"With Love" from Italy

CON Amore means 'with love' in Italian. In the aftermath of the treacherous tsunami, many were the outpourings of support and assistance from a caring world to a hapless nation.

In the stricken ruins of the Eastern Province, where a relentless sun burns down, raising temperatures to almost unbearable heights, where water and services are scarce and where austerity is a way of life rather than circumstance, a group of Italian gladiators of another kind wage a war of compassion.

Unheralded and for the most part, unsung, these courageous men extend their loving kindness in ways that count. Andrea Boekel travelled to the Eastern Province for an enlightening insight.

Massimillano Raffaele (Max), 51, is fairly rotund and bearded. With a jolly disposition and gregarious manner, Max is a team leader of the project. In contrast to the brooding, serious Antonia, Max is equally dedicated to his mission. Hailing from Rome, it is obvious that he takes great pride in what he does.

He climbs up into the huge mobile Water Purification Plant with its inbuilt laboratory, and emerges with a cup of water for me to drink. It tastes wonderful. There is no odd taste at all.

Antonio Cafaro, 40, emerges from his tent pitches in a stadium. The temperature is 37 degrees C. The stadium, in Kattankudi, on the Eastern coast, is virtually deserted.

Sparse and stark, it must have once been the centre of much activity. But today, its grounds play host to a convoy of trucks and an enormous mobile water treatment and purification plant.

Antonio hails from Varesa near Milan, Italy. He is tanned nut-brown from the searing sun. He looks strangely out of place in this austere landscape as his movie star looks are camouflaged by working trousers and a simple white T-shirt that says "Italian Red Cross".

The Technical Specialist of this project - he is involved in a noble mission of mercy - purifying unpalatable and unsafe water for drinking purposes. He does not stop working even for a second; his mission is one of intense dedication.

At the best of times, the Eastern Province has had water that tasted 'different'. Although residents were accustomed to its unique taste, visitors often had difficulty adjusting. In the wake of the tsunami, the water resources became dangerously polluted.

In the aftermath of any disaster, it is vital that safe drinking water be provided to those in temporary shelters. The dangers of epidemic loom large and often, water is the likeliest source of their spread.

Heeding a distress call from Sri Lanka, the Italian Red Cross were quick to respond with a means of providing safe drinking water to the unfortunate victims of the tsunami. Both Antonio and Max, had a little over 24 hours to react to this call, but as true soldiers of compassion, they did not have the slightest of reservations.

Antonio has worked with the Italian Red Cross for the past ten years. Having been deployed in disaster areas of Mozambique, India and Albania, he is fatalistic. He specialised in water management, and his expertise in the area has provided this vital essence of life to many an area of distress.

He comes over as deeply philosophical. In Mozambique, he spent much of his time, working alone in the bush. When asked if he had any reservations about hopping on a plane and heading out to Sri Lanka, he shrugged in the typical Italian style.

"In my job, one can never have reservations, expectations or for that matter fear. We respond to distress calls and we go out there to make a difference."

It is evident that he misses his 12-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son. A true family man, Antonio is very close to the people of the area he serves and is especially fond of the children that he likens to his own. He works seven days per week, with no time for leisure of any type.

So dedicated are these workers, that in the short period they serve in Sri Lanka, they do not move out of the Eastern Province. Not for them to take in the lush and cool climes of the hill country or the wonderful beaches of Sri Lanka, their work is centred around the harsh and forbidding landscape of the Eastern Province.

It is clear that he loves the people of the land. When asked what memories would he take with him of Sri Lanka, he said in typical fashion "Everywhere I go I leave a little bit of me. I believe I am a true global citizen and a part of a big family. The tsunami's trail of destruction helped me to soul search into myself a great deal, and I feel fortunate that in some small way, I made a difference to these people."

Yet, the valiant contribution these intrepid men make is not just in the area of water purification, but in the medical field too.

Vakarai, on the coast between Batticaloa and Trincomalee, is a remote outpost of the Eastern province. A town that sat virtually cheek by jowl with the ocean, it bore the full brunt of the tsunami. Its humble dwellings, shops and businesses were virtually reduced to matchwood in the aftermath. Most importantly, its spanking new hospital, which was due to be opened on February 6, 2005, was cruelly destroyed.

Enter the heroic team from the Italian Red Cross who took over the hospital and together with local doctors are running it from ruined buildings and makeshift structures.

The team from the Italian Red Cross comprise one obstetrician, two surgeons and one epidemiologist. Their pooled resources make sure that the people of the area have recourse to medical assistance.

Dr. Antonio Manzo and Dr. Giuseppe Magliulo are two such doctors who work throughout the week, without a break, to render vital medical assistance to the stricken population.

Together with local authorities, the heroic local doctors and government agencies, they have managed to salvage some buildings from the ruins in which to carry out their work. They also workout of a tent in the gardens of the hospital, as well as a structure with thatch on it. In total, some 30 volunteer medical personnel, man the ravaged hospital.

Their noble work however, will not end with this contribution. The Italian Red Cross has pledged to reconstruct the entire Vakarai hospital and all equipment will be donated from Italy. In time to come, this hospital will certainly be one of the best equipped in the region.

The Eastern province of Sri Lanka, a stark, vividly beautiful corner of the island, has yet, been the theatre of many a disaster.

From years of protracted war, its gentle citizens had hardship of indescribable degrees heaped upon them. Yet, they remained focused on the positive, on the hope of better days to come. The tsunami that ravaged its landscape just added salt into the wounds of these innocent citizens. In its vicious wake, it left a population who lost life, family members, homes, possessions and their means of livelihood.

The Italian Red Cross team members are full of praise for the cooperation extended to them both by the Government agencies and the LTTE. However, their one area of concern is the inability to distribute adequate water supplies because of the lack of bowsers.

The requirements of the population is around 100,000 litres a day, which the water treatment plant is capable of producing, however a shortfall in the distribution facility permits only 40,000 litres.

It is their earnest hope that this issue could be resolved in the interest of the people who are deprived of adequate clean drinking water.

My mission had come to an end and it was time to leave this friendly and gallant team of men. I watched them prepare for their lunch, which was just a few pieces of fruit. The scorching heat, the makeshift headquarters which was a tent, and the circumstances did not allow preparation of any food. Yet, these men were content to forge ahead devoid of creature comforts.

As I stepped out from the slightly cooler recesses of the tent into the blinding sunlight, I could not but help wincing against the heat and glare.

The experience was an overwhelming and awe-inspiring one. Many of these courageous men and women, casually classified as 'Aid Workers' are in truth, warriors and gladiators of the most priceless kind. They leave their countries, families and creature comforts to afford a hand of help to the needy.

Their contribution is often silent and unspoken and the trail of love and compassion they leave behind often remain in the fruits of their efforts.

I drove off with the memory of a happy bunch of people standing next to a convoy of pristine white trucks parked on the side of a deserted stadium that said 'Croce Rossa Italiana'.

They would inspire and stir my conscience for a long time to come.