No. 0679 (Nhị Ðộ Mai dịch)

Making effective use of funds
Sean Augustin

Dec 18:

IN a Buddhist temple in Hikkaduwa, Galle, a three-hour drive from Colombo, a group of children interact merrily with Malaysian actress Ida Nerina.
Spared by the tsunami that devastated other parts of the country, Aceh, Thailand and parts of Malaysia, the temple became a makeshift stage for drama workshops.

The workshop is part of the Sunera Foundation’s Theatre Outreach Project which uses drama tools as therapy to help victims cope with the disaster in Galle, Ampara, Matara, Jaffna, Hambantota and Trincomalee.

Ida, the project’s spokesperson, recorded a video diary when she was there in early November.

The project is one of six funded by the Force of Nature aid foundation (FON), which most Malaysians recognise as the concert organiser that brought in a multitude of performers, including the Black Eyed Peas, Wyclef Jean and Anastasia.

Thus far, the organisation has spent RM1.5 million of the RM12 million collected from the concert.

But FON chief executive officer Steve McCoy is not rushing to spend the funds.

Apart from the fact that their spending is based on a cycle, the organisation has plans to use the funds effectively.

"Giving money is easy, but using money responsibly is difficult," he said.

"If throwing money at a problem would solve it we would have certainly done so. But in this case, money isn’t the problem."

That is why the projects funded by FON are long-term and revolve around developing human capital, like the remedial teaching programme to improve academic performances of students.

There is also the sponsorship of Acehnese medical students who had to complete their final year in other medical colleges when their Zainal Abidin Hospital in Banda Aceh was destroyed.

As with the medical students, FON collaborated with the Muslim Professional Forum (MPF) to finance the living expenses of a 100 final year students.

"Without the college, students had no patients for practice so we sent them around Indonesia to complete their studies," said McCoy.

Other projects include the setting up of an engineering faculty to help in the reconstruction of Aceh and a two-year project with Kyoto University to study solutions in the rebuilding of affected areas.

The response to the projects has been great and the foundation is encouraged by the co-operation shown by the local community.

"It’s a real privilege to witness the unity of the people of Aceh, which puts us in a good position to facilitate the aid," McCoy said.

But relief efforts have their share of problems with bureaucracy and corruption, both frustrating tasks. The biggest problem though may be the generosity itself.

"The tsunami was one of the best-funded disasters and it became a case of too many cooks. There was very little communication and co-ordination and this meant some communities got more than they needed."

Haphazard planning by other campaigns also saw winter clothing sent to Sri Lanka and consumed by cows while a consignment in Banda Aceh has yet to be distributed.

"We can’t carry on like this. We have to learn to work smarter," said McCoy.

Currently, the foundation is ironing out details with MPF to help the next batch of medical students in Aceh.

On Monday, the "Tsunami — One Year On" campaign will be launched to raise public awareness on survivors and their needs.

From Dec 26 till Jan 2, the foundation is organising an exhibition, which Malaysian actress Datuk Michelle Yeoh is scheduled to attend with the Malaysian Chinese Photojournalist Association showcasing about 170 pictures of Aceh and Sri Lanka.

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/National/20051218084822/Article/indexb_html