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No.39-2 January 2005 Special Edition 39-2, Sharing News on YMCA's Response to the Asian Tsunami, 23 January 2005
On 7-8 January, I was in Medan where the only YMCA in Sumatra is located -12 hours by road to Banda Aceh, northern Sumatra , Indonesia . I met with local leaders and volunteers who had carried out emergency relief work in Banda Aceh. From 9-12 January, Rev. Samuel D. Stephens, the President of the Asia and Pacific Alliance, the General Secretary, and Dr. Bart Shaha, the Secretary General of he World Alliance visited Sri Lanka and India . With National YMCA leaders, representatives from Japan , Korea , Singapore , Y Care International and the YMCA of the USA , they saw first hand the extent of the devastation from Colombo to Galle in Sri Lanka . We then visited the Cuddalore District, Tamilnadu , India with the Indian YMCA's national and regional leaders, the Madras YMCA, Y Care International and the YMCA of the USA .
The General Secretary of the Asia and Pacific Alliance met with leaders of the Medan YMCA, Indonesia - Poltak, Jonathan and Arnold, together with Anna Marsiana, a National Board member, and some volunteer leaders just returned from Banda Aceh, and others leaving for Meleuboh, and those preparing to take a 20-hour journey to Nias island off the west coast. The Medan YMCA, one of an-eight member network of service organisations , is responsible for logistics and volunteer-recruitment. So far emergency evacuation work and distribution of relief packages to survivors have been carried out by teams of between 8 to 15 young people in Banda Aceh, Meulaboh, and soon to Nias Island . On 31 December the first team of 14 volunteers from the Medan YMCA reached Banda Aceh, 12 hours by road, to engage in locating and retrieving the dead from the rubble and debris. A second team of 12 left for Meulaboh on 8 January and another team left for Nias Island on 9 January. The local people have welcomed them saying "others come to take notes and leave, but not the YMCA Volunteers who are even willing to engage in recovery of bodies" and asked for more YMCA volunteers. Nanda, a volunteer leader in the team to Banda Aceh, shared information of the destruction of the city. The initial team had assisted in recovery of bodies and did mapping of needs in the area they visited. After the initial assessment/mapping in Aceh, Meulaboh, Bireuan, Lohkseumawe, and Nias, the YMCA in Indonesia will determine proposals/plans for the recovery of livelihoods and rehabilitation programmes for affected communities.
Dr. Bart Shaha, the Secretary General of the World Alliance of YMCAs, Rev. Samuel D. Stephens, the President, and General Secretary of the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs were in Sri Lanka visiting tsunami affected areas and discussing disaster response programmes with the leadership of the National Council of YMCAs of Sri Lanka. With them were representatives from the YMCAs of Japan, Korea , Singapore , USA and Y Care International, UK . The team met with members of the disaster response network composed of the YMCA, YWCA and Y's Men International, and the YMCA's Task Force headed by Eraj Wijesinghe, immediate past president of the National Council of YMCAs of Sri Lanka, and a Vice President of the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs. The National Council presented a draft response proposal, including various programmes for the recovery of livelihood and community building activities. The team visited the Galle area and met with various leaders engaged in the emergency relief and recovery efforts, including the Board members of the Galle YMCA. Members were overwhelmed by the extent of the destruction caused by the tsunami along the coast from Colombo to Galle , and especially in the Galle Municipality . At the Galle YMCA, 53 children are being housed in the Pre-school Centre, entrusted to the YMCA by mothers living in relief camps. The children aged as young as 4 were busy, engaged in various activities - drawing, playing board games, or just chatting. The faces were cheerful. There was the occasional "less happy" face, but he/she has a life of hope ahead of him/her. The YMCA's Communication Centre has been rendered useless by the almost 4-foot high floodwater - new equipment is needed for the centre, a useful source of revenue for the YMCA,. In a temple where fisherfolk who had lost their homes, boats and nets were housed, they said, "help us to acquire new boats, nets, so that we can continue our livelihood of fishing, we can rebuild our homes if we can return to the sea." "We will return to the ocean to fish, fishing is in our blood." Barely over two weeks after the giant waves hit, Galle was bustling with life amidst the on-going clearance of debris and repairs. This is surely a sign of hope, a witness to the resilience of the Sri Lankan people strengthened by their strong spirituality and cultural traditions.
