Ambrosian to help tsunami

April 7, 2005
By Christine Mastalio
Features Editor

Traveling to a region in Sri Lanka, which was devastated by the December tsunami and a second earthquake afterwards, is the realization of a dream for St. Ambrose University’s director for Global Affairs Michel Pontarelli.

Pontarelli’s goal for the last several years has been to do disaster relief work in the United States and the rest of the world on her vacations when her youngest son graduated from high school. Her son is still in high school, but Pontarelli’s goal is coming true.

On April 14, she and her sister from New Jersey will leave to spend two weeks working in a tent city south of Columbo, the capital of Sri Lanka. Another week will be devoted to travel, as the flight from New York to Dubai takes 15 hours.

The tent city currently is home to around 3,000 victims of the disaster. Volunteers will be working with the orphaned children in the camp or helping local residents to clean up the beaches around their former homes.

“My sister and I have made an agreement that we will not bring back children,” Pontarelli said. “We are certain that once we see the orphans the natural desire would be to bring them home and take care of them. We do realize this could be emotionally very difficult for us.

The sisters are going through an organization known as i-to-i, which sends volunteers all over the world to teach English, rehabilitate sick wild animals, build houses for the poor, and, of course, assist with the aftermath of the tsunami. It is one of the few international organizations that accept volunteers with little experience and a limited amount of time.

Pontarelli has been training through the local Red Cross for disaster relief for almost two years, but the Red Cross is asking for a four month commitment from tsunami relief workers.

“I-to-I was an organization that was already present in their country,” Pontarelli said. “Their help was welcomed by the people. It’s kind of this new trend thing. I’m actually paying to go work.”

The trip will cost Pontarelli $900, not including airfare or meals during travel. Her sister offered to pay for the trip, but Pontarelli is still trying to raise money to assist the people in the tent city. She set up an account at Wells Fargo and donation checks can be made to QC Cares. The last group to go bought materials to construct much needed clotheslines for the displaced citizens of Sri Lanka.

“I will send [donators] an email so they will see exactly where their money goes,” Pontarelli said. “A lot of people want to give to disaster relief but they’re afraid if they give to a national relief the money doesn’t go to the people.”

Pontarelli said her family is worried about another earthquake occurring, and she thinks the trip will be both physically and emotionally difficult.

Close to 40,000 people were killed in disaster in Sri Lanka alone and tens of thousands more homes were destroyed.

“[Doing something] is just kind of in my nature when I see something like this, even if it was something here in the United States,” Pontarelli said. “I just like to get in there and push my sleeves up and help.

Back to the FEATURES-PAGE or "The Buzz" HOMEPAGE