It's not a happy new year.

2005 Jan 1 at 08:14 » Tagged as :

So another year has dawned but it certainly is not a happy new year, at least in this part of the world. There is no need to tell you about the destruction caused by the tsunami in Sri Lanka. You have heard it on the radio and seen the pictures on tv and your RSS feed is probably clogged up with feeds about the incident.

The rest of the world has thankfully come to the aid of the effected regions but there is a lot more that needs to be done. The food and medical supplies have been taken care of for the moment but that's only the tip of the iceberge.

About 100,000 homes have been completely destroyed in Sri Lanka alone. In some of these houses, some of the inhabitants survived by small miracles.

Unfortunately houses and loved ones are not the only things that people have lost. They have lost their jobs too. Thousands of fishermen have lost their boats, an equal number of small businesses, shops and botiques have been completely wiped out or the proprietors or partners have died. The combined effect is that most of the displaced no longer have a source of income.

So these people are being fed and cared for at the moment, the public memory is short and everyone is likely to forget. Unless the world does something quickly none of these people stand even a remote chance of rebuilding their lives. That's why your help is needed. I know that you have helped already but please see if you can do a bit more.

All it takes to put up a modest house is about 3,000-5,000 dollars. Some people spend that much on dresses or shoes.