Thousands of people were deeply affected by the Tsunami disaster in Sri Lanka. Batticaloa, Killinochchi, Mullaitivu and other towns in the Northeast of Sri Lanka that had barely recovered from the ravages of the civil war that has rocked this island nation for decades was the hardest hit.  Several Sri Lankans from New England have ties to this region and have family members who have perished in the Tsunami tragedy.  The politics of the island also makes it difficult for aid to reach affected parties in this region.

Manitha Neyam Trust, Inc. , an IRS Approved charitable organization was originally established to support children who were orphaned during the civil war.  The US branch works closely with the Sri Lankan branch to collect funds and disburse them appropriately. They already have contacts in the Northeast region which enables them to divert aid appropriately. They have a journal on their describing their activities. Here is a page from the journal entry on January 12, 2005

Activities of Manitha Neyam Trust, Sri Lanka
 
January 12, 2005

380 packages containing Milk food, dry food & toilet requisites were distributed to 2 remote villages – Pottuvil and Komari in the South Eastern Sri Lanka on January 09.

Kitchen utensils, rubber slippers and materials for school uniforms for 1,000 families are being procured for dispatch to the Batticaloa district in Eastern, Sri Lanka.

Kitchen utensils, rubber slippers and toilet requisites for 250 families and 200 Bicycles are being procured for dispatch to the Killinochchi district in the Vanni area, Sri Lanka.

Kitchen utensils, Milk Food, Biscuits for children, rubber slippers and toilet requisites for 1,000 families are being procured for dispatch to the Mullaitivu district in the Vanni area, Sri Lanka.

The shops in Colombo are finding it difficult to deliver the items over the counter and there is likely to be a delay of a week to 10 days to dispatch the items to Batticaloa, Killinochchi and Mullaitivu.

Data is being collected for the requirements of the Jaffna district in Northern Sri Lanka

Housing for displaced persons and other long term needs.
 
It is very important that the affected families are provided with permanent accommodation and boats with fishing nets so that they would be able to get their livelihood with the least possible delay.

We have initiated a dialogue with local builders and called for quotations for a basic small house with two rooms, a verandah, small kitchen and water seal latrine with squatting pan.  We are also looking for boats and fishing nets which are in short supply at the moment but the government is taking immediate steps to build required boats.

For further information about their work please check their website at

http://www.manithaneyam.org

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