Emergency Relief
Providing help for survivors of floods, famines and earthquakes was the first of CSLI’s projects including
CSLI has provided fund-raising relief support after earthquakes in Turkey (1999), Iran (2003), Pakistan (2005), Haiti (2010), China-Tibet (2010) and tsunamis in Japan (2011) and Sri Lanka (2004 & floods 2011). Other long-term projects in Sri Lanka (education, skills training, micro-credit) were established after relief and grief counselling were first provided through Rose Charity.
Knowing how and where to help most has been a good lesson for us in best using our resources.
In the end we have found having grass-root projects, like we have in Sri Lanka, where we have an intimate, multifaceted, long term relationship with a community, is key for effective change. Emergency relief is essential, but sometimes in the haste of the call for help, resources get lost or are inefficient in reaching the people in need. Charity is no different than business in that success thrives based on the quality of relationship of the people involved, and of the genuine desire to make an improvement in the lives of others through your service. Trust and common understanding are key, good intentions is not enough. Our advice is to work on a local level: if you don’t know the names of the people you are trying to help, you are most likely not making a lasting difference.