The International YMCA Team then visited India from 12-14 January. It visited some of the affected villages in Cuddalore District in Tamilnadu and Pondicherry Union State . Leaders of the National Council of YMCAs of India, the South India Region and the Madras YMCA accompanied the Team. Emergency relief response actions have been quick in the affected districts of Tamilnadu and Kerala. Long term plans for recovery of people's livelihood and rehabilitation of the community were discussed and principles for implementation established. The YMCAs in the Cuddalore and Nagapatinnam Districts, as well as other nearby YMCAs, such as the Madras YMCA, Salem YMCA, and as far away as Ghandidham, a 3-day drive away, carried out emergency relief work. The team was present at the relief distributions by the Madras YMCA at Chinoor North, a coastal village in Cuddlaore District. Daily essentials like sleeping mats, water pots, plates, matches, etc. were given out to all 200 families there. So far, the Madras YMCA has distributed relief supplies of over five Lakhs Indian Rupees (approx. US$12,000) in the Cuddalore District. Even as the distribution was going on, some women and an elderly man were preparing the community meal of vegetable curry and rice for all. The beaches had been stripped of all signs of previous human habitation, the waves like a giant eraser removing their presence. But, the people are resilient. They have hope in their eyes. Their spirituality has enabled them to rise in gratitude, to continue to live life, a gift from God. In the evening, the Secretary General of the World Alliance, together with the President, General Secretary and leaders of the Madras YMCA, had an audience with the Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry Union State. The Governor welcomed and recognised the efforts of the YMCA and called for her continued collaboration in much-needed rehabilitation of livelihoods, care for the children and reconstruction of homes for the survivors. The International YMCA Team then visited India from 12-14 January. It visited some of the affected villages in Cuddalore District in Tamilnadu and Pondicherry Union State . Leaders of the National Council of YMCAs of India, the South India Region and the Madras YMCA accompanied the Team. Emergency relief response actions have been quick in the affected districts of Tamilnadu and Kerala. Long term plans for recovery of people's livelihood and rehabilitation of the community were discussed and principles for implementation established. The YMCAs in the Cuddalore and Nagapatinnam Districts, as well as other nearby YMCAs, such as the Madras YMCA, Salem YMCA, and as far away as Ghandidham, a 3-day drive away, carried out emergency relief work. The team was present at the relief distributions by the Madras YMCA at Chinoor North, a coastal village in Cuddlaore District. Daily essentials like sleeping mats, water pots, plates, matches, etc. were given out to all 200 families there. So far, the Madras YMCA has distributed relief supplies of over five Lakhs Indian Rupees (approx. US$12,000) in the Cuddalore District. Even as the distribution was going on, some women and an elderly man were preparing the community meal of vegetable curry and rice for all. The beaches had been stripped of all signs of previous human habitation, the waves like a giant eraser removing their presence. But, the people are resilient. They have hope in their eyes. Their spirituality has enabled them to rise in gratitude, to continue to live life, a gift from God. In the evening, the Secretary General of the World Alliance, together with the President, General Secretary and leaders of the Madras YMCA, had an audience with the Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry Union State. The Governor welcomed and recognised the efforts of the YMCA and called for her continued collaboration in much-needed rehabilitation of livelihoods, care for the children and reconstruction of homes for the survivors. FOR PHOTOGRAPHS of these visits, PLEASE SEE OUR WEBSITE:
The tsunami hit the shores at Batu Ferringhi, and fishing villages in the Balik Pulau area, Penang after 1:00 pm on December 26. This area has the highest recorded number of casualties in Malaysia . Homes were flooded up to four feet, and furnishings were destroyed. Following several visits from the Penang YMCA, Kuala Lumpur YMCA, the Metropolitan YMCA of Singapore and Joshua Research of Singapore , support for school-going children had been identified as the support that they could provide without duplicating the work of other NGOs. They will undertake a 2-year education support programme, providing the school needs of children of the most affected families. The YMCAs will also explore community-building opportunities with the communities they are engaged with. At the end of January, volunteers from the YMCAs and Joshua Research will visit the affected villages to hand-over the financial contributions amounting to RM 25,000 (US$6,578) to the local village heads. (From reports by Ms. Ong Sooi Gaik, General Secretary, Penang YMCA)
