UPDATE MARCH 2006

Sando is an incredible survivor that we met in the fishing village of Navalladi. Through our friend and interpretor Nazli we learned that Sando had lost his entire family to the tsunami, 56 members in total. None of us can imagine the pain he has suffered.

On that morning he was awakened by his son crying about a monster in the sea. Sando ran out of his home to see a wall of water rushing towards the village. In desperation he helped his family into nearby trees.  After the first wave receded they all raced to the river with hopes of crossing it. As Sandos watched his mother, wife and daughter start out in a boat he saw the second wave coming down the river. They were washed away in an instant. Once again Sando helped his remaining children into a tree but the force was too great. They too were swept away. Sandos, considered the strongest man in his village was unable to hold on.

As we walked through the remains of his village we learned that Sando was a carpenter. He told us the government had been very slow to help with the rebuilding of his village but if he could just get some tools he could start the process. With donations provided to us prior to our second trip to Sri Lanka, we purchased the neccessary tools and Sando has begun to rebuild his home and the homes of others with help of other men in the village, providing both shelter and employment.