Do you remember still, what were you doing on the 26th December 2004, when the Asian tsunami struck?
It is impossible to forget, I just had suitcases packed for the journey to Sri Lanka. I went there for several years, in Tangalle I had friends. When I heard what happened, I tried to contact with them. After three days, I received a text message from a friend Bathiho: We're fine. But we lost just about everything. We have no money for food, we have no electricity, no water and phone. When the connection starts working, I'll write you all an e-mail. Janatha My brother is dead. A lot of other people. The coast is completely destroyed everything, even our house.
What did you do next?
Immediately, I knew that I must do to help them. I organized a collection among friends and money sent Bathimu, which then for the whole village buy food for two weeks. Then I organized a public collection in Říčany come from, from the proceeds in Tangalle we wanted to build a new school. It finally succeeded - four months after the tsunami, I went to Sri Lanka to lay the foundation stone. I was then already very tired, organization and preparation of the whole collection that building was challenging. I admit that I did not want too much time in these activities continue.
Apparently you but then changed her mind, because you Adro in aid projects continued. How did you get to Adre?
The journey from the airport in Colombo to Tangalle led all around the coast. It is about 200 kilometers, but this time we went for damaged roads all day. During the whole time I was accompanied by the same depressing picture: ruins of houses, shipwrecks, silt, and between all this built tents in which they lived people who lost their homes. In the tropical heat of the tents could be, even in the monsoon rains came, so the tents were several inches of water. Among the people there was also still worried after such a disaster, no one wanted to stay at the coast, but simply had nowhere else to go. After returning, I therefore still with Helena Baranova, who like me organized individual help, she went to Adry up with the idea to build homes for tsunami victims. Together, we then decided to build twenty new houses for the affected families of Tangalle, as it has a kindergarten and a playground.
Thus originated Cheskagama, ie translation Czech village ...
Yes, "gamma" means village, but for "Czech" in Sinhala exist. Therefore, we decided to use our Czech word which is phonetically pronounced Sinhálcům loved it and began using it. Czech Village is compared to projects of other organizations interesting in that its inhabitants come from one district - they are actually Bathiho neighbors - so everyone just moved a few miles away and the original bond between them remained. Because of this, a Czech village embraced her and care for their homes and gardens.
Czech village liked srílanskému and Prime Minister ...
Yes, the adoption of the premiere we finished Sudheer Magaga, Sri Lankan doctor, living in the Czech Republic, which also helped implement projects Adre tsunami. We were expecting it to be a few minutes by the regular audience, but the Prime Minister told us an hour until we were nervous because the protocol we as guests were not allowed to terminate the meeting. The Prime Minister received us in a traditional white skirt - sarong, barefoot, was interested in our humanitarian projects, while I was talking to him Sinhala, even invited us to her on chat ...
You already Adry was an employee and as such you significantly contributed to other projects in Sri Lanka. What were they?
I once went to see as it continues building houses in the Czech village, and Bath took me farther. Directly behind the fence indigenous people lived in shacks that county uplácaných of clay. Far and wide were only these poor families. Tsunami did not affect them directly, and yet, or rather because they lived in worse conditions than people affected by disaster, for which we have built new houses. This, of course, became a source of conflict. So we started to help and starousedlíkům, together they have been able to live together. We built several houses for them, we built a water tank, kitchen waste or in older homes.
A lot of people due to tsunami lost their jobs in order to restore their business, we are handing affected working tools, equipment for workshops or shops, nets fishermen. In Payagale ADRA funded the construction of factory ships, which then got fishermen. The project has gained popularity in the Czech Republic, as the ship bearing the names of people, companies or organizations which have been obtained by means of aid after the tsunami. Employees of T-Mobile had even voted for one ship name theatresand.
It is a project for which you are particularly proud of?
All projects in Sri Lanka were for me a matter of hearts. Maybe I should mention the project but that is not entirely typical. Due to the large amount of funds to pay for the ADRA and the construction of two warning towers in southern Sri Lanka. Before there there was no tsunami warning system, and therefore killed many people. Our two towers were among the top five ranking. Today there are over seventy, and several have already been in operation. Last last April by an earthquake in Indonesia, which was evacuated due to the threat of tsunami coast.
Disaster in Southeast Asia attracted a lot of attention from around the world, some sources state that went for Asia $ 14 billion, while the total damages were estimated at 15 billion. Comparable events, such as the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 and Cyclone Nargis in Burma in 2008, but did not elicit a response. How can you explain it?
Somewhere I read that although the tsunami phenomenon was described and known to humanity lacked historical experience with similarly extensive damage caused by the tsunami. It was the first time in decades that struck in such a force in a densely populated area - after all, the earthquake that caused the tsunami then, one of the five strongest earthquake since 1900. The role played by me and "timing" for Christmas, that were affected popular tourist destination, and the fact that many of the victims were foreigners.
As the disaster had on you personally?
For a long time I was in Sri Lanka could not go into the sea. The ocean is in the south pretty wild, so to me there still happens that in my imagination grows every second oncoming wave to giant proportions. The tall wall of water chasing me in my dreams for years, yet until now, I actually almost did not see any footage. But the story was so much ... One of my friend had found vyplaveného two kilometers from the beach, another acquaintance who had worked at the beach, he told me that the day he invited his friend to the sea, where the tsunami killed, and he continues to blame his death. He said, as a wave broke and how long she was carrying then as he vainly sought his friend. Never forget to say mainly the deafening roar of the ocean when the wave came. I feel like I was there with them.
Film Nothing can make us part is - if you do not deceive me knowledge - the first film version of the tsunami of 2004. It is very suggestive shot and moves people really hard. How impressed you when you got to the events in Asia such personal ties?
Know that circulated on the Internet a lot of real footage of the 2004 tsunami, occurred already and some documentaries. For a long time I have deliberately avoided these shots, and even now I was worried about how I can handle this movie, which comes almost ten years after the disaster. Impressed me even more than I expected. Some parts were up to me physically ill. On the other hand, I gave a lot but. It's good to keep reminding stories of those who have experienced similar events firsthand, we happen to be in a fit of all this "project documentation, logframů, measurable outputs, spreadsheets and budgets" Incidentally, why and for whom we are doing it. That's how ordinary people cope with the tsunami horror of what parents could do and overcome in order to save their children and other people, as reflected in this film is incredible and admirable. I think we should remember that whenever in our comfortable lives, we may feel that we do not see strength.
Nothing can make us part - Czech trailer .
Source: tz ADRA
