Fishing nets, lifeblood.

The local papers report that fishermen are starting to fish again, now that Sri Lankans have resumed eating fish. Many people still don't eat fish because of the fear that they have eaten flesh from the thousands of bodies that were washed out to sea. Public officials, worried about the effect on an economy heavily dependent on fishing, staged an event in which they ate fish to show that it was safe to eat.

For Sri Lankan fishermen, a deep sea fishing net is a lifetime investment. The massive nets cost US$2000 and up, but can support the families of two dozen people helping in the process, from taking the net in a boat out into the sea and casting, to drawing the net in, to selling the fish.

The nets that Chande and his friends used were lost or shredded in the waves, and they're desperate to get a net. Not only are they anxious to regain their livelihood, outsiders are trying to take over the area they've fished for decades while they have no nets. But the government will not provide one for a long time, if ever. Fishermen all over the country are demanding boats and nets daily, while the government has admitted that 70% of the victims still haven't received any aid. So although it's a large chunk of our fund, we have given the money these men need to buy a deep sea fishing net, so they don't have to wait for handouts.