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Giants' Warner and Toomer Arrive in Indonesia |
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EIGHT DAYS Eight days, eight long days, in Banda Aceh and Sri Lanka, loading and delivering supplies to tsunami victims. Eight days, sweltering in tents, showers more fantasy than reality. Eight days, looking into the lost eyes of children who, when the waves receded, had lost everything-mother, father, home-all that should be certitude in a child’s life. And yet, when Amani showed them a football and played with them, they laughed and jumped and clambered for more, forgetting for a few moments the harsh, bleak lessons of life that no child should ever need to learn. How could Amani have walked in such devastation? How could he help without breaking his own heart? “How could I not help,” Amani said. “It was easier to go and try to assist than to stay home and do nothing.” He added that at times it was overwhelming because the scale of the destruction was so vast and because the tsunami had deposited so much salt on the land, that nothing will grow there for years. What can a farmer with no land do? How can a rebuilding effort begin? Amani admitted that he didn’t know, adding that in Sri Lanka he could see the rebuilding effort was already underway. But in Indonesia, the land will be useless for years to come. “It’s just overwhelming,” Amani repeated. “But I am grateful that we have had the opportunity to help first-hand with the relief work that is taking place here, and to bring attention to the devastation that these countries are continuing to rebuild from.” One of the enduring images is that of the children, Amani added. These children, who have lost everything, still laugh and play in the manner of children everywhere. And it will be the burden of these children to reclaim the land, to create hope from despair and to find reasons to delight in the cool of the morning and the softness of nightfall. And to walk in laughter. But their task is formidable. Too great for any child to bear. |
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J. Ethan Medley is is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Giants. He is accompanying Amani Toomer, Kurt Warner and their wives to tsunami-ravaged regions of Indonesia and Sri Lanka, where they will help the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) in their work to feed hungry families there. Medley will be filing reports from the region whenever his schedule allows. February 19, 2005 "I am grateful that we have had the opportunity to help first-hand with the relief work that is taking place here, and to bring attention to the devastation that these countries are continuing to rebuild from." With the press conference finished and our bags packed for the airport, our group gathered in the hotel restaurant to say our goodbyes and exchange a few last stories. I also asked Tony, Amani, and Yola what they would remember most from the trip. "You really never know how prepared you are to enter a situation like this," said Richardson. "You prepare for the worst, but I actually saw worse conditions that what I could prepare for. It was an interesting opportunity to be able to see everything that comes into place after a disaster like this in a short period of time. Besides all of the food that is provided by the United Nations' World Food Program, I was also able to speak with representatives from the UN Development Program, who are putting together some of the long-term plans that will help this country in its rebuilding process. If there is one thought that really stands out to me, it is that there is a lot more work to be done here. We just scratched the surface on this trip, witnessing some of the process, but this will require a four or five year plan for people's lives to be fully restored." "Sri Lanka has been such a different experience from Indonesia," said Yola. "It gives me hope that the rebuilding process can begin. Banda Aceh (Indonesia) was overwhelming and makes you question how the rebuilding will ever get done. Here in Sri Lanka, that process has already begun and you can see pieces starting to come into place, which gives you hope." "In general, I'm very thankful for this experience," she added. "I will go back home a changed person, refocused with thoughts of these people, their lives, and what they have lost. That will be with me forever. If I was expecting anything, it was to come here and see people who sad, devastated and broken, but that was hardly the case. Instead, people are working, playing, having fun and coming together. You see compassion and hospitality everywhere you go, despite the tragedy. While we were here, they welcomed us into their lives and tried to take care of us while we were trying to take care of them. That is what strikes me the most." "I have also learned the power of individual effort on this trip, and I encourage people to help other people throughout the world. You may think that the little thing you do is insignificant, but I have witnessed many people and organizations concentrate on small pieces of a major disaster in order to make a big difference. So, I encourage everyone to do what they can." "I am grateful that we have had the opportunity to help first-hand with the relief work that is taking place here, and to bring attention to the devastation that these countries are continuing to rebuild from," said Toomer. There are two things that have really stood out on this trip. The first is obviously the destruction that we have witnessed, which far exceeded what I thought we were going to see. Even after seeing images that were shown on TV, there is no way to prepare yourself for the amount of damage that was caused by the tsunami. It is just hard to imagine that water can generate enough force to cause the sort of destruction that we have seen. On the