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Vice-Chancellor hands over money to Boxing Day tsunami victims

June 20, 2005

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Two students affected by the Boxing Day tsunamis have received financial assistance following fund-raising efforts by staff and students at The University of New England.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ingrid Moses, handed over a cheque to one of the students at a special ceremony today (Friday, June 17). Thousands of people were affected by the devastating tsunamis that hit several countries in south-east Asia on December 26.
"When the tsunami happened, I started the UNE Tsunami Relief Fund,"
Professor Moses said. "Many staff had already given to charities but I asked them to give a little more to the UNE fund.
"Originally I had intended to give the money to international aid agencies, but when we heard that UNE students had been affected by the tsunami, we thought it would be appropriate to use the money raised to help those students."
Over the past six months staff and students have donated more than $10,000 to the UNE Tsunami Relief Fund.
PhD candidate Sithy Zulfika of Sri Lanka received a cheque for $3050 from the Vice-Chancellor at the ceremony. Ms Zulfika is studying at the School of Education at UNE. The money donated to Ms Zulfika will be used to replace equipment for her PhD studies that was lost in the tsunami, such as a laptop computer and recording equipment. Ms Zulfika lost six months' worth of notes in the tsunami, including lengthy interviews with teachers and students at the school where she was working in Sri Lanka.
Ms Zulfika said she was very happy to receive the money, and that it would go along way to helping her resume her research. "It will replace my instruments, which are essential to my research," she said. "The research I am doing is community-based, focusing on the needs of primary school children after the tsunami."
Ms Zulfika was working in a primary school in Kalmunai in eastern Sri Lanka when the tsunamis struck. More that 300 students were killed by the tsunamis and a further 1,142 were affected. Ms Zulfika will return to Kalmunai early next year to resume her research.

The other recipient of funds raised by UNE was Thai student Pornpimon Boonyuen. She received money for her accommodation costs at Wright Village while she completed her English language studies at UNE's Language Training Centre. Thousands of people were killed when the tsunamis hit Ms Boonyuen's hometown of Khao Lak in southern Thailand. Although her family escaped injury, their home was destroyed. Her parent's guesthouse, their sole source of income, was also destroyed.
A cheque for the remainder of the funds raised for the UNE Tsunami Relief Fund will be distributed later this year.
For more information phone Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779.


Posted by Lydia Roberts at June 20, 2005 10:17 AM