- What is “Solidarités” doing in Asia?
First of all, we are there as a result of an unprecedented human drama that was caused by the tsunami, an enormous tidal wave. Nearly 170,OOO victims, each of whom represents a personal and family tragedy. Millions of homeless people have lost everything. The humanitarian emergency is still very acute and the reconstruction phase must begin as soon as possible. Finally, the solidarity for Asia, which is remarkable, needs better co-ordination, and very rapidly.
In concrete terms, we have two teams, one in Sri Lanka and one in Indonesia. For Sri Lanka, we have chartered an aeroplane and we are bringing aid to survivors in the province of Ampara, one of the most badly hit zones on the east coast. We are principally involved in providing drinking water and sanitation facilities with pumps and tanks. We are also distributing vitamin-enriched biscuits, plastic covers and jerry cans.
In Indonesia, we have a team in Meulaboh, an area which lost two thirds of its 35,OOO inhabitants. Here again, we are involved in providing drinking water (again using pumps and flexible tanks) and sanitation facilities for 1O,OOO homeless people for whom we are constructing a camp.
In Sri Lanka and Indonesia, our teams consist of water and hydraulics specialists. They are dealing with the emergency requirements and evaluating the reconstruction needs.

- How are you financing this action and what do you think of the decision made by MSF to stop collecting funds?
We initially financed our humanitarian actions through cash-flow advances, which is currently still the case. We made appeals for contributions, but it became clear that the media had focused for too long on just a few organisations. And then MSF decided to stop collecting funds on January 4, saying that they had received enough money. I have two reactions to this; the first is that it is always good to speak the truth, it is responsible and even courageous. The second is that Solidarités still urgently needs funds to finance emergency aid. The statement made by MSF could confuse donors, as the initial explanations lacked the clarity and precision that might have prevented this confusion.
This said, MSF’s position should be considered very seriously, notably by those who have received significant donations, and we have an individual and collective duty to draw up precise reports on the usage of these funds.
At Solidarités, we have decided to post on our Internet site the total amount of funds received each week and to explain exactly how these funds are being used. We will also draw up a specific balance sheet for Asia.
Furthermore, no-one should forget the other crises currently unfolding. We are finding it difficult to generate the donations that are so essential for these crises. I am especially referring to the province of Darfur in the Sudan and the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo).

- But MSF has also stated that it is not up to the NGO’s to finance the reconstruction phases. What is your view on this?
We agree and disagree with MSF. We agree that it is not up to us to reconstruct the heavy infrastructures. This is the responsibility of the different States, or international organisations such as UN agencies or the World Bank. However, it is the responsibility of associations such as Solidarités to actively contribute to the reconstruction work required at family and village levels, i.e. drinking water supply systems such as wells or supply networks, homes, schools and dispensaries, access tracks and small bridges. We can also envisage contributing to the re-building of the agricultural or fishing industries, for example. We must help the population to do this, and even pay the local workers, who have lost everything, to carry out the work, whilst closely co-operating with local authorities and, just as importantly, remaining under their responsibility. We should not forget either that solidarity initially came from local individuals and populations, in conjunction with the state and public services. Furthermore, this is still the case.

- What are the priorities for Solidarités, and how do you plan to proceed?
Aid is the priority of all priorities. Together with Yannick le Bihan, our missions director, I have just been speaking to Bruno Marques, who is in Sri Lanka. He and his team are working 2O hours a day, and we need to provide them with fresh supplies and back-up so that aid can be supplied on a continuous basis and can be organised with increased efficiency. We need to send him money, volunteers and equipment. The same applies to Raoul de Torcy in Indonesia.
This said, we certainly do not want to participate or even contribute to a humanitarian circus. For this, it is essential that our actions are complementary and that we co-ordinate with other NGO’s, partner institutions and the UN. It must be stressed that we are working in these countries alongside the State organisations, public services, local authorities and municipalities. It is their home. It is up to us to co-ordinate with them and remain under their responsibility, backed-up by the UN.
Finally, thanks to Véronique Sentilhes, our communications manager, we are preparing various partnerships that will enable us to implement our humanitarian mission within the necessary time-frames. We are also providing reports on our site. There is an exceptional movement of solidarity that needs praising. I would like to pay tribute to the team at our Head Office and those staff in the field who are working very, very hard to implement our projects.
I would also like to give my warm thanks to the donors, companies and institutions that are working alongside us to bring aid to the people suffering in south-east Asia.