The Tsunami: One-Year Anniversary

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Much of the press here in the US is more inclined to focus on the relief efforts of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, but a gentle reminder – today is the one-year anniversary of the tsunami disaster to strike South and South East Asia.

The South Asian Journalists Association Reporting Fellowships have made it possible for journalists to go back to areas in South and South East Asia, to continue covering the stories from those regions well after the major networks have left the scene.

“The SAJA Reporting Fellowships are aimed at promoting a rare element in 24/7-news-cycle journalism, namely, in-depth and follow-up reporting on major events relating to South Asia or South Asians, long after the breaking-news crews have moved on. For the inaugural year, 2005, SAJA provided three projects a total of $10,000 to do stories about the tsunami aftermath that would not otherwise get covered. The money was raised thanks to the efforts of SAJA members and well-wishers around the country.”

The first series of stories is by veteran journalist Ken Moritsugu:
Tsunami aid distributed unevenly between India's fishing and farming villages and A Rush to Rebuild Leads to Wasted Effort.

Find below an audio slideshow of Moritsugu's findings. Please press on the play button on the lower left to start the show. Remember to also turn your speakers up so that you can hear Mortisugu's words.

As the year ends, I urge you to consider donating to this worthwhile effort. For more information, please email John Laxmi, SAJA's Treasurer at johnlaxmisaja[at]gmail.com.