other hand, the second this that stands out to me is the positive attitude of the people who we have had met. While seeing what they have lost is hard emotionally, they have made us feel good, and I hope that we have had the same effect on them. Its funny, because they have no idea who we are, but they are just glad that we have come to help and be with them. It has also been wonderful to get to know everyone from the World Food Program, and to be a part of everything that they do to make sure that people have food to eat and water to drink after a disaster like this. It will take the people here many years to rebuild, and their lives will never be the same, but it is encouraging to know that they have more than enough character to help each other through the process." With our trip finished and our final goodbyes said, we all set foot in different directions. Tony Richardson headed to the airport to catch his flight, which would ultimately take him back to Kansas City. Amani and Yola headed back to their hotel room to get ready for their flight tomorrow for India, where they will spend several days backpacking. Joined by Zach Abraham and Renae Moravia, two of the WFP members who made our trip possible, I went to catch my flight back to New York. Our westward flight would bring us to the United Arab Emirates, up through Iran and then over Europe, completing a two-week trip that would bring us entirely around the world. Reaching home in a relatively quick 20 hours, the trip provided a final perspective of just how small the world really is, making us all more neighbors than we usually realize. |
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Day 6 - Chiefs Richardson Joins Toomer in Sri Lanka J. Ethan Medley is is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Giants. He is accompanying Amani Toomer, Kurt Warner and their wives to tsunami-ravaged regions of Indonesia and Sri Lanka, where they will help the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) in their work to feed hungry families there. Medley will be filing reports from the region whenever his schedule allows. The second leg of our two week journey with the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) began today as Amani, Yola and I arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka at 4am. After getting a few precious hours of sleep, we all headed down to the hotel lobby to grab a bite to eat and meet the Sri Lanka WFP staff that would accompany us for the remainder of our trip. Also accompanying us on the rest of our trip is Tony Richardson, fullback of the Kansas City Chiefs, who was arriving straight from his victory in Honolulu in the NFL Pro Bowl. After getting familiar with everyone, we packed into several UN vehicles and began our three-hour trip down the western coastline of Sri Lanka on our way to Galle, which sits at the southern tip of the country. On our way down, we were able to learn a little bit more about the country of 20 million people that has been distracted by internal conflict for the past 20 years. While there has been a two-year cease-fire agreement between the Tamil Tigers, a separatist group, and the Sri Lankan government, the effects of their fighting has caused severe disruptions for the well-being of the people here. WFP has been involved in this country for several years because the military conflict has disrupted food distribution to a point where 35% of the nations children are underweight. Needless to say, the nation, which suffered from intense fighting focused in the north and northeast, had enough problems before the tsunami rolled across its beaches along the east coast, even wrapping around the south and southwest point of the country. Considering that 20% of Sri Lankans live within 3 miles of the coast with an economy focused on tourism and the fishing industry, it is easy to understand the effect that the disaster has had here. Currently, approximately 30,000 people have dies as a result of the tsunami, with 4,000 still missing and 1.5 million people directly affected. Our coastal drive southward gave us amazing views of this paradise interrupted, with the damage worsening the further we went. We began to see more and more damaged structures, fishing boats broken in half on the rocks and the remnants of a train that was carrying 1,000 people, who were mostly lost as it was toppled by the wave. As we neared our destination, more and more camps for displaced families arose, similar to the ones we saw in Indonesia. We stopped for a seafood lunch and then finished our trip to the WFP Busa food warehouse for our major activity for the day, as our relatively small group worked efficiently to unload approximately 35 tons of rice (enough to feed 10,000 people for a week), 7 tons of fortified biscuit mix (87,000 portions for local school children), and 1 ton of corn-soy blend off of trucks and into their warehouse for distribution. After some intense physical labor, we were all quite pleased to head back to the Galle Forte Hotel, a beautiful little hotel near the coast surrounded by high walls which was completely spared by the tsunami, where we will spend the next two nights. Because we have yet to see the most affected areas of Sri Lanka, there is still a delicate balance of beauty and destruction that co-exist in this region, allowing us to simultaneously view what the area was, and what it lost on December 26th. |
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Toomer Arrives in Sri Lanka, Warner Returns Our final day in Indonesia was a restful one. Kurt Warner and his wife, Brenda had a departing flight for the United States late in the morning, while Amani, Yola, myself and the rest of the World Food Program staff who we are traveling with, had most of the afternoon to spend in our hotel before our evening flight for Colombo, Sri Lanka, with a stop along the way in Singapore.
