March 11, 2005

Student group raises funds for construction in tsunami-afflicted region

by Tom Murray

March 11, 2005 – A newly formed campus organization, the International Relief Student Organization (IRSO), is offering University of Alberta students the chance to help out with tsunami relief and rehabilitation efforts at the grassroots level. The group’s first major project is construction of a community hall in the devastated region of Thirumullaivasal, India.

“The actual community centre itself is going to serve about a thousand people,” said IRSO spokesperson Jessica Barnecutt. “It’ll have a number of functions, one of them being as a library for the area and a place where students can study. It’ll also be a place where women, especially widows, can go and learn a skill, especially if they’ve lost their livelihood. It’s a fishing village, so a lot of people lost their livelihoods after the tsunami. This will be a chance for them to get training so they can rebuild their lives.”

“One of the (IRSO) organizers actually has family pretty near there, so they knew exactly what the problems were with the community,” said Barnecutt.

Political science student and IRSO organizer Suneil Parmar will be in the area to help supervise the project fieldwork. In a departure from traditional fundraising, where the relief organization dictates how and where the money will be spent, the group will instead try a different route. Rather than having IRSO dictate what is needed for the community, local residents have a hand in deciding where the money would be best used. The group will also be keeping in contact with the community, and looking at other ways to improve the quality of life in the region. “This is actually just our first project there. After that, we’re hopefully looking at building a school,” Barnecutt said.

IRSO started in the wake of tsunami relief efforts, when the outpouring of support from Edmontonians was at its highest.

“People began collecting money, and it formed within two weeks of that,” Barnecutt said. “It was actually at that time that people realized there was a need for a group of students who, when things like this happen, they’ve got the connections and can actually do something and raise some serious money.”

The group’s mandate is to provide financial support for the victims of natural disasters and channel it towards attenuating human sufferings without discrimination. IRSO also promotes mutual understanding, friendship, cooperation and respect amongst its members. The members of IRSO also hope to avoid quick-fix solutions.

“A lot of people felt that giving to the Red Cross was great, and very generous, but that’s instant relief – nobody really thought of the long term,” Barnecutt said. “This is obviously a project that would affect people’s lives forever.”

The estimated tab for this endeavour will come to $20,000; local non-governmental organizations will also help with the nuts and bolts of the project. To raise money for their work, IRSO is holding an International Cultural Night at the Myer Horowitz Theatre next week. Performers from around the world will entertain, including Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Peruvian and Ukranian dancers, Japanese martial artists, and Spanish musicians.

International Cultural Night and launch of IRSO’s first community development project takes place on Monday, March 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Myer Horowitz Theatre in the Students’ Union Building on the U of A campus. Tickets are $20, $10 for students and children, and are available from SUB Information Desk, the U of A International Centre or at the door.

Related links – internal

The U of A International Relief Student Organization website:
http://www.ualberta.ca/~irso/webpage/index.html

The U of A International website:
http://www.international.ualberta.ca