GLOBE

Just a simple story told in letters

« I will not give a penny to any collection, but »

Evelina Rioukhina, UNECE

A charitable collection as a reaction to a disaster is one of the ways of expressing solidarity. The most impressive wave (in this case a symbolic and almost literal wave) of solidarity followed the recent tragic events of the tsunami. It was an astonishing and unprecedented display of solidarity all over the world. Everyone, literally everyone, including children and the aged, in one way or another participated in the collections, including also the United Nations family. I hardly met anyone who was not willing to help, often most generously, or who questioned the purpose. (The courage of United Nations staff was demonstrated also in other ways. UN Special reported this in previous issues and will return to it in the future).
Regretfully, in the midst of all the generosity, while collections were organised all over the world, a few very sceptical articles appeared in the media. Our editorial board also received such a letter, published in this issue of UN Special. It expresses a point of view that I have often met among my close friends, but with which I find it difficult to agree. The letter was hard to read when the events were so tragic and affected so wide a range of countries and nations, causing so great a number of victims. I regret to say that I was very much against publishing it when it came although clearly everybody has his or her own point of view and should be free to express it. While reading the letter I remembered the words of a close friend of mine who wrote to me exactly the same when he learned that I was involved in the collections and related activities. «I will not give a penny to any collection», he said, «neither to our national, nor to your international collections, I do not believe that the money collected will go to the people who most need it or that it will be equitably distributed to the population affected. I know myself what to do».
He then bought an air ticket Zurich-Colombo (he lives in Zurich) and himself flew to Sri Lanka, the country dear to him, the country that he has been visiting for many years, where he closely knows the local people and the Swiss community. He stayed there for a month, and almost daily wrote us letters - diaries reporting on the situation, on how help is being distributed, on what the Swiss community is doing
there, on how the religious community is involved, on the regions badly affected, etc. Here are some extracts from these letters:

14.02.2005
«The first impression briefly - our hotel (the hotel where we – several close friends from different cantons of Switzerland, from Italy, UK and Germany - usually get together every year around mid-August, unfortunately this place was badly hit by the tsunami – note by ER) the hotel where we usually stay when we too go to Sri Lanka and which was badly hit by the tsunami, note by the author of the article) functions well. Restaurant, rooms, swimming pool, pool-bar are in good state. The beach is almost deserted : ten tourists on the whole beach. Everything, literally everything, including all the shops, have disappeared. The boats have been swept from the Port of Beruwela to the road of Galle».

16.02.2005
«I met some of the traders I know and distributed some thousands of rupies to them. The women had tears in their eyes. I hope that now at least several families are happier».

17.02.2005
«I am trying to find the monk. Apparently he left his island. I’ve heard that he is in refugee camp, somewhere near Colombo, I asked that a message be passed to him that I wanted to see him. Apparently
his island was badly affected and it was dangerous to stay on this island (Buddhist monk Rev. W. Sarananda Thero from tiny holy island-temple of Panchakapaduwa- ER). As soon as I get more information, I will let you know».

20.02.2005
«Today finally I found the monk and passed him your letter. He is grateful for your help and will write you (he did already! – ER). He works very hard. He organises help for the western coast of the island and went there for some time. He helps to distribute supplies for the schools: school books and other necessities for the children. The weather is excellent here».

24.02.2005
Today I went to Allutghama to see the scale of destruction there. Some parts of the village are badly hit. I tried to find the rice shops and the people from these shops, from the place where you were taking photos for your “rice” book. This place does not exist any longer, or it exists only at your photos. Incidentally, have you published any of those (Yes, I did, two of them are included in the “Rice” book! – ER).

26.02.2005
«I have heard and I have read in the local newspapers that the international help to the victims of tsunami is in full power. Besides the international help, there is a huge wave of help by individuals who have come from Switzerland, Germany and elsewhere and who do a lot for the homeless.»

28.02.2005
«I met with the president of the local Swiss community (the lady whom you met here last year) she helps with her own money buying clothes, food and the construction of ten houses. More news soon».

02.03.2005
«Two months after the catastrophe the situation in this region is quiet. Little by little life recovers. What is needed for this country are tourists! Thirty persons are staying in our hotel. In the region worst affected in the south they still find bodies, but everywhere the help is in full swing, sometimes, I have the impression that there is too much of it, a constant stream of helicopters transporting goods. It is very hot, 36 degrees !!!»

05.03.2005
«Now it is really hot here - 41 degrees today! Not a single drop of rain. I make long excursions, as we did last summer and visit all neighbouring hotels to see the situation and damage there. Some hotels are not affected at all, but the beached are deserted.»

08.03.2005
«This will be my last card. The weather is always wonderful. And it is always very hot. As I have seen that there is a lot of help provided to the victims of tsunami in the region and in the South, I have helped one school that is particularly badly off in the village: 62 children had no school uniform, nor even bottles for water, not a single schoolbook. So I have bought them all this. Regards and soon back to Switzerland!»

PS. It is clear that not all of us can buy a ticket and go to the other side of the Globe to help. That is why many of us participate in the collections, the least that most of us can do to express solidarity. The story above is one of the numerous examples of different ways expressing solidarity. From the TV and newspapers we know that many persons, sceptical about the collections, did the same; others, who could not afford to pay themselves for such a journey, nonetheless volunteered for work in the affected areas, taking leave from their jobs in Europe to do so. To give or not to give a penny is not the question, there are different ways of participating and of moral accounting which cannot always be measured in terms of pennies or euros.