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Day 4 - Warner and Toomer Visit Indonesia
Today was our final day in Banda Aceh, on the northern coast of Indonesia. It began with a press conference at 10am, where numerous reporters came out to speak with Kurt, Brenda, Amani and Yola, and to hear more about our trip so far. The local media in Indonesia also expressed appreciation for our visit, with the hopes that it will keep America's attention on the rebuilding effort, which will take years to complete. The town's Media Center had before-and-after aerial photos of Banda Aceh, which clearly showed the difference in the land since December 26. We also received confirming news that on the unprotected coast, the 20-foot tsunami hit land at an estimated 500 miles an hour. We heard previously that the wave hit with the speed of a plane, but found it hard to believe. Unfortunately, the already enormous death toll continues to rise, as over 1,000 bodies are still being found here each day as the cleanup continues. After the press conference, we hopped into cars and headed over to Darul Ulum, a boarding school for 700 students, where we helped to remove mounds of thick, littered clay from their courtyard. Yola and Brenda went off with the girls and helped them to clean their dorms, which were flooded during the tsunami. After some hard work the kids wanted to play, and Kurt and Amani were glad to obliged, showing them the game of football. The boys were very good and picked up the game quickly. After mastering our sport, they challenged us to master their's, and a game of 5-on-5 soccer was quickly put together on their concrete court. Today was the hottest day of our trip so far, and everyone was soaked in sweat when we left. We all needed a shower and a little rest after our visit, considering the most physically demanding part of the day was still to come. Driving about 20 minutes inland with a World Food Program World Vision convoy, we arrived in Ingin Jaya, the site of a camp where 230 remaining members of 11 separate villages moved after the tsunami, afraid to remain anywhere close to the coast. Once there, we sorted and distributed close to two and a half tons of food, including: large bags of rice, canned mackerel, cooking oil, noodles and biscuit mix. Food rations to each tent were divided based on the number of family members living in each. Needless to say, despite the overwhelming heat and humidity, we rejoiced each time we had to make a large delivery. A German medical team also accompanied us to the camp to assess injuries of the villagers. One young woman had to be taken from the camp, as she was suffering from a broken leg that had become infected. Her injury occurred as she was dragged out into the ocean and thrown against the rocks of an island, only to be rescued days later by one of the few remaining sea-worthy boats. She had not sought any medical attention for fear that her swollen leg would need amputation, but after convincing her that medical attention was the only way to prevent that, she allowed them to take her for treatment. While the remaining adults waited to receive their food, many of the kids were out playing and laughing, which is something that we see everywhere we go. It is one of the few things that is enjoyable to witness here, kids being kids. Our day ended with a flight back to Jakarta, where the group will spend our last night together before heading separate ways. Kurt and Brenda will head back for home tomorrow, as the rest of the group goes on to Sri Lanka, where we will be joined by Tony Richardson, Pro-Bowl fullback for the Kansas City Chiefs. Set-up in 1963, WFP is the United Nations front-line agency in the fight against global hunger. In 2003, WFP fed 104 million people in 81 countries, including most of the world's refugees and internally displaced people. Currently, WFP is helping to feed more than 850,000 people in Sri Lanka, with a large logistics network spread throughout the country. For more information on their efforts in Indonesia and throughout the world, please visit www.wfp.org. |
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Day 3 - Warner and Toomer Visit Indonesia Sunday morning got off to an early start for almost everyone in our tent, as the combination of humidity, mosquito netting and time zone differences had everyone unable to sleep past 4am. Amani, Kurt, Yola, and I grabbed chairs outside in an effort to take advantage of the only palatable temperatures that the day would offer. At 4:30, the calls to mosque sounded out from all sides of town and continued for over an hour. Four hours later, the day got off to an even shakier start, as a fairly mild, but sustained earthquake shook our camp. Not long after, the vibrations returned during aftershocks. We were told later that the quake registered in the 5's on the Richter Scale. It was enough to shake our tents and chairs, but not quite big enough to cause any damage. Our first activity of the day was a football demonstration at the University of Banda Aceh Park with 60 boys and girls from a local internally displaced people (IDP) camp. Sharing a field with several cows and numerous dragonflies, Kurt, Amani taught the boys how to throw and catch the football, while Brenda and Yola did the same with the girls. The demonstration caught the attention of many passers-by who stopped to watch the action. After two hours of play, and a quick