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| Thursday, 27 January 2005 |
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Young people pitch in to assist survivors Colombo - In a quiet, leafy enclave in Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo, 35 volunteers, most of them between the ages of 15 and 25, work in assembly line fashion putting together emergency hygienic supplies.
These young people are members of the National Youth Services Council, which has representatives in virtually every community in the country. Some of them have been working tirelessly since December 29, when the initiative was launched with funding provided by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. In a breezy room filled to the brim with boxes, the young people work fast and efficiently to assemble the supplies into individual packages. Each package or "kit" consists of soap, disinfectant, washing powder, sanitary napkins, ladies panties, toothbrush and toothpaste, and towels.
Amali Boteju, 17, has been working long hours over the past two weeks to help assemble these emergency supplies. she feels it is her duty to help out. "Even though my family is safe, my sister lost her home in Moratuwa when the waves came. This tragedy happened to all of us, it happened to the country. Nearly everyone I know has a family member or relative affected by the tsunami. By working together we can make a difference in the lives of those who have lost so much." The kits are being distributed by the Ministry of Health's Family Health Bureau and Sarvodaya, a national NGO with 10,000 local branches throughout the country. "In emergencies like this one," points out UNFPA Country Representative to Sri Lanka, Lubna Baqi, "the health needs of women and adolescent girls, in particular, are often overlooked or ignored. In the face of such tragedy, women need very basic supplies, as well as medicines and food. These supplies will allow them some measure of dignity while they try to rebuild." At the assembly center in Colombo, Amali is tired but exuberant. "I will be back tomorrow and as often as necessary to complete this work." - Don Hinrichsen for UNFPA. |
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Produced by Lake House |
These supplies are badly needed by women and girls affected by the
devastating tsunami that claimed 30,000 lives in this island country,
leaving over 800,000 homeless. The majority of those displaced by the
disaster, some half a million, are women and girls.
The first mass shipment, consisting of 25,000 packages, are being
trucked to three of the hardest hit districts - Trincomalee, Galle and
Hambantota - and one township, Moratuwa. Altogether, 300,000 of these
hygienic kits will be sent to survivors over the course of the coming
weeks.
