Asi@news

N° 1

News Bulletin from the Council General on the disaster in Asia

 

 

The swift response of the Vincentians!

 

In India, as everywhere else, the coastal areas of several regions have been severely affected. The loss of human life and the material damage have severely affected the poor fishing communities. As India is one of the leading SVP countries, in the number of Conferences and in membership, we have received most news from there.

The most affected regions in India are Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The areas suffering the worst devastation are Pondicherry, Velankanni, and Madras (Chennai), parts of Tamil Nadu and Quilon, and Alappuzha. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, near Sumatra, have been likewise severely afflicted and because of the distance, we do not yet know the extent of the damage.

 

What makes matters worse is that the poorest people of this poor country have been the most affected. They have neither documents nor title deeds, and no savings in the bank and it will thus be very difficult for the government bodies to give them any compensation

 

These victims are actually housed in temporary dwellings provided by the Church, the government and Non-Governmental Organisations. They are given both food and medicine, but there are increasing dangers arising from the threat of epidemics and the lack of drinking water.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is well represented in this region, apart from the Islands of Andaman and Nicobar. For example, there are Conferences in 24 of the 31 most affected villages in the region of Kanya Kumr.

As soon as they had heard the news of the tragedy, the Vincentians in this region made themselves available immediately to carry out the work of first aid in terrible conditions, to take part in searches, and to notice that the victims who had survived had lost everything, leaving everything behind in order to flee to the mountains, and had lost their families…

Having helped to house the victims in shelters and temporary dwellings, the SVP joined forces with the Church and with the Non-Governmental Organisations in the area to procure food, drinking water and clothes….After helping out with the first emergencies, which seem to have been well taken in hand by the local SVP, by the emergency voluntary bodies and by the Government organisations, our Society must, from now on, concentrate on permanent solutions to the victims’ problems : rebuilding houses, fishing boats, long term projects.

The most affected countries are Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand, but also affected were Malaysia, the Maldives, Somalia, Myanmar and Bangladesh. The Society exists in all these countries with the exception of Somalia and the Maldives. The National councils have organised assistance in their own areas.

 

In Indonesia, there is no SVP in the regions of Banda Aceh and Meulobah and in certain areas of Northern Sumatra (they are the most seriously affected), but the National Council is trying to make contact on the spot with a view to getting something done, even in a limited way, and the National Council of Malaysia has done what it can to help (see below).

 

SVP Presence in the countries affected by the Tsunami

Country	Nb of Conferences	Nb of Countries
Indonesia	300	2500
Sri Lanka	310	3250
India	5624	51257
Thailand	112	676
Malaysia	63	850
Maldives	0	0
Somalia	0	0
Myanmar	122	2400
Bangladesh	211	2653

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note : This information does not take the affected region into account, but refers to the country as a whole.

 

The needs expressed, or identified for the moment, are of two kinds : on the one hand, there are short term needs : water purification tablets, medicines and medical equipment, drinking water and food, clothing ; and on the other hand, long term needs such as building materials, various kinds of household equipment, school equipment.

 

The first initiatives of the International SVP

 

Immediately after the disaster, the SVP throughout the world went into action… by messages of support, of union in prayer first of all from all the world, masses were offered for the victims, then by more direct actions: several SVP countries sent funds at once for on the spot help, making use of their twinning organisations so that the local Society could take emergency measures.

 

In this way, the National Council of Malaysia very quickly set up collection centres throughout the country and were able to send a first load of 300kg of medical equipment and medicine, as well as a first team with a doctor. This team will be able to evaluate the actual requirements with a view to organising the sending of more help

 

These goods were brought to the Central Service Bureau for refugees in Medan where there is no SVP.

 

 

 

The Involvement of the International Council General

 

The General International President published, on 3 January, a circular addressed to all the countries with SVP’s, calling for prayers and donations in aid of the disaster, soon followed by one from the Treasurer General on 6 January. On this occasion, a special fund was set up by the International Council General : the Asian Disaster Fund.

 

Moreover, our deputy Vice President for the Structure, Mr Michael Thio, has been nominated to lead and coordinate the campaign for the disaster, and the funds that shall arrive at the ICG.