Recently the Thai Alliance of YMCAs visited the affected western coastal areas of south Thailand . They reported that they met with fisherfolk whose boats and houses had been damaged by the tidal wave. "There are more than 2,000 fishing boats and about 1,000 houses that need to be repaired. Many of the fisherfolk are afraid that they will not be able to set up home in the same area as the government is considering legislation regarding buildings on the coast. They are worried about how they can maintain their livelihood of fishing if they are to be moved far away from the seashore. We have collected some donations from the members and have given them to the fisherfolk network there. We will mobilise the technical college students to go down south to help the fisherfolk to repair their boats and houses." According to a survey by an NGO-network in 186 villages in the affected coastal areas, 2,205 houses, 2,519 fishing boats, and 52,911 units of all kinds of fishing nets and equipment have been damaged or destroyed. It is estimated that the average cost to repair a damaged boat and engine is about 20,000 Baht (US$ 520) each. The Thai YMCA has contributed 120,000 Bahts (US$3,110) to the Thai Red Cross and the Rajaprachanukrok Foundation in December. Another 50,000 Bahts (US$1,299) has been donated directly to the fisherfolk network. The Y's Men Clubs of Bangkok and Chiangmai are currently on a tsunami fundraising drive. (From a Report by Ms Phanomwan Yoodee, Associate General Secretary, Chiangmai YMCA) FOR PHOTOGRAPHS of this Visit, PLEASE SEE OUR WEBSITE:
The World Alliance and Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs thank the following YMCAs for their generous response to our Joint Appeal (as per WA update, 14 January): Argentina | Australia | Bangladesh | Belgium | Canada | Chinese YMCA, Hong Kong | Costa Rica | Denmark | Ecuador | Finland | France | Germany | Honduras | Japan | Korea | Malaysia | Malta | Metropolitan YMCA of Singapore | New Zealand | Nepal | Netherlands | Norway (YW-YMCA, Scouts & Guides) | Peru | Spain | Sweden | Switzerland + St. Gall Church | Taipei | Taiwan | Thai Alliance of YMCAs | USA | YMCA of Hong Kong | YMCA Greater Toronto, Canada | YMCA of Singapore | Y Care, UK | Asia Area Y's Men International |
The joint appeal by the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs (APAY) and World Alliance of YMCAs (WAY) to support the relief and rehabilitation work has so far received pledges and contributions of almost USD 500,000 from the YMCA family around the world. As the Immediate Emergency Relief period winds down, the respective National Movements in Sri Lanka , India and Indonesia together with the local YMCAs will develop a comprehensive, coordinated plan for the Mid-term Recovery and Restoration of livelihoods for the people and the community and Long-term Rehabilitation and Reconstruction work over the next 2 to 4 years. The aim is to bring communities back into normal living, including regaining of their livelihoods, by helping them to rebuild their homes and their communities. Already more than US$100,000 has been released or made available for the emergency and relief work and some mid-term recovery efforts in Sri Lanka , Indonesia and India . Any YMCA or individual wishing to make a financial contribution can send a cheque or make a bank transfer to the Asia and Pacific Alliance or contact your National YMCA Movement. You can make the contribution in US dollars. Please mark your payment: "Asia Tsunami Fund." Telegraphic Transfers should be made to the following account and the Response Form sent to us for our information and action:
Cheques should be made payable to Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs, 23 Waterloo Road, Kowloon , Hong Kong .
The death toll as at 23 January is over 234,000 - and is still expected to rise. Decomposed bodies are still being discovered from among the rubble as clearing continues. Only 2 days ago, a survivor was found on an uninhabited island after having been washed ashore 26 days ago! A spark of hope.... but sadly, thousands are still missing. The final toll? Who knows? Three weeks and the tsunami aftermath continue to make media news... but for how long? Unfortunately, human memory tends to be short. Another disaster somewhere and we will shift our attention to that part of the world, as had been seen time and again. As the YMCA, we are committed to building and rebuilding lives and communities. Our mission calls us to "stay" and work together with the community towards building a sustainable community. The waves that so suddenly and cruelly destroyed, brought death, tore loved ones apart, are now back to becoming waves that build livelihoods, as the fishes return, as beaches are slowly restored, as tourists slowly but surely will begin to return. Life goes on ......people are rebuilding, communities are reorganising - as the deep spirituality and strong traditional cultures that are characteristic of our peoples uphold and strengthen each victim's family, each survivor. People may have lost all but their lives, but not hope. As a community with full resilience and strong wills, the people find hope in the compassion that has engulfed them, to strengthen them! This has been a collective trauma. Together, the community has lost and suffered. Together, the community will rebuild. Recover. Heal. The waves of compassion that has come as a second "tsunami" will play an important role in that process, but it will be the deep spiritual, cultural and community roots of the people will ensure that. The Lord bless and keep us all......
Yip Kok Choong, General Secretary
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