Join the Global Village: Unite for Change

Twenty years ago a devastating tsunami hit the beautiful island nation in the south of Asia, Sri Lanka. This event claimed the lives of over 35,000 people ,22,000 injured,damages to 30,000 homes, and 70,000 communities and homes completely destroyed by the waves.

After the tsunami they united to rebuild their lives with the international community coming together to provide aid and support, enabling Sri Lanka to embark on the long road to recovery.However, over 500 million raised for Sri Lanka is missing.The transparency international Sri Lanka said its investigations had revealed a gap between the amount disbursed by foreign aid agencies and what has been spent on relief and recovery projects since the 2004 tsunami.The government says it has been a controversial issue and they simply do not have a credible explanation or any precise evidence to explain the missing sum.

I visited Matara in Sri Lanka and I interviewed families which were affected by the tragedy to tell their stories because this event i feel is forgotten about.While i was there I realised that many of these people still have struggles due to the tsunami such as no electricity, problems with living conditions and just not having the money to repair the damages to their homes from the tsunami. Many of these families rely on fishing for income it isn't sufficient money to live on.They are really poor people that survive on very little money and resources.I met one lovely woman that can't live in her home at the moment and has to stay at a family member's house due to having no ceiling and rain coming through which is really saddening.

At the moment I'm working on a photography exhibition and a documentary to raise awareness which i'm happy to share when i'm done. it is something I'm really passionate about and i would love to make a difference by raising funds so i can get them items such as beds and blankets and repairing houses. We currently have workshops where we visit local schools and towns and we have them paint pots. We also have creative women in Sri Lanka that hand make items such as jewelry, soft toys,bags and more. We are looking to sell them in England and giving back to the community. I would really appreciate your help!!