First Steps Toward a Brighter Future

Mercy Corps emergency team member Susan Romanski distributes shoes near Pottuvil, Sri Lanka. Photo: Mercy Corps

While longer-term efforts to rebuild Sri Lanka's ruined coastal towns are underway, simple things can still make a difference.

As the Mercy Corps team was doing assessments at a camp in Akkaraipattu, located in eastern Sri Lanka's Ampara district, they noticed a need for children's shoes. They acted quickly to address this need, buying over 200 pairs and distributing them that same day. It may seem small but, during this time of grief and recovery, it's one less thing for the 1000 families living in this camp to worry about.

Mercy Corps' Sri Lanka relief effort, headed by Susan Romanski, has spent the past two weeks deftly assessing continually-changing situations and adapting to the most urgent needs of families who have lost everything. Romanski, a ten-year veteran of emergency operations, has spearheaded critical Mercy Corps responses in troubled areas such as Liberia, Iran and Sudan. In addition to providing essential supplies to families, Romanski and her team also specialize in bridging the gap between immediate assistance and more long-term solutions for communities.

Romanski's work with Mercy Corps was recently highlighted on Oprah Winfrey's "After the Show" program on cable television's Oxygen network. The Angel Network, a charitable foundation started by Winfrey, recently donated $1 million to fund relief and rebuilding efforts in this part of Sri Lanka.

The town of Pottuvil, near the Akkaraipattu camp, was almost completely destroyed by the surging tsunami. Authorities estimate that 5,740 people died in Pottuvil, 600 of whom were children. Today, well over 3,000 people are in makeshift shelters in town.

The damage to local buildings and infrastructure is unbelievable: 2,179 houses, 7 religious sites, 7 schools and 208 commercial buildings (such as hotels and restaurants) were all decimated. The fishing and tourist industries that supported Pottuvil's economy are in shambles.

Mercy Corps will be in this part of Sri Lanka, helping communities heal and rebuild, for years to come. Effective long-term solutions are sorely needed - but, for now, a couple hundred pairs of shoes are helping Sri Lankan children take their first steps toward a brighter future.