Hope in the Midst of Disaster

Warring factions come together in Sri Lanka

A STRANGE THING happened in Sri Lanka shortly after the tsunami struck: a spontaneous show of solidarity cut through deep ethnic and religious divides prevalent in the country, where the majority Sinhalese are pitted against the minority Tamils in a long-running civil war. Though a fragile cease-fire signed in 2002 gave breathing space to embattled civilians, mutual mistrust and antagonism linger.

The tsunami may have changed all that. Indian Jesuit Fr. Vinny Joseph, who runs the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Sri Lanka, says: "We see the disaster has brought communities together. Sinhalese people from the south came to the north and distributed aid to the Tamils. In some places, the Tamil Tiger rebels were working with the army to distribute aid."

The sight of Sinhalese turning up with truckloads of supplies on the border of rebel territory took everyone by surprise. So unexpected was their appearance that Tamils manning the border did not know how to react and initially refused to let them through.

"Even though my faith was really shaken," says Joseph, "I am getting back to normal because there have been huge signs of hope. The world community stood together as a family. Such humanitarian aid was unprecedented: relief and solidarity provided by ordinary individuals, the Church, NGOs [non-governmental organizations], and donor agencies. The brokenness of the victims becomes the brokenness of everyone."

On the road toward recovery, swift and fair distribution of aid is a pressing challenge in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, political leaders are proving slow to follow the people's example of compassion, and tsunami victims pay the price for the leaders' intransigence. In one example, slow government clearance of aid supplies to rebel-held northern territory has hampered post-tsunami relief works of the Catholic Church there.

Jesuits caring for war refugees in Sri Lanka's Mullaitheevu district rapidly responded to the need to tend to tsunami survivors.

At work in Sri Lanka's war zones since 1995, JRS workers face challenges ahead. Setting up services for tsunami victims in the Mullaitheevu district, they are painfully aware that the tidal waves laid waste their shelters and resettlement projects for war refugees.

The tsunami dealt a cruel blow to people already uprooted several times before by war. Thousands lost everything again to the tidal waves, just as they were struggling to rebuild their lives. Amalan, JRS project coordinator in Mullaitheevu, was among them. His daughter was killed by the tsunami; his new house on the coast was washed away. He had only recently returned home after spending years in a refugee camp in India. "We could not console Amalan," says Joseph. "However, a few days after the tsunami, his wife gave birth to a boy."

Despite the crushing losses, JRS and other aid organizations are persevering. According to Joseph, education is a key priority. "Already a few days after the tsunami, we distributed around 100,000 notebooks as well as pens and uniforms in camps," he says. "We have arranged for teachers to be in the camps to help children adjust to their new situation." Alongside "big" rehabilitation works, like the reconstruction of schools, JRS workers do their utmost to meet survivors' personal needs. For example, JRS is funding an initiative in camps where children's new school uniforms are sewn by women refugees.

The survivors and NGOs supporting them are sharply aware that this is just the beginning of a long, slow, painstaking road toward recovery. The ultimate test of solidarity will be the ability to stick it out with devastated communities all the way. Adds Joseph: "We ask God, why have you allowed this? Can't you do something for these people? Maybe God is saying 'I have done something, I have created you to love and serve those people. So do something.' That is what we are trying to do. The question in my mind is not about the dead but about the living. They have a very long, painful journey to make. Can we really accompany them?"

-Danielle Vella, former director of
communications for the Jesuit
Refugee Service in Rome,
writes from Malta.

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