridal dresses, festive lanterns, concrete blocks as well as a turtle farm. There is nothing more exciting than to feel a baby turtle wriggle in your hand and no greater pleasure than to see him swim off.

What has been exciting here in Colombo, o real turning point, has been our relationship with the School of Architecture in Colombo and Moratuwa, through one of our tsunami team. We are now building several "model houses" designed by student architects. They get the opportunity to work with our clients in a real life situation, a really great dynamic! And we are committed to building a preschool in Hikkaduwa as well.

Another of our clergy contacts has been the Methodist Church through whom we have provided for 32 self employment schemes in Galle. But we can see that very soon, our work in the south will be done. To date we have spent about Rs.35million (US$350,000). About Rs.20million is left. It is very clear to us where that money should go. Since day one after the tsunami, the north and east of Sri Lanka has not received the same measure of support. Of our Rs.35million spent, only Rs.2million had gone to the north and east. We have donated Rs.2million to Canaan Fellowship International to rebuild a church and houses in Batticaloa destroyed by the tsunami. Most of our remaining fund will be directed to the wonderful work being done by the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka which is building imaginative housing in a variety of places in the north and east.

But in little Sri Lanka the war clouds are gathering day by day. We face another turning point as a nation. Please continue to remember us in your prayers.

Rev John Purves, Committee coordinator.
THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND WORLD MISSION COUNCIL

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08-06-2006