Today, one year on, people in Galle area are making a human chain to demand from all concerned authorities, including government, to fulfill their promises and duties that one year after tsunami struck, they haven’t met. One of these concerns is new Buffer Zone regulation. Siyath Foundation, ActionAid’s partner in Galle area, claims Buffer zone has to be informed the people and respected. This local organization asks government for permanent housing plans focused first on the most affected and excluded people.

 

“The distance between local authorities and communities, in relation to information availability is quite significant. Due to this factor, access to resources as well as misconceptions and distortion of inform creates continuous difficulties at the community level”, affirms Kala Pieris, from Siyath Foundation.

 

For the last 26 years, the Siyath Foundation has been dedicated to supporting women’s livelihoods. Within this year, Siyath, besides recovering tsunami affected women’s livelihoods, has faced more important challenges. Domestic violence is hitting this area very badly for ages.

 

“There is no point on restoring livelihoods when women basic right to live in peace and harmony is not respected”, asserts Mr. Khemraj Upadhyaya, ActionAid Team Leader.

 

Nowadays, more than 3000 women benefits of this network of coir workers and have recovered their smile. With Siyath’s support, these women have come together in their local areas to get a better price for the fruits of their labour.

 

Since the tsunami, Siyath has helped ActionAid to understand and respond to shifting needs and priorities of more than 3500 affected families in 110 villages in the coastal region, from Tissa to Moratuwa.

 

Notes to editors: Siyath activities supported by ActionAid include: Operating a saving scheme and subsidized vegetable market so that people living in camps can choose and buy their own food each week and not have to rely on handouts; Repairing the bus shelter on the busy Galle road so that local people no longer wait in hot sun or driving rain for buses that don’t stop; Replacing yarn machines and mat-making tools, and restocking the bicycle repair shop; Supplying three brick making machines which are providing an income and building materials to families who lost their homes; Encouraging women’s groups who meet regularly to discuss work and exchange news, to also address vexed problems in the home and community; Training programs for young people in skills needed in the area, such as mechanics and computing; Children’s activity centres providing a safe place for children to play and learn.

 

ActionAid works in partnership with 18 local organizations in Sri Lanka, covering more than 170 villages in eight districts. Our interventions range from meeting immediate humanitarian needs, providing psycho-social support, rebuilding livelihoods, getting children back to school and ensuring aid reaches the poorest of the poor. ActionAid’s tsunami response program covers Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, the Maldives and Somalia.