N. Anosha Subasinghe T'98
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"I had never asked anyone
for a major donation in my
life, but these circumstances
demanded extraordinary
measures..."
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One Woman Against the Ocean
After several overcast days, the sun shone over Sri Lanka on the morning of
December 26, 2004. Anosha Subasinghe's father offered to take her son to the
beach, but four-year-old Kenula wanted to stay home. So when the tsunami
struck later that morning, Subasinghe and her family were safe inside their
home in Colombo, the capital.
Subasinghe recalls the rest of that day as a blur of anxiety, disbelief, and
helplessness. Her brother, on a visit to Singapore, feared aftershocks, and he
called nearly every half hour to plead that she grab her family and run. But
Colombo and the western side of the island nation were spared the brunt of the
waves that killed more than 30,000 Sri Lankans.
After the initial shock, Subasinghe checked on her acquaintances and combed
her house for clothes and medicine. But by the end of the day, she had begun to
form a larger plan that would help hundreds of victims. "The most devastating
thing for us would have been to watch and hear what was happening and not
do anything about it," she says.
Born and raised in Sri Lanka, Subasinghe works for her family's group of
agribusinesses, which includes the largest supplier of vegetable and potato seeds
in Sri Lanka. Taking decisive action, she and her husband placed the businesses
on hold and redirected resources. Instead of carrying seed, the company's trucks
carried supplies to hospitals and refugee camps. Five company employees helped
organize transportation logistics as foreign relief began to arrive.
Subasinghe and her family immediately donated $10,000 to a family fund for
relief, then decided they could raise much more if they reached out to business
associates and friends. By the middle of January, the private fund had become
established as the Shakthi Foundation—shakthi means energy in Sinhalese. "I
had never asked anyone for a major donation in my life," she says, "but these
circumstances demanded extraordinary measures, and we needed all the assistance
we could get to help the tsunami victims."
By April, with more than $30,000 raised from nearly 30 organizations and
people, the foundation had bought and distributed emergency relief supplies
such as food, medicine, and cooking utensils, provided supplies for two schools,
and commenced efforts to build houses and a Sunday school. "My friends from
Tuck and their friends rose to the occasion and gave numerous contributions to
our fund. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to everyone who wrote with words of
wisdom and encouragement and who made donations," she says. Those interested
in providing aid may contact Subasinghe at anoshas@eureka.lk.
Subasinghe is now back at work as director of Tropical Seed and Onesh Trading
companies, where she oversees international strategic sourcing and general
management operations, respectively. She continues to spend about 20 percent
of her time on tsunami relief, and, as a board member of nonprofit HelpAge
Sri Lanka, she focuses on issues of disadvantaged elders. And now she knows
that even in the most horrible tragedy, a feeling of helplessness can be replaced
by a call to action.
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