Chasing Away the Spirits

Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps

Last December’s tsunami turned the popular tourist resort of Arugam Bay, in southeastern Sri Lanka, into a ghost town. On both sides of the main avenue, reminders of death and suffering were everywhere. Cars and taxis, battered like tin cans, had been tossed against palm trees. The walls of hotels and cafés had collapsed, their signboards loose amid the rubble.

It’s no wonder the local villagers were loathe to remain in their homes after dark. The entire area, even to an unflappable western visitor, seemed haunted.

“The villagers were afraid to come back to their homes at night, because so many people had died in the area,” observed Viji Krishnamoorthy, Mercy Corps’ program manager in Arugam Bay. “It was a fear of spirits. So people were cleaning up the area around their houses by day, then returning to the refugees camps at night.”

One local businessman, Ranga, wanted to make people more comfortable in their own village. Before the tsunami he’d owned the well-known Beach Hut, a tourist lodge popular enough to be included in the Lonely Planet guide to Sri Lanka. If people had electrical lighting after dark, Ranga decided, they’d be willing to stick around their homes. Ranga had the skills to make this happen; all he needed was an organization willing to give him a hand.

Mercy Corps provided a 2.5 megawatt generator as well as 25,000 rupees (about US$250) to provide 1,700 meters of wiring and an ample supply of light bulbs. Ranga erected temporary poles, providing light to 15 family homes in Ullai, on Arugam Bay.

“The lighting alone hasn’t been totally responsible for people returning to Arugam Bay,” admits Ms. Krishnamoorthy. “There are other reasons, as well. But we did speak to people, who said they feel more comfortable coming back to their homes because of the lighting. It definitely helped provide a sense of security.”

In this case, Mercy Corps, in partnership with the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, used its resources and flexibility to fulfill a simple yet critical need.

“This was a small request; one guy asking to put up lights in his neighborhood,” Viji remarked. “Mercy Corps saw it as a way to fill in the gaps, and help bring life back to Arugam Bay.”