As you know, Batticaloa District was ravaged by floods in January and February of this year; floodS far worse than any previous in living memory. As a result, ABDF responded by disbursing emergency cash to some of our partners and project recipients. The description of our disbursement can be found here, while photos of Batti under water can be found here and here.
ABDF friends and supporters responded generously, and we were able to help eleven families with a disbursement of 10,000 rupees each, or about $90. This may not sound like a lot to you and me, but here 10,000 rupees will supply bottled drinking water and feed a family of six for a month, as well as pay for the fuel to cook the food.
We did not have any strings attached, except that each decide the best use of the money, either for their families or their community.
I thought you would like to hear from some of the recipients, and find out what they did with the money:
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Today’s reports of a massive earthquake in Japan, measuring a record-breaking 8.9, brings us again more tragic news of the after-effects caused by the resulting tsunami.
This same sort of destructive force was unleashed in the 2004 Tsunami that affected the entire eastern Pacific rim, including Sri Lanka, causing an enormous loss of life.
Take a moment to see if you can help those in Japan who are suffering right now from the devastating effects of today’s tsunami. Disaster relief can be in virtually any form and your donations are sure to help those in need. As the saying goes, every little bit helps. Read the rest of this entry »
The monsoon rains that triggered massive flooding in Batticaloa stoped for a week and a half, allowing flood waters to recede, road repairs to begin, and supplies to be trucked into the area. The rains have begun again, however, setting off a new round of flooding. As of yesterday, the 3rd of February, waters had again inundated the District, once again leading to mass displacement and destruction of infrastructure.
The following pictures were taken on the 3rd, in a small town just north of Batticaloa town, a place called Sittandy. We would like to thank Stanley Rapster for the use of his pictures.
On the main north/south road in Sittandy.
