Dateline ACT

Sri Lanka

'Why are you working for us day after day?'

By Jan-Åke Thorell, ACT International

Matara, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2005—A year ago, Reverend Anil Silva of the Methodist Church in Matara in the south of Sri Lanka could not have imagined what lay ahead in the future for him and his congregation.

Nearly a year after the tsunami hit his country on December 26 last year, he has been faced with long queues of people outside the church. And still people line up. Every day.

Reverend Anil Silva has often had to field the questions: "Why are you doing this? Why are you working for us, day after day?"

His reply is constant: "It is my duty as a Christian."

Even if "the gate to the church building is closed", Reverend Silva says, "the work is going on. The body is in action."

People are surprised that the church assists people without exception and that they are not asked to be or become a member of the church. In fact, Reverend Silva is quite explicit when fielding these questions, by telling those who seek assistance from his church that it does not mean they now have to come to church or that they need to be or become members of the church. There is respect for all religions, and Reverend Silva does not impose his religion on those of different faiths.

From right after the tsunami struck, he and the members of the church have assisted people with as much as they could—mostly with small items: such as scales for the vendors in the markets, carpentry kits and water containers.

It was soon clear to everyone in this community that no one had fully understood (at the beginning) just how huge the disaster had been, or how long it would take for people to rebuild their lives, even with assistance.

And still people turn to the church for assistance. And still, the small congregation does what it can. However, the requests now are not so much for the smaller items to help people get by day to day, but are for the bigger items: boats for the fisher folk, houses and land.

Many people had suffered huge losses, such as a schoolteacher in town who had built his own house only a few months before the tsunami. The only thing that remains of his home today is his mortgage. The bank wants the loan repaid monthly, and the teacher simply does not know what to do. So, he came to Reverend Silva for advice.

But as so often in the case of huge disasters, the needs of people outstrip the ability of those responding to fully meet these needs. "I have no answers to give," explained the reverend. "I gave him a cupboard and a table for his temporary house. That’s all I could do."

Reverend Silva estimates that about 300 families still live in the six refugee camps in the Matara area. Although the conditions in the camps are not the best, he says that they are relatively well organised by the different community committees.

People's daily needs are seen to and there have been no outbreaks of diseases. But, although many of the people who were displaced by the tsunami have gone back to work, there are still people who are unemployed.

To help people in re-establishing their lives, the Methodist Church, which is a member of the National Christian Council in Sri Lanka (NCCSL), has started a small workshop program on its property. Here, people learn to make furniture—for their homes in the camps. They have even made small chairs for their nursery school.

But, the truth is that people need their own homes.

This is the reason why the church has asked for funds to buy land for 15 families. The church would also like to finance a self-help scheme, which will allow people to build their own houses. However, as in many other places affected by the tsunami in Sri Lanka, land for housing is a problem in Matara.

"The problem is that before the tsunami, several families stayed in one house. The owner may now get a new house from the government or an NGO, but the other families who had shared the home get nothing," explains Reverend Anil Silva.

"The authorities cannot control the situation and [then] many of the affected people come to me."

This is why self-employment and income generating projects are so essential for people now. Because so many fishermen lost their boats, the NCCSL, a member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, financed 15 boats, which have been distributed.

The fishing boats are fully equipped with nets and engines. Each boats serves three families—with every member of the family involved in one way or another with the fishing business.

Reverend Silva will soon leave his congregation for another one—this time in an area that was not struck by the tsunami. He has been under strain for nearly a year now, and is looking forward to simply being able to do "normal church work" again. But he will not leave the affected people in Matara without assistance. He has learned a lot this year and will share his knowledge and contacts with his successor. And he will pay visits to Matara to assist his successor with advice and council. That’s for sure.

Jan-Åke Thorell is on assignment in Sri Lanka for the Church Of Sweden, a member of ACT International.