 

The group co-ordinators also swung into action. Hence, M. Gonzalves went to Sri Lanka on 9 January to make an on the spot evaluation, with the national leaders, of the problems and the solutions. There, he visited, with the « Tsunami Committee » of the National Council, some areas which were especially affected in order to get an idea of the extent of the damage ( in the South of Colombo, then in the Batticoloa region) : in some areas, 75% of the population and the property were swept away in a few minutes. In the same way, he was able to meet fisherman who had been affected by the disaster.

 

 In addition, the co-ordinator sent, in the name of the Council General, $3000 to the National President to enable the SSVP to carry out their work

Discussions with the Society and the Clergy enabled him to form his first conclusions about the assistance that the society could provide: the victims are relatively well fed, being cared for and dressed by the voluntary societies and the government agencies in the area, and housed in tents provided by the UN. Both the SVP and the clergy are agreed that a long-term plan must be established and that the first thing is to get the fisherman back to work by providing them with the necessary equipment; next, their families need to be re-housed by making a start on rebuilding.

 

For his part, Thomas Tan, Coordinator of the Indonesia and Thailand group is also in permanent contact with the National Councils in order to evaluate the needs and the kind of support they require.

 

                                                          

 

As for the National Councils of the whole world, they are activated ; messages of support and of unity in prayer are reaching the General Council. Collections have been organised in the very many SVP countries, at the level of the Conferences, of Local Councils and National Councils. The first results of these collections have already reached the Central Council, but the needs are tremendous! The Society has the capacity to construct plans in the short, middle, long and even very long term, as its great strength is in its presence on the spot!

«We have been staggered by the scale of the disaster which has occurred in the Asian countries. We have followed with anguish and sadness  the horror which has engulfed our brothers in Sri Lanka, India, Thailand..   Words do not suffice to express our feelings but at this time of trial, we would like to send to our colleagues in the region our total friendship, our prayers and our compassion.   We pray that the year 2005 will bring with it, relief, comfort and healing of all these open wounds. »   Message of the National Council of Lebanon

 

 

Balance of Funds Movements (at 2005)

Source / Destinataire	Funds received (euros)	Funds sent (euros)
National Council United States	37.870,00
National Council Monaco	10.000,00
National Council Scotland	50.000,00
Other Councils (Slovakia, Luxembourg, others USA)	3.070,00
Individuals, Conferences and Congregation of the Mission	2.845,00
Conseil National Sri Lanka (remis par V. Gonzalves)		2.290,00
	103.785,00	2.290,00
	101.495,00

Ce tableau ne tient pas comptes des dons envoyés directement de pays à pays (jumelages)

 

All the money raised and sent to the General Council will be forwarded to the countries involved as soon as possible. It is very important that these funds pass through the General Council to ensure good management and good use of these funds which are sometimes vital for precise and definite projects. You can send your funds to:

 

Société de St. Vincent de Paul

Conseil Général International

5, rue du Prés-aux-Clercs

75007 Paris, FRANCE

 

Or by T/T transfer:

Banque CIC- Paris Bac

2 Bd Raspail

75007 Paris, FRANCE

 

Account Nb. FR76 3006 6100 4100 0105 8120 129

Please specify “For the Asian Disaster fund”

                                                          

 

But let us not forget…

…the end of year message of the Holy Father to the Diplomatic Corps : viewing the disasters, he analysed the dramas of the year 2004, inviting us, with regard to the disaster of South-East Asia, not to forget the other calamities which have marked this year : « the cyclones which devastated the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, the plague of desert locusts which ravaged very vast stretches of Western Africa, the savage deeds which have covered Iraq and other states of the world in blood, (…) the inhuman violence inflicted in the population of Darfur, the atrocities carried out on the regions of the Great Lakes in Africa. » 

Thanks to your help, the SVP is, and remains, present in many of these problem areas…

• Programme for the purchase of beds and rebuilding in the Dominican Republic ;
• Financing the purchase of 100 tons of millet for the victims of the desert locusts in Mali ;
• Purchase of mattresses, blankets, clothing, food for the Iraqi refugees in Lebanon ;
• Collaboration with the National Councils of Scotland and England-Wales in order to help the National Council of Sudan to accomplish the provision of help to the refugees from Darfur ;
• Long term work, started 10 years ago in Rwanda: rebuilding, building a multi-purpose centre, dwellings for old persons…