It has been nine months since massive waves devastated South East Asia in December; wiping out homes, businesses, schools, individuals, families and entire villages. Countless media stories have followed the millions in donations being made. Still, even with checks and balances and a renewed commitment to ensuring funds get to where they're supposed to go, difficulties persist. Corrupt government officials, military control, armed rebel groups and humanitarian violations all challenge aid distribution.
KAIROS, Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, reports that aid distribution in Aceh, Indonesia, is particularly difficult because of the civil war. One of the hardest-hit areas, with 160,000 dead and 600,000 left homeless, getting aid to locals is greatly needed. The area is under strict military control, and aid is used as a means of further controlling and dividing the population, said Connie Sorio, coordinator of Asia Pacific Partnerships at KAIROS. She said human rights violations, such as torture, sexual assault and random arrests are becoming more common.
Recent claims that millions of aid dollars meant for relief in Aceh are missing due to corruption, inefficient bureaucracies and political fighting, has spurred the World Bank to develop plans to make it easier for businesses to provide funding for emergency efforts and determine how their dollars can be maximized with tips for dealing with governments and aid agencies.
Similar problems exist in Sri Lanka where the Tamil Tigers, a rebel group, controls the northern and eastern parts of the country, and the government the rest. Squabbles over aid distribution have the two sides close to ending their ceasefire. The Tamil regions received about 58 per cent of the damage in Sri Lanka, but a $3 billion US aid sharing deal was recently blocked. And, Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapakse, was accused of misappropriating tsunami aid but police found no evidence of wrong-doing.
According to Rick Fee, director of Presbyterian World Service & Development, many aid distribution problems can be alleviated by using local groups and AGO's instead of pursuing the bureaucracy and red tape of official government agencies. Even well-intentioned actions, such as the Indian government's distribution of 100,000 rupees (about $2,800 Cdn) to the next-of-kin of persons killed by the tsunami, often have problems. In this case, the money is often deposited into a bank account and some women don't know how to access them. Furthermore, while the Indian government is doing well to re-build the infrastructure in larger areas, Human Rights Watch reports that smaller, ravaged islands have been overlooked.
"Because NGOs have been active from before the tsunami, they're in a good position to help local groups mobilize," said Fee. "In the past, they have been strong lobbyists to try to get government services to people, such as electricity and roads. Therefore, NGOs are an advocate for people who might have fallen though the social cracks."
Despite difficulties, Presbyterians are doing their share to help tsunami victims. They contributed more than $1.3 million to the church's tsunami appeal, with an additional $747,956 in matching funds from the Canadian government. PWS&D is part of the fourth largest tsunami aid project approved by the federal government in its matching funds program. The $6 million project in India, and a $3 million initiative in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand is a joint venture. Fee said he signed the cheque at the end of July, and $1.5 million is on its way.
Because many of the victims were marginalized even before the disaster, improving their conditions and livelihood are a top priority. "We're committed to giving them a place to stand, and a place to grow," said Fee. "We're addressing fundamental human rights issues, and trying to assist people to move forward in their own lives, and if such a disaster were to happen again, they wouldn't be as adversely affected by it."
Sorio said it's important to note that Presbyterians, whether by distributing aid through PWS&D or supporting KAIROS are significantly involved in the relief effort.
