December 26th began as normally as Rasheed could have expected. He had come home at
5 in the morning following a night of fishing. After a cup of tea, Rasheed went to the
local market to sell his catch. His pregnant wife Rabina and four-year-old daughter Sasna
stayed behind at home. Then the unimaginable occurred.
It was around 9:25 a.m. when huge waves began surging into the house one after another,
pulling everything out into the sea. Just in time, Rabina grabbed Sasna and struggled
to reach a high point out of the reach of the deadly waters. Meanwhile, Rasheed discovered
the terrible news of the tsunami and rushed back home only to find his house under ten
feet of water. He searched frantically for his wife and daughter. No one helped him;
everyone was gripped with fear and grief.
Safe with Nothing
After hours of frantic searching, he found them safe at a local mosque. The family stayed
there for a week and then went back to their broken home. They had no boats, nets, work
or money – they lost everything but at least had each other.
In the midst of this tragedy, Rabina gave birth to the couple’s second daughter.
Rasheed desperately looked for new work and had no choice but to leave his family for
a few days a time. During one of his trips, Sasna developed a fever and severe skin
infection on her feet. Rabina didn’t know what to do.
House Visit
Rabina’s neighbors told her about our free clinic in Kalmunaikudi. She wanted
to take Sasna to the clinic but she couldn’t go; she had to take care of her 2-day-old
baby. Thankfully, our team started visiting houses looking for sick people. When they
visited Rabina’s house she was totally surprised and overjoyed. The team talked
with her and carried the toddler to our clinic. Sasna was treated for scabies and the
fever. Rabina also learned about health, hygiene and how to care for her children.
Sasna recovered quickly! “After a long time, with all your care, we are able
to be happy again. Thank you so much for taking care of my daughter,” said Rabina.
Join Our Recovery Team
Operation Blessing is setting up daily clinics all over Sri Lanka’s tsunami-torn
areas. More than 6,700 people have been treated already! Your gift of $40 or more can
help survivors rebuild in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can help by making an online donation toward OBI's disaster relief efforts. With your support, we can continue to provide emergency relief and recovery. Please make an on-line donation today.
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