Tsunami Aid in Sri Lanka

At a bakery in the Ampara District of eastern Sri Lanka, 20 women widowed by the December 2004 tsunami have learned to successfully operate a medium-scale business. Sri Lanka, and particularly the long-neglected Ampara District, faces an economy in flux, civil unrest and reeling fuel prices. But these challenges have not stopped the new enterprisers from the village of Thirukkovil from running a successful business.

The livelihoods of women are often the most vulnerable after a disaster, and Relief International prepares its work accordingly. 33-year-old T. Yogeswary, one of the widows now working at the bakery, explained, “I was left destitute due to the tsunami. I lost my husband, a daughter and a sister as a result of this catastrophe.” RI trained the women to open and operate the bakery, teaching them product promotion and record-keeping skills.

Relief International also strives to bridge the gap between emergency relief and long-term stability. When the tsunami struck Sri Lanka and other countries in South Asia, Ampara was one of the hardest hit regions, and an area already plagued by government corruption, sub-par health centers and low-performing schools. In order to help restore Ampara District, RI used donor resources both to meet the basic humanitarian needs of survivors and for long-term development projects. The bakery enables the Thirukkovil village widows not only to support their families, but also to count on a business that will continue to generate income for the community.

RI recently gave over supervision of the bakery to a local NGO. This allows RI to focus on other projects in Sri Lanka, while still being available for support, should the bakery need it. T. Yogeswary is confident that she and her coworkers will continue to support themselves. “With great help from Relief International we recovered a lot and were able to start a new life and provide basic needs for our children. Now we are self-dependent.”