Volume XWII, Issue 16
Educating Women To Excel
February 9 ,2005
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Music
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Single-Gender
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Cultural
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Campus
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Sri Lanka Native Reports to “Tide of Hope” Team
Meredith’s
Weekly Weather
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KELLY JONES
Contributing Writer
On Thursday, February 3,
2005, Tony Andrady. presi
dent of Carolina-Sri Lanka
Friendship, provided insight
to Meredith’s "A Tide of
Hope’’ team. The 10-mem-
ber team, led by Campus
Minister Sam Carothers,
is organizing Meredith’s
tsunami relief efforts.
Andrady is a United States
citizen originally from Sri
Lanka. He gave his per
sonal testimony of being
in Sri Lanka on December
26, 2004, the day the dev
astating tsunami struck.
Although Andrady was not
in the area of Sri Lanka that
suffered the greatest dam
age, he witnessed the effects
around the city of Colombo.
“I saw the desperation
and panic in the eyes of
the people,” said Andrady.
“Being exposed to that
scale of human confusion
somehow transforms you.”
According to Andrady,
societal damages are even
greater than the economic
impact. In a culture where
people live very close to
gether and personal rela
tionships with their ex
tended family are valued,
social displacement has
become an important issue.
“People have been iso
lated suddenly,” Andrady
said. “Between the social
displacement, the lack of re
lationships and the creation
of orphans - they weren't
equipped. No one would be
equipped to handle that.”
Andrady described an indi
vidual he knew who lost 40
ofhis relatives in the disaster.
Because victims have
lost relationships, Andrady
encourages aid to assist
-^infTahie
Tsnami victim in
their emotional needs, such
as counseling. He said that
the coastal fishery industry,
which makes up 10 percent
of Sri Lanka’s Gross Nation
al Product (GNP) has been
severely affected because
the surviving fishermen are
“hesitant to go back to oc
cupations that will put them
into contact with the sea.”
“There has to be some bright
light in this,” Andrady be
lieves. He advised the team
that personal contact is im
portant for the victims. He
believes the victims need
to see people coming to
interact with them, to see
what went wrong and to
help them. Andrady encour
aged an educational trip to
document and preserve the
experience of this tragedy.
Andrady promotes aid to
help the long-term relief
effort. “Things will go on
for months to come,” he
said. He pointed out that
the orphaned children will
need up to 10 tol2 years of
care and that it takes time
for aid to “trickle down.”
“It can take six weeks
for millions of dollars
to provide even one loaf
of bread,” Andrady said.
Andrady also said poor
water supply and contami
nation of wells are concerns.
He says “a lot of things need
to be rebuilt,” and schools.
Sri LanKa photo courletv of V
clinics, orphanages and
homes need to be refurbished.
“Little projects make a dif-.
ference,” Andrady says, even
if it is sending school supplies
or paying the $25 or $30 a
month needed to feed, clothe
and educate one orphan.”
He added, “All ac
tivities would be
greatly appreciated."
The "A Tide of Hope”
team has begun a two-phase
plan to coordinate both Mer
edith’s immediate and long-
range relief efforts for victims
of the Indian Ocean tsunami.
Meredith’s immediate ef
forts, referred to as Phase 1,
have set a goal of $25,000 to
support Save the Children,
an international, four-star
charity founded in 1932. All
of the fiands from Phase I
will go to Save the Children.
Save the Children is dedi
cated to helping some of this
disaster’s most innocent and
powerless victims. It cur
rently aims to help children
and families in Indonesia
as well as the coastal ar
eas of India and Sri Lahka.
Among Save the Children’s
top priorities are providing
shelter and other protection
services, reuniting children
with family members and
organizing activities to help
restore a sense of normalcy.
At this point. $2,805 has
been raised for Phase I. Do
nations for
Phase I should
go to Caroth-
ers's office in
Jones Chapel.
Checks can be
made payable
to Sov’e the
Children. The
checks will be
mailed to the
organization,
and the donors
VK mapoction. org will receive a
charitable gift
confirmation for tax purpos
es. Groups who have fund
raisers can also bring cash
to Carothers which will be
deposited into a special ac
count. As the funds build,
checks willbe issued from the
college to Save the Children.
Carothers said, “Everyone
knows that this is a reach, but
there is a sense that Meredith
must respond to this disaster;
and I am hearing of more
and more fimdraising events
being planned by smdents,"
The committee also wants to
work toward a more focused
and individualized response
called Phase 11. Phase 11 will
seek to support relief efforts
in Sri Lanka concerning
more specific needs. Approx
imately $300 has been raised
for Phase II. Checks for this
phase should be made pay
able to Meredith College,
Carothers adds, “It is im
portant that campus groups
or individuals be clear as
to whether they are giv
ing funds for Phase 1 or
Phase II as these are sepa
rate college accounts for
different relief initiatives.”