Tsunami Plus One: Highlights and Lowlights

Here are some highlights – and lowlights – of the first year after the Asian Tsunami, as uncovered by the four independent media teams who tracked the recovery stories of eight affected families in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand under the Children of Tsunami project.  

What happened to the money? Individuals, groups and governments that donated generously expected that support to help the short-term survival needs as well as long-term recovery needs. While part of this money eventually found its way to those in need, a good deal was dissipated, wasted or pilfered along the way. Rigid government bureaucracies, charity inefficiencies, local corruption and favouritism – among other factors -- made a mockery of donor’s good intentions. Within the same country, we found discriminatory practices that favoured one affected community over another (see also text box: ‘Step-children of Tsunami?’)

Governments of the people? Across the four countries we filmed, there was wide-spread disillusionment with local and central governments: affected people felt their elected representatives had let them down badly. Community and religious leaders became more vocal as the year progressed with little improvement. Some governments acknowledged by the year’s end that much of the aid was still entangled in red tape -- at either or both donor/recipient ends. Asian governments aggravated problems by bringing in draconian post-tsunami regulations – such as Sri Lanka’s highly controversial ‘exclusion zone’ that banned all new buildings within 100 metres of the shore.

Logo-delivery mechanisms? While the ground-level perception of NGOs, aid agencies and charities was better, people were critical of inter-agency rivalries and the non-governmental sector’s own rigidity and inefficiency. Adding insult to injury was a perverse ‘Tsunami hit parade’ witnessed across affected Asia for weeks after the disaster: heads and senior officials of UN agencies, international charities and bilateral donors all toured the region – mainly to be photographed by the media. These publicity stunts, and the intense competition to stick agency logos on every single item donated, didn’t endear these angels of mercy to affected communities.

Gone with the waves: One of the biggest hurdles survivor families faced was the loss of tools, vessels and structures with which they earned a living. Many were self-employed, or ran small businesses. Practically none came within social safety nets or insurance schemes. Unaccustomed to living on donations or government rations, and yet unable to raise the capital to restart their livelihoods, most surviving adults were frustrated and bitter. As the year ended, half of our eight families had not bounced back to pre-Tsunami economic activity levels; two were almost destitute.

Goodbye, school: Tens of thousands of Asian children found their education disrupted -- including some of our featured children. When waves destroyed Theeban’s school in eastern Sri Lanka, he dropped out and soon became an apprentice at a tractor repairing garage. Mala’s school was intact, but her family couldn’t afford to send her to school anymore. Putri, Yenni and Beam had their schools damaged or destroyed but their families managed to keep them in temporary schools. Heshani and Selvam too continued their schooling from temporary shelters. (At 16, Bao had already dropped out of school before the disaster.)

New roles for survivors: When families were decimated, survivors found new roles and responsibilities thrust upon them. Elder siblings were suddenly bread-winners. Grandparents had to step in to take care of grandchildren.  And religious leaders had to play counsellor to thousands of grieving or traumatised people.

Healing wounded minds: Even though the mismanaged aid effort took care of some physical needs of affected families, there was little external support for their psychological needs. For these, some turned to religion. Asia’s many cultural and religious festivals – when they arrived on their annual cycles – were low key affairs this year, but provided much needed healing for surviving families. Still, few could answer one question asked by many survivors: why us?

Salvation for sale? While religions helped many people in their hour of need, other things werehappening in the name of religion. The Tsunami’s aftermath attracted thousands of different groups to affected areas. Among them were groups who came offering Christianity as a “relief item”. Families in distress were promised relief or recovery assistance – if they converted. Two of our eight families came across this phenomenon quite independently – in places as far apart as India and Thailand. One family (in India) accepted; the other (Thailand) declined.

Click here for synopsis of Children of Tsunami: The Journey Continues

Click here for Children of Tsunami website