DONATIONS

WE ARE KEEPING THIS SECTION OF THE SITE UNTIL WE GET A NEW SITE DESIGNED

The Tsunami waves in Arugam Bay reached more than 40ft above sea level. They devasted the place. Many hundreds of people lost their lives. Livelihoods, too, have been destroyed in this already poor area.

The East coast has been ravaged for years by the political troubles in Sri Lanka, and since the peace deal was signed in 2002, people here had been rebuilding their lives and their community - making this disaster all the more tragic.

Three months have now passed, and the Bay remains in very bad shape. Rubble and debris litter the entire bay, crumpled vehicles and broken boats lie by the side of the road. Shells of buildings stand empty. Former inhabitants live ten at a time in makeshift tents.

If so inclined, there are many ways you may contribute to the regeneration. Please feel free to put forward any " class="style1">queries or comments

DIRECT TO A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY

If you have visited Arugam Bay before, you might find information on your host or someone you know here. If you wish, you may then make transfers direct to their bank. If your friend is not on the list, please send us an " class="style1">email. We look forward to bringing more to the www. If you haven't visited before, you might want to 'sponsor' a local person.

We would prefer you made the donation direct to their bank account, however, you can also use your credit card. Please include the name of the recipient. (see bottom of page)

ARUGAM BAY MOSQUE

The Mosque, in the centre of Arugam Bay, has been working overtime since the tsunami struck – providing spiritual and psychological support to help the local community deal with their tremendous loss. More than 300 people attend the mosque on Fridays.

Like most buildings in Arugam Bay, the mosque was flooded by the tsunami waves, sustaining significant structural damage. Funds are needed to repair walls, renovate the school building, to provide prayer mats, cooling fans, and building materials. Helping the mosque is one of the broadest ways to help the community in Arugam Bay.

If you would like to donate to the Mosque, please send an " class="style1">email, and we shall send you the banking details. The Mosque president, Mr MCM Hasan, may be contacted on +94 (0)77 633 2564.

INTEREST FREE LOANS - NOW DISCONTINUED

We consider helping the local economy to be the most effective way to help this area right now. We feel that micro-loans, rather than free grants, are the way to go. These are administered by The Tsunami Hotel. Our rationale is that by providing loans to people to restart their businesses:

a) they are provided with the means to support themselves and their families in the future
b) their minds are occupied and looking to the future with some hope (and other people are helped psychologically by seeing the Bay moving forward)
c) some basic infrastructure is provided
d) Since it is a loan, a culture of dependency is not fostered (as has been the effect of certain NGO activity)
e) Loan repayments are pooled and use to finance similar schemes, thus the fund is preserved and remains active, rolling over for many years to come.

We have around four thousand dollars of donations being utilised in this way, with eleven recipients. Loans have a delayed initial repayment, and a generous payment schedule pre-agreed with the borrower. Great care is taken to establish recipients. One constraint in this regard has been that, due to holding only modest funds, we could look only at very micro businesses to make any impact at all. Actually, more to the point, there is a huge surplus of excellent candidates - for example, all the people on this list, and many more besides who didn't make the 'registration' days. With more donations, we look forward to helping restore the livelihoods of as many as possible.

We can honestly say that we are delighted with the progress made by all recipients. It is simply impossible on our budget to help everyone here. But it gives us a sense of great satisfaction that eleven people, with families, have lives that are, at least in some way, back on track. Each one had built up their businesses alone over many years (and very tough years on the East Coast). All had had their business, and in many cases members of their family, washed away in a single morning.

You can make a donation via pay-pal. Put "micro-loans' in the comments section of the pay-pal site.

YASEEN ALIYAR BUILDING PROJECT

One special project close to our heart is the reconstruction effort of Mr Yaseen Aliyar. Yaseen was born in Arugam Bay, and has worked in the local Bank Of Ceylon for 30 years, being manager there for 12 years. Yaseen’s family lived in the “20 houses” estate at the North end of the bay, behind the Stardust Hotel. .

In terms of loss of life, ‘20 houses’ was the area hardest hit in Arugam Bay. 125 people died there, including 31 members of Yaseen’s family (listed here).

2 brothers in law
Sister’s 4 Grandchildren
Niece’s son and daughter
Sister’s 8 Grandchildren
Brother’s Grand-daughter
Niece’s husband’s 3 nephews/nieces
Nephew’s 3 children
Nephew’s son and daughter
Niece’s 3 children
Nephew’s son
Niece’s daughter and Son

Yaseen’s goal is to rebuild houses for the homeless people of 20 houses, beginning with a home for his two nieces - which shall house 8 people in total. The cost of this modest house is approximately US$5,000, which includes a kitchen, bathroom, 2 bedrooms and a well for water. A plot of land has already been arranged for the building.

Yaseen is a well known and highly respected member of the community. We at the Tsunami Hotel are happy to give our full support to his project.

If you would like to donate to Mr Aliyar, please send us an " class="style1">email and we shall provide his bank details and direct contact numbers.

THE TSUNAMI HOTEL

We are also victims of the tsunami !! We too have been wiped out without insurance! Apart from the removal of two loads of rubble (and we did 70 ourselves), we have recieved US$138 worth of aid. Six years of hard work and sacrifice gone in a day...and a colossal task ahead, well beyond our humble means. We appeal for help too.

EVERY SINGLE RUPEE of funds donated to us so far has be spent on help EXTERNAL to The Tsunami Hotel.

MAKING A DONATION:

You can make a donation NOW to any of the above causes. You can TT direct to recipients in many cases (which we'd prefer), or you can use VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS or your DISCOVER cards.

On our secure payment site you MUST include exactly how you want your donation allocated. Do this in the "Message to Seller" box on the payment page when you make your donation. Donations less than US$100 can only nominate a single beneficiary. If no instructions are given, the 'default setting' for your donation shall be discretionary as to what we feel is most effective. Under no circumstances shall money be used for the tsuanmi hotel unless specified as such.

The Small Print

We offer a channel to give Independent Relief to Arugam Bay, WE ARE NOT A CHARITY.

If no instructions are received on your donation, the 'default setting' shall be discretionary as to what we feel is most effective at that time.

Note: While it would a simple matter for us to divert donations for our own cause 'without anyone knowing', WE would always know what we had done. We consider this kind of activity poisonous to our future, and it's not our way. We have serious respect for the karmic implications of our actions. We hope you feel you can trust us.