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Second
Anniversary Update
UUSC tsunami relief factsheet (PDF)
IN THE NEWS
VISUALS
SURVIVAL STORIES
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UUSC tsunami relief on Chronicle TV |
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The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee was one of several regional organizations selected by WCVB-TV Channel 5, the ABC network affiliate in Boston, to feature on a special one-hour presentation Jan. 6 of “Chronicle” newsmagazine entitled “Turning the Tide – New England Responds.” The following is an account from Channel 5's website, TheBostonChannel.com. To watch the video clip of this broadcast, click here.
It's putting local organizations, like the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee in Cambridge, Mass., to an immediate test. "We have had an overwhelming response. Our website has been so busy that people have had their attempts rejected because there are three coming in at the same time," UUSC President Charlie Clements said. "Our partners have identified needs. We have already begun providing assistance there, and slowly a bigger picture will emerge. Then, there could be better coordination between relief agencies and the communities in need." On a conference call, Clements spoke to relief worker Aguswandi in London, who is from the province in Indonesia that was hardest hit by the tsunami. "What the government needs the most, even more than aid at the moment, is assistance with forensic identification. They have thousands of bodies, and they want to bury them to minimize the public health risk," Clements said. The Service Committee is offering support in other areas as well. "We are trying to focus on the rehabilitation of livelihood. These are fishing villages. We want to get them fishing as soon as possible. So, we are focusing on repairing the fishing boats, on helping people to get nets and repairing equipment," Indian native Alpheen Manachery said. She said that restoring her country's fishing industry is vital, so she turned to her fellow parishioners at St. Julia's Church in Weston, Mass., for help. "Everyone is asking, 'How can I help?' So, I put my arms around something we can do," she said. "So, the fishermen of south India is where my brother is helping. He has an organization called Accord, and he's helping the Fishermen's Federation in south India." Manachery will make sure that all the money donated from St. Julia's will go directly to the fishing villages in India. She plans to deliver the donations in person next week. To date, billions of dollars worldwide have been placed in the tsunami relief effort. "I think if you look back in history that tragedy sometimes does act as a spring board for change," Clements said. "I think one of the things that has happened is the two factions fighting in Sri Lanka have now put down their arms. This might lead to a permanent truce. Both sides are focused on the future, so it might be that out of this, there could be enduring peace in Sri Lanka." |
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