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Tsunami victims live through worst time
Squeezing in the
Yananandaramaya temple in the coastal town Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka, 125
homeless families lead a quiet and calm life, a reminder that the worst time of
the tsunami disaster has faded away. Most of the families now focus on picking up their shattered
lives and starting anew. Yet it will take a longer time for them to recover from
the aftermath as thousands of refugees in Sri Lanka still congregate in temples,
camps, and churches. With children frolicking outside, hundreds of displaced
people are distributed in every corner of a large house in Yananandaramaya
temple, chatting or sleeping. They seem to have suspended mourning their loss,
but long much for space, food and other relief to live on.
Eight-year-old girl Saduni Samanmaly is dedicating herself
to drawing a house. Her genuine house was swept away by the giant water, which
her family fortunately survived. "I am drawing a house. My papa, mama, my sister
and I live in the house," said Saduni, pointing to her works drawn with a
pencil. Saduni is lucky enough to be able to continue her education
as a grade two student at a primary school that stands intact. Despite the
devastation, schools in Sri Lanka are scheduled to reopen Monday. "I love books
and school," the little girl grinned. In Sri Lanka, some 798 schools in 14 districts are being
used as temporary refugee camps. Restarting these schools will be a problem for
the government, as alternative places are yet to be found for those displaced.
Nadesha and her family live in a corner enclosed by three
stools, a six square meter "room." Sitting on one stool, Nadesha' s mother is
having dinner, a plate of rice and a bottle of water provided by the government.
With the world huge relief going on, the country is trying
out to alleviate the physical and mental pains brought about by the tsunami
disaster. The recovery road, however, is still long one. "Our house was destroyed by the tsunami, we are expecting
our government's help. We want to restart our lives," said 17-year-old
Nadesha. |
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