One of the most interesting parts of my time in Sri Lanka has been learning about the Tsunami and how it affected the lives of ordinary Sri Lankans. We hear many stories about the loss of lives as well as people's livelihoods and the struggle for the country to re-build its infrastucture.
It seems like many of the people who lost their homes have been moved into new accommodation, similar to the one we visited yesterday - picture above.
Like many new housing communities there are a multitude of problems. Many of the developments are a significant distance from the coast where there was cheap and available land. The problem is there are often no schools or shops nearby, and the fisherman cannot live with their families as it is too difficult for them to travel to the coast every day.
A number of local community organisations have also talked about a culture of dependency that has developed post the Tsunami. The help that was provided in the immediate aftermath of the crisis by all the international aid agencies met an urgent need. However 2 years on, there seems to be a culture in some parts of the community in which support is expected to be given. Some of the organisations who were providing micro-finance (small loans) to local communities, are finding that people expect to be given a new bike, fridge, sewing machine, rather than having to earn it.
Also, as there was little coordination among the aid agencies, many of the fisherman who lost a boat ended up receiving two replacement boats. As this happened all along the coastal area, there is currently over-fishing, which was not a problem before the Tsunami.
Overall the resilience and positive attitude of the people, despite all that has happened to them is amazing. I wonder if we would be able to recover so well?
Am now enjoying a few days in Galle and Colombo before heading back home.
I hope you have all enjoyed sharing our Sri Lankan experience with the three Zurich fellows.
