Exhibition highlights effects of tsunami money

An exhibition to highlight the effects of the Irish public’s massive donations to the tsunami victims is set to open this week.

Trócaire, which works in the four countries worst hit by the disaster - Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and to a lesser extent Thailand – received an unprecedented €29.1m in funding for the St Stephen’s Day disaster.

The exhibition at Trócaire's Dublin resource centre on Cathedral Street aims to show just where the money is going, and how it is helping rebuild the shattered region.

It will be opened tomorrow by overseas development minister Conor Lenihan.

The charity’s director Justin Kilcullen said: “We felt it was very important to show people at home how the money they donated after the disaster was used and what our plans are for the future.

“The people of southeast Asia and those working with them in the rebuilding process face enormous challenges, including trauma healing, job creation, peace-building and the question of land rights.

“All of these areas need to be addressed if the survivors of the tsunami are to experience long term benefits in their communities,” he said.

Communications co-ordinator at Trócaire, Emer Mullins, said the exhibition would feature introductions to the four countries and the effects the disaster had, with video and audio accounts by survivors of the tsunami.

It will also show examples of the work the charity is doing, such as building 100 schools, providing fisherman with new boats and nets, and rehousing families.

“Given the effort people have made to raise the money, which was such an enormous sum to be entrusted with, it was incumbent on us to show what we were doing in all the four countries and also to show there has been concrete progress,” she said.

Of the money donated, 87% has been allocated up to 2008, and Ms Mullins said Trócaire wanted to show the cash was making a difference rather than just sitting in a bank.

“The exhibition will show people building, families being given new jobs, new fishing boats, new houses – we’re trying to create employment, get the economy moving again, help people look after themselves,” Ms Mullins added.

In addition a dedicated website had been set up in Bahasa Indonesian, the official language of the country worst hit by the tragedy, which showed what Trócaire was doing, she said.

“People there didn’t realise gardaí here held a sponsored walk, that people had coffee mornings, that children raised money – it really brought home to them how much the international community was on their side,” she said.

Trócaire received more than €27.7m from the public across Ireland, with €21.8m raised in the Republic and €5.9m in the North.

In addition, 1.5 million euro (£1m) was given by the Government, which pledged €20m overall.

One woman donated her engagement ring, while another person staged a ‘sit-out’ outside the Guildhall in Derry which raised €44,000 for the appeal.

As well as providing emergency relief in the aftermath of the tsunami, Trócaire – through its partner in the region, Caritas – is involved in addressing the long-term challenges, such as building permanent homes, supporting people in land rights claims, training teachers and health workers and working to protect the vulnerable from the effects of any future disasters.

The public can visit the exhibition on Cathedral Street, Dublin, from Tuesday until the end of January.

Trócaire hopes to replicate the exhibition in Belfast and in Cork.