Sepali Subasinghe, Oxfam country programme assistant sorts through what is left of the Oxfam office after the Tsunami. Photo: Tori Ray/Oxfam

Sepali Subasinghe is an Oxfam country programme assistant based in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. Although she escaped the waters, her Oxfam office was flooded and she lost several years’ work in a few moments.

Despite this, Sepali and her colleagues started their humanitarian effort the next day. They distributed relief packs, provided clean water and sanitation facilities, and talked to survivors about health and hygiene. Soon they began to organise co-ordination meetings, and set up a temporary office near the harbour. Five of the staff had lost their homes, and several staff had developed fevers and skin problems – but throughout the first week, they hardly stopped.

An amazing response from staff, many of whom were affected by the tsunami themselves, ensured that within 24 hours Oxfam was working with local partner group Kinniya Vision, distributing resources to over 4000 families in Trincomalee. Photo: Tori Ray/Oxfam

Sepali is optimistic about getting the development programme back on track: “Our first priority was always to assist the people displaced and get them back on their feet. Now we are starting to talk with partners again about the ongoing development work we were doing. Everything has changed but we can still work and we are starting to agree what we need to do now for the long term.

“I’m very happy with the things we have done. I know I’ve been part of something that’s really helped people. There have been bad things experienced but there has also been a lot to learn, and opportunities to take.”