snack with the kids, we were taken to a nearby restaurant to enjoy some local fare. While yesterday's trip to the coast was sobering enough, today's afternoon ride through the port area of Banda Aceh showed us the worst damage we have seen so far. This area of town was densely populated and well-developed, but today it is almost all rubble. The tsunami destroyed absolutely everything in its wake: buildings, cars, boats, bridges and road surfaces. Even the land itself has been stripped bare in most places. We have heard many sad stories during our time here. While walking near the coast this afternoon, we were greeted by a woman who was heading back towards town. She asked our translator who we were, and through him she told us that she lost her husband and both children. Pointing to where her house used to stand, she explained that she survived by grabbing hold of a floating mattress, only to be carried approximately 10 kilometers inland. She has returned to her property every day since the disaster to remember her family. The power of the water left behind numerous baffling images that remain today. During our drive, we came upon an enormous fishing boat that still rests on the damaged building where the wave left it, while another large fishing vessel still stands several blocks inland. It is obvious that five weeks after the disaster, the cleanup process is still far from finished and military trucks continue to transport remains that are found as more rubble is cleared. Among the damaged buildings in town is the Aceh Sports Center, where soccer players, boxers, fencers, martial artists, and weight lifters train for the regional Olympics. While the structure still stands, the floor was ruined by the flood, preventing many of the athletes from being able to practice. We paid a visit to the center and met many of the coaches and athletes. They explained that they lost many of their teammates and friends, and thanked us for bringing attention to the center, which they hope to have the resources to repair in the near future. Before leaving, the athletes asked Kurt and Amani to demonstrate the game of football to them. Some of them were adamant about trying to perfect the spiral of their throws, and with practice, got much better. As a parting gift, we left them with the football that drew so much interest. That was supposed to be the end of our day, but after returning to our camp, we were told that there were elephants down the street assisting in the cleanup. A quick drive took us to the site in time to witness one such elephant pull a car out from between two houses. The car was water-logged but relatively undamaged and had been stuck since the tsunami. With a low roar, the elephant made easy work of the vehicle, dragging it up the muddy incline so quickly that one surprised worker had to jump out of the way in order to avoid being hit. Tomorrow is our last day in Banda Aceh, as we will travel back to Jakarta in the evening. From there, Kurt and Brenda will head back home, while Amani, Yola and I will head to Sri Lanka, where we will be joined from the Pro Bowl by Kansas City Chiefs fullback, Tony Richardson for the final five days of our trip with the World Food Program (WFP). Set-up in 1963, WFP is the United Nations frontline agency in the fight against global hunger. In 2003, WFP fed 104 million people in 81 countries, including most of the world's refugees and internally displaced people. Currently, WFP is helping to feed more than 850,000 people in Sri Lanka, with a large logistics network spread throughout the country. For more information on their efforts in Indonesia and throughout the world, please visit www.wfp.org. |
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Day 2 - Warner and Toomer Visit Indonesia Today was our second day in Indonesia, and started with a 6AM flight from Jakarta Halim Military Airport to the coastal region of Banda Aceh on a United Nations Humanitarian Air Services plane. This gave us our first glimpse of the damage caused by the tsunami as we flew over the coastline. Vast amounts of coastal land are blackened and vacant, with the excepetion of an occasional structure that was stirdy enough to withstand the water's force. Contrastly, there are areas immediately next to this land, that the water did not reach, which are spectacular to the eye: vibrant green rice patties, villages built amongst palm trees and mountains covered with vegitation that drop right into the blue ocean. Upon landing, we were met at the airport by local World Food Progam staff, and helped to unload a truck of rice, cooking oil and fortified biscuit mix, onto a helicopter departing for Lamno, one of the nearby coastal towns that were devastated by the tsunami. We boarded another helicopter and flew with those supplies on the 20 minute journey, landing in a field which was surrounded by local residents. Several young boys ran out to see our helicopters landing, mimicking our flight with their arms extended. They were eager to meet, Kurt Warner and Amani Toomer, "the American sports stars," and repeated every word of english that they heard. "Hello friend" and "I love you," are common greetings from the kids who we have met so far. After unloading the food supplies into a local UN food distribution warehouse, our group jumped into the back of two pickup trucks, where we drove down the main town road, which leads to the coast. This up-close perspective