One year on...

“I want to go back home. I'm not a beggar. I don't want to sit here in this camp and wait for people to come and donate to me. Let me go back to my own piece of land. I'll take my kids and I'll start my life. All I need is some cadjan and a few poles to put up a shelter and I will restart my life.”

Ten days after the Tsunami hit, this is what Arum, a widow with three children, told me when I visited her camp in Trincomalee. Two months ago, I visited her again. She is back on her own land living in a semi-temporary shelter with a cement floor, timber walls and a tin roof. She has started growing vegetables and onions with seeds she received from Sewalanka and German Agro Action's joint program in the area. Her children are back in school.

There are thousands of stories around the country of survivors like Arum. As we commemorate the one year anniversary of the Tsunami disaster, we not only remember those who lost their lives, but also the strength and courage of the survivors who have picked up the pieces and moved forward. It is particularly important that those of us who offer our support—international NGOs, local organizations, government agencies, private companies, concerned citizens—see this strength and remember that we are providing assistance to survivors, not victims.

In the urgency of a disaster situation, it seems that this is often forgotten. Most relief and rehabilitation programs focus on providing for and planning for the affected people. Often families are kept in camps while resettlement plans are made, housing schemes are built, and infrastructure is restored. Sewalanka has been working in the conflict-affected areas of the north and east for the past 12 years, and we have seen the impact of this approach to relief and rehabilitation.

In our experience, relief and rehabilitation need to be seen as part of a longer process of development. The main actors in this process are the affected people themselves. Rather than giving hand outs and making plans on their behalf, we need to focus on their strength, their capacity, and most importantly, their desire to restart their lives with dignity.