of the devastation somehow made it even more unimaginable. Some of the survivors have come back to the site of their homes and many have set their plot of land on fire in an effort to clear their land completely so they can start over. We saw others who were simply laying under larger branches of fallen trees to seek protection from the sun. Temperatures here are in the upper 80's, and are accompanied by the overwhelming humidity of Indonesia's current monsoon season. As we got closer to the coast, portions of the road we were travelling on would stop and start again, with the asphalt completely washed away. Our driver continued on, taking us all the way to the coast, where we reached a bridge that was completely washed away with the asphalt leading up to it evidently picked up by the water and set down 20 feet inland. It was here that we met two men who survived the tsunami. Through the help of our UN translator, they told us about the "hot black water," discolored and heated by the escaping lava from the ocean floor, which they could hear coming from a distance. They survived by heading for high ground on the nearby hills, however the ne gentlman explained that he lost 20 members of his family. On our way back from the coast, we stopped at a camp for displaced locals, where we met children who were creating artwork to express their feelings about the tsunami. This is an ongoing excercise, as their teachers and doctors try to determine which children will need more psychological support. From there, we headed to a nearby UN field-office, where we were able to enjoy the delicious water from freshly cut coconuts along with some sandwiches. After our breif rest, we headed back to the airport, where we boarded a US military helicopter which flew us over the ocean to the nearby US Mercy, a floating military hospital. The ship was sent to the area following the disaster to provide emergency medical aid for the tsunami, and its services are still in high demand, as it has taken the place of the local hospital and numerous doctors' offices, which were all destroyed. Kurt and Amani were hugely popular with many of the patients, but especially by the navy personnell, and the two of them made a lot of people smile by signing autographs in the galley for everyone during lunch. Their kindness was repayed by the Navy, who flew us back over the ocean in the helicopter "military style," with both side doors wide open. Our day came to an end with our arrival at the UN main camp in Banda Aceh, where we will stay the next two nights. After showering, the group of approximately 75 UN workers who are staying here, welcomed us with a wonderful meal of noodles, fried bananas and homemade ice cream. We will all try to get some good sleep tonight in our tents, as we have been told there is another full day planned for tomorrow. Looking back on the day's events and experiences, Warner shared the following thoughts, "It is overwhelming and amazing on many levels. The devastation is impossible to imagine, but at the same time, the people we have met have displayed amazing courage and an unfailing abilty to smile. More than anything, I am blown away by the realization that peoples' entire lives are gone: their family, friends, home, jobs and belongings. They have to start completely over, and where do you begin? It is an overwhelming thought. However, it is just as awesome to see and play with the kids, and everyone we have met has been extremely friendly." "I think what stands out most is just the vastness of everything," added Toomer. "It is hard to imagine that much water was able to wash over the land, and hearing the first-person accounts of the tsunami was unbelievable. Entire villages are no longer there. It is all very hard to comprehend even after seeing the damage." |
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Giants' Warner and Toomer Arrive in Indonesia JAKARTA, INDONESIA -- New York Giants' Quarterback Kurt Warner and his wife, Brenda met up with wide reciever Amani Toomer and his wife, Yola at JFK Airport on Wednesday evening, along with several members of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and myself, to embark on a two-week trip to the tsunami-damaged regions of Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Four planes (one missed connection), 12 time zones, countless miles, and 34 hours later, we arrived in Jakarta, where we were greeted by local members of the WFP, and taken to a local hotel to get some much-needed sleep. Tomorrow morning our group will leave from the local military airport with a UN Humanitarian Air Services flight and head to Banda Aceh, one of the worst-affected areas, where we will spend the next 3 days loading and transporting food to coastal towns, participating in cleanup efforts, playing games with local youth in displacement camps and meeting local US military personnell stationed here since the disaster. Set-up in 1963, WFP is the United Nations frontline agency in the fight against global hunger. In 2003, WFP fed 104 million people in 81 countries, including most of the world's refugees and internally displaced people. Currently, WFP is helping to feed more than 850,000 people in Sri Lanka, with a large logistics network spread throughout the country. For more information on their efforts in Indonesia and throughout the world, please visit www.wfp.